Symphony and Opera at the Cameron Bandshell
Pacific Opera Victoria

Text from the Pacific Opera Victoria website:

Victoria Symphony and Pacific Opera Victoria offer two free full orchestral concerts at the Cameron Bandshell in beautiful Beacon Hill Park. Take a bench seat, or bring your own chair and blanket, and enjoy an early evening concert featuring excerpts from our upcoming Masterworks and Pops Series, as well as excerpts from Pacific Opera’s 2023/24 season.

Friday, August 4
Music from 5:00 pm (VS Orchestra at 6:30 pm).
Cameron Bandshell, Beacon Hill Park

Saturday, August 5
Music from 4:00 pm (VS Orchestra at 6:30 pm)
Cameron Bandshell, Beacon Hill Park

Please note there are different artists and programs for each day, scroll down to see!

August 4th Artists

Giuseppe Pietraroia, conductor
Giuseppe Pietraroia is Associate Conductor for both the Victoria Symphony and Pacific Opera. As a guest conductor he has been engaged by l’Orchestre Métropolitain, Orchestra London, Vancouver Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Hamilton Philharmonic, Okanagan Symphony, Regina Symphony, Kingston Symphony and Thunder Bay Symphony.

His extensive opera engagements with Pacific Opera include productions ofIl barbiere di Siviglia, La traviata, La bohème, Lucia di Lammermoor, Norma, Rigoletto, Manon Lescaut, Madama Butterfly, La Cenerentola, Tosca,andLet’s Make an Opera/The Little Sweep.In addition, he has conducted productions for l’Opéra de Montréal, l’Opéra de Québec, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Edmonton Opera, Opera New Brunswick, Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artist Program, and l’Institut Canadien d’Art Vocal.

With Victoria Choral Society, where he was Music Director for seven seasons, Maestro Pietraroia conducted performances of Handel’sMessiahand Mozart’sMass in C minorwith the Victoria Symphony, a choreographed production of Orff’sCarmina Buranain collaboration with Ballet Victoria, Dvořák’sStabat Mater,David Fanshawe’sAfrican Sanctus,and the Duruflé and Fauré Requiems. Maestro Pietraroia has recorded a cd with soprano Marie-Josée Lord and l’Orchestre Métropolitain for the ATMA label, which won a Felix award granted by l’ADISQ and was also nominated for a JUNO award. Giuseppe Pietraroia is the recipient of the George and Jane Heffelfinger Pacific Opera Victoria Artist of the Year Award and the Canada Council’s Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestral Conducting.

Adam Luther, tenor
Adam Luther is one of Canada’s most exciting tenors, with a repertoire ranging from Janáček to Mozart to Puccini. His upcoming and recent engagements include Bizet’s Carmen(Pacific Opera Victoria), Verdi’s Requiem(Orchestre Philharmonique et Chœur des Mélomanes), Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9(Calgary Philharmonic & Regina Symphony), Handel’s Messiahwith the Newfoundland Symphony, and, with the Canadian Opera Company, Verdi’s La Traviata, Strauss’ Salome, and Verdi’s MacBeth. This past season, Adam also jumped into Edmonton Opera’sLa Bohèmeat the last minute, to star as Rodolfo for their opening night performance. He returns to the Edmonton Opera in the 23/24 season to star as Don Jose in their production of Bizet’sCarmen.

Recent highlights for the tenor include Luigi in Il Tabarroand Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi,and Graf Tassilo inGräfin Marizafor Pacific Opera Victoria; Roméo in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette and Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Oneginfor Calgary Opera; and various concert galas for the Niagara Symphony, Victoria Symphony, and Sacramento Opera.

Adam’s repertoire includes Alfredo in Verdi’s La traviata(Manitoba Opera, Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières), Rodolfo in Puccini’sLa bohème(Minnesota Opera, Against the Grain Theatre), Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Pacific Opera Victoria, Calgary Opera), Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly(Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria), Anatol in Barber’s Vanessa(Pacific Opera Victoria), Cassio in Verdi’s Otello(Pacific Opera Victoria), Danilo in Lehar’sThe Merry Widow(Toronto Operetta Theatre), and Stravinksy’s RenardandLe Rossignol(Opéra de Québec).

