Stratagem Artists Management makes Canadian expansion

by | Feb 1, 2021 | Featured, News

In a bit of operatic optimism, Canada just added a bit of competition to its management scene. Stratagem Artists, a boutique agency based in New York, has expanded into Canadian territory, and announced the addition of seven new Canadian artists to its roster.

Soprano Lucia Cesaroni, soprano Aviva Fortunata, mezzo-soprano Reilly Nelson, and baritone Phillip Addis have joined the Stratagem team, alongside tenor Adrian Kramer and bass-baritone James Demler, two Canadians already on the roster.

Additionally, Stratagem is welcoming a new group off-stage creatives from both sides of the border. Among the Canadians are conductor Robert Tweten, composer Cecilia Livingston, and director Aria Umezawa; they are joined by fellow conductors Geoff McDonald and Kamna Gupta, directors Ellen JacksonLaine Rettmer, and Marcus Shields, and composers Lembit Beecher and Rene Orth.

Readers, this announcement is actually a bit personal to me, your friendly Opera Canada contributor: I’ll be coming on board with Stratagem Artists as Associate Artist Manager! It’s a new career venture for me, and something I’m looking forward to pursuing in tandem with my writing. Just like my work as a critic, representing these artists is about supporting and championing the amazing work that’s happening in Canada’s opera scene. I want to see it come back healthy and re-energized – if that sounds naïve, that’s alright. A dash of mid-pandemic positivity never hurt anyone.

So, with admittedly a good dose of personal bias, I encourage you all to go check out these Canadian artists; they have fresh media available on the Stratagem Artists website, and I’m personally very proud of their hustle.

Jenna Simeonov

Jenna is the editor and co-creator of Schmopera. She also writes for The Globe and Mail and Opera Canada. She’s a pianist and vocal coach, and working with singers is how she fell in love with opera.

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