Canadian soprano and teaching artist Gwenna Fairchild-Taylor holds an M.Mus in Opera (University of Toronto) and a B.Mus in Voice Performance (Western University). She recently completed the Holland Community Opera Fellowship at Opera Omaha. Gwenna was a recipient of an Encouragement Award at the Nebraska District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in December 2020. Recent performance highlights Opera Outdoors and Opera to Go (Opera Omaha), originating the role of Nature in Cries of the Earth (Artsong Collaborative Project), Berta in The Barber of Seville (Indian River Festival, Stratford Summer Music), Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte (Toronto Lyric Opera Centre / Toronto Mozart Players), and Soprano Soloist in Beethoven Symphony No. 9 (London Symphonia, Durham Youth Orchestra). This past summer, Gwenna premiered several new compositions with the Artsong Collaborative Project and participated in several workshops for developing new works, including a new piece with FAWN Chamber Creative. 

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Gwenna believes in the power of the arts as a catalyst for community building and social change and strives to make sure everyone has access to creative experiences, regardless of location or circumstance. She wrote the curriculum and continues to consult for “Learn English Through Song,” a program run by The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall that facilitates language learning and community building for newcomer women through singing. Through her work at Opera Omaha, she created and facilitated programming for over 15 community partners. She is a four-time recipient of grants in support of music and drama programming for kids in four communities in Nunavut. Her tri-lingual (Inuktitut, English, French) arrangement of James Gordon's Frobisher Bay was recently featured on the Inuksuk Drum Dancer's latest recording. Gwenna consults on arts curriculum and facilitates workshops and discussions about opera and civic practice for companies throughout Canada and the United States.