Concert credits include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9(Kitchener-Waterloo and Edmonton Symphony), Mendelssohn’s Elijah(Chorus Niagara), Handel’s Messiah(Edmonton Symphony, Newfoundland Symphony), Mozart’s Requiem(Symphony Nova Scotia), Dvorak’s Requiem(Orpheus Choir, Chorus Niagara), and Verdi’s Requiem(Ottawa Choral Society). Mr. Luther has been a featured soloist with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Sounds of the Festival in Parry Sound, Aldeburgh Connection, and the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto.

Monica Chen, assistant conductor

A native of Vancouver, Monica Chen is one of the conducting fellows at the Orchestre Métropolitain, assisting Yannick Nézet-Séguin since 2021. She will be the Assistant Conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for the 2023-2024 season and one of three finalists at Domaine Forget chosen to perform in concert with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec two years in a row. Recent conducting engagements include working with Opera Kelowna, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and the Orchestre Métropolitain. She has participated in festivals at the Eastman School of Music, Domaine Forget International Summer Academy, the UBC Chamber Music Festival, and the University of Oregon Conducting Institute, working closely with maestros Jonathan Girard, Neil Varon, Thomas Rösner, and Bramwell Tovey.

She holds two Masters, one in Orchestral Conducting from UBC, studying with Dr. Jonathan Girard and the other in violin performance from Indiana University, studying with Mimi Zweig.

Monica Chen appears courtesy of Tapestry Opera’s Women in Musical Leadership Program. She iswas named in 2023 as one of two conductors in the third cohort of the project, produced in partnership with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Pacific Opera Victoria, and with the participation of music organizations from coast to coast.

August 5th Artists

Timothy Vernon, conductor

Timothy smiles slightly, wearing a suit jacket, bright red v-neck sweater, and a white button up. He has blonde hair and a slight beard.As founding Artistic Director of Pacific Opera, Timothy Vernon has nurtured the company’s growth and vitality through his musicianship, intellect, and passion. A welcome figure on the podiums of Canada’s most important orchestras and opera companies, Maestro Vernon has led many of Pacific Opera’s more than 120 productions since the company’s inception in 1979.

His enterprising artistic vision for Pacific Opera has included multiple Canadian stage premières, among them Strauss’ Daphne and Capriccio, Blitzstein’s Regina, Weber’s Der Freischütz, Montemezzi’s L’Amore dei tre re, Giannini’s The Taming of the Shrew, and Lee Hoiby’s The Tempest.

He conducted the world première of Mary’s Wedding (commissioned by Pacific Opera) and of Les Feluettes (co-commission and world première co-production with Pacific Opera and Opéra de Montréal), as well as hallmark productions of Wozzeck, The Cunning Little Vixen, and Das Rheingold.

He has conducted for Opéra de Montréal (Die Fledermaus), Opéra de Québec (Macbeth, The Barber of Seville), and Calgary Opera (Carmen, Eugene Onegin). He has appeared with every professional opera company and orchestra in Canada and is Conductor Laureate of Orchestra London.

Timothy has received the Order of Canada, Opera Canada’s Ruby Award, the Diamond Jubilee Medal, and Honorary degrees from Royal Roads and the University of Victoria. He was celebrated in May 2023 for the unique vision that has engaged the community and made Pacific Opera a nationally recognized symbol of artistic excellence.

Aviva Fortunata, soprano

Canadian-Italian soprano Aviva Fortunata, named twice as one of CBC’s Top 30 Canadian Classical Artists Under 30, is earning international attention with her “velvety timbre”, “gleaming tone”, and voice “of diva soprano quality and strength”. To great acclaim, she stepped in last-minute to replace an ailing colleague in the title role of Norma at The Dallas Opera, securing the bel canto heroine as one of Ms. Fortunata’s signature roles.

In the 2022-23 season, Ms. Fortunata made her role and company debut with Sarasota Opera as Elvira in Verdi’s Ernani and joined the Metropolitan Opera roster covering Elettra in Idomeneo. Ms. Fortunata’s 2021/2022 season saw her as Donna Anna in Pacific Opera Victoria’s production of Don Giovanni, Hanna Glawari in Calgary Opera’s The Merry Widow and her l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec debut in works by Beethoven, Strauss and Bellini.

Ms. Fortunata is an alumna of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio Program (2013-2016), where she took the mainstage as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Helmwige in Die Walküre, Annina in La traviata, and Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia. As a member of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program (2012-2013), Ms. Fortunata sang Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello, and Lady with a Cake Box in Argento’s Postcard from Morocco. Ms. Fortunata was a 2016 Finalist for Operalia, The World Opera Competition, and she was Canada’s representative in the 2015 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, where she was a Song Prize Finalist. She holds a Masters Degree in Opera from the University of Toronto. Ms. Fortunata was generously sponsored by the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award.

Adam Luther, tenor

Adam Luther is one of Canada’s most exciting tenors, with a repertoire ranging from Janáček to Mozart to Puccini. His upcoming and recent engagements include Bizet’s Carmen (Pacific Opera Victoria), Verdi’s Requiem (Orchestre Philharmonique et Chœur des Mélomanes), Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Calgary Philharmonic & Regina Symphony), Handel’s Messiah with the Newfoundland Symphony, and, with the Canadian Opera Company, Verdi’s La Traviata, Strauss’ Salome, and Verdi’s MacBeth. This past season, Adam also jumped into Edmonton Opera’s La Bohème at the last minute, to star as Rodolfo for their opening night performance. He returns to the Edmonton Opera in the 23/24 season to star as Don Jose in their production of Bizet’s Carmen.

Recent highlights for the tenor include Luigi in Il Tabarro and Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, and Graf Tassilo in Gräfin Mariza for Pacific Opera Victoria; Roméo in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette and Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin for Calgary Opera; and various concert galas for the Niagara Symphony, Victoria Symphony, and Sacramento Opera.

Adam’s repertoire includes Alfredo in Verdi’s La traviata (Manitoba Opera, Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières), Rodolfo in Puccini’s La bohème (Minnesota Opera, Against the Grain Theatre), Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Pacific Opera Victoria, Calgary Opera), Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria), Anatol in Barber’s Vanessa (Pacific Opera Victoria), Cassio in Verdi’s Otello (Pacific Opera Victoria), Danilo in Lehar’s The Merry Widow (Toronto Operetta Theatre), and Stravinksy’s Renard and Le Rossignol (Opéra de Québec).

Concert credits include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Kitchener-Waterloo and Edmonton Symphony), Mendelssohn’s Elijah (Chorus Niagara), Handel’s Messiah (Edmonton Symphony, Newfoundland Symphony), Mozart’s Requiem (Symphony Nova Scotia), Dvorak’s Requiem (Orpheus Choir, Chorus Niagara), and Verdi’s Requiem (Ottawa Choral Society). Mr. Luther has been a featured soloist with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Sounds of the Festival in Parry Sound, Aldeburgh Connection, and the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto.

Monica Chen, assistant conductor

A native of Vancouver, Monica Chen is one of the conducting fellows at the Orchestre Métropolitain, assisting Yannick Nézet-Séguin since 2021. She will be the Assistant Conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for the 2023-2024 season and one of three finalists at Domaine Forget chosen to perform in concert with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec two years in a row.

Recent conducting engagements include working with Opera Kelowna, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and the Orchestre Métropolitain. She has participated in festivals at the Eastman School of Music, Domaine Forget International Summer Academy, the UBC Chamber Music Festival, and the University of Oregon Conducting Institute, working closely with maestros Jonathan Girard, Neil Varon, Thomas Rösner, and Bramwell Tovey.

She holds two Masters, one in Orchestral Conducting from UBC, studying with Dr. Jonathan Girard and the other in violin performance from Indiana University, studying with Mimi Zweig.

Monica Chen appears courtesy of Tapestry Opera’s Women in Musical Leadership Program. She was named in 2023 as one of two conductors in the third cohort of the project, produced in partnership with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Pacific Opera Victoria, and with the participation of music organizations from coast to coast.