Giuseppe Pietraroia, conductor

Canadian conductor Giuseppe Pietraroia has earned a national reputation for his versatility, musicality, and leadership across both orchestral and operatic stages. Based in British Columbia, he is the Principal Conductor of Pacific Opera Victoria, where he has held leadership roles since 2003. He previously served as Associate Conductor with both Pacific Opera and the Victoria Symphony, and was Music Director of the Victoria Choral Society from 2005 to 2012.

With a career spanning over two decades, Pietraroia has conducted a wide range of repertoire, from main series, pops, and contemporary programs to full opera productions and education concerts. He has appeared as a guest conductor with leading Canadian ensembles including the Toronto Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Orchestre Métropolitain, and most recently, the Regina Symphony Orchestra.

A champion of collaboration and artistic growth, Pietraroia has been deeply involved in programming, auditions, and community outreach initiatives. He has also contributed to music education through teaching roles at the University of Victoria, McGill University, and Plattsburgh State University of New York.

He holds a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from McGill University and is the recipient of the Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Conducting from the Canada Council for the Arts and a Félix Award for Classical Album of the Year with Marie-Josée Lord and l’Orchestre Métropolitain.

Sarah Dufresne, soprano

Canadian soprano Sarah Dufresne has been praised for her “style and elegance” (Bachtrack) and the “richness of tone… and admirable control” (The Arts Desk). 

Highlights of her 2025/26 season include debuts with the Canadian Opera Company and Vancouver Opera as Gilda in Rigoletto, her Royal Opera House debut as the Woodbird in Siegfried, and her Teatro alla Scala debut as Frasquita in Carmen. In concert, she appears with Les Violons du Roy, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and returns to the London Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms. 

Recent engagements include Ophélie in Hamlet with Opéra de Montréal, Gilda with Pacific Opera Victoria, and performances with the Bayerische Staatsoper and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. Her debut album, Quatre chansons de jeunesse, was released in 2025. 

A former member of the Royal Opera House’s Jette Parker Programme, she has appeared at Covent Garden in a wide range of roles. She is also a prizewinner of the Concours musical international de Montréal.

Georgia Burashko, mezzo-soprano

Canadian mezzo-soprano Georgia Burashko is acclaimed for her “full-bodied, velvety” voice and “nuanced” interpretations (Olyrix). Praised for her distinctive tone and expressive depth, she has collaborated with leading figures in early music, including William Christie, Paul Agnew, and Jeannette Sorrell. 

Highlights of her 2025/26 season include a recital at the London Festival of Baroque Music, performances with Les Arts Florissants in Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium, and continued touring of The Fairy Queen. She also makes her role debut as the Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas on tour across Asia and Europe. 

Recent engagements include performances with the Milwaukee Symphony and Toronto Consort, as well as operatic appearances in Handel’s The Choice of Hercules. 

Burashko has performed at major venues including Teatro alla Scala, the Royal Albert Hall, and Lincoln Center, and appears regularly with Les Arts Florissants and the Netherlands Bach Society. 

She trained at McGill University, the University of Toronto, and the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, and is a graduate of Le Jardin des Voix. 

James Reese, tenor

A “shining tenor” (New York Classical Review), James Reese is a frequently sought tenor soloist with orchestras and ensembles throughout North America. He has relationships with several leading Canadian orchestras, including Tafelmusik, Symphony Nova Scotia, and the Calgary Philharmonic. He looks forward to his British Columbia debut with the Victoria Symphony and Early Music Vancouver. This season in his native US, James will sing with the Mobile Symphony (Alabama), the American Bach Soloists, Opera Lafayette, and the Boston Early Music Festival.

James is a noted interpreter of Baroque music, giving performances both “splendid” (San Francisco Chronicle) and “captivating” (Broad Street Review.) He is also an active recitalist and collaborates often with pianist Daniel Overly. They made their Philadelphia Chamber Music Society debut in 2022 with a recital of song. Together, they will present Schubert’s Die Schöne Mullerin at the historic Hill-Physick House in Philadelphia in 2025.

James is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and holds a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music. In 2023, he won a GRAMMY® Award as a soloist singing the music of Edie Hill on the record Born, released by The Crossing. He lives in Philadelphia.

Sumner Thompson, baritone

Sumner Thompson is widely regarded as one of the finest interpreters of concert repertoire of his generation, and performs repertoire ranging from medieval to modern, with special emphasis on the musics of J.S. Bach, Benjamin Britten, and Claudio Monteverdi.

He has appeared in North and South America, Europe, and Asia with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Tafelmusik, the Handel & Haydn Society, Blue Heron, Gli Angeli Geneve, L’Harmonie des Saisons, the Boston Early Music Festival, Theatre of Voices, the Hague Philharmonic, the symphonies of Charlotte, Victoria, Memphis, and Indianapolis, Bach Collegium San Diego, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Boston Baroque, Rosa Barocca, and the Portland Baroque Orchestra, among many others.

On the operatic stage he has appeared as Dr. Caius in Vaughan Williams’ “Sir John in Love” with Odyssey Opera, The Count in “Le Nozze di Figaro” with the Commonwealth Opera, the title role in Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo” with Contemporary Opera Denmark, and as El Dancairo in “Carmen” with the Cincinnati Opera.

As a bassist and vocalist he has appeared on many projects including the album “In Motian” by avant-garde jazz bassist Andrew Dow, “Dhara” by Evren Ozan, and “Poesia” with Ghost Circle.

He also appears regularly with Singularity, a musicians collective dedicated to the art of improvised live music. He is also an avid instrument builder, specializing in electric bass guitars.

Victoria Choral Society

The choir was created after 300 singers, representing most of the church choirs of the day in Victoria, assembled in 1934 to sing Handel’s Messiah. They agreed to continue singing together to promote choral music – and so the Victoria Choral Union was born. In 1952, the choir name changed and officially became The Victoria Choral Society. This vibrant ensemble has flourished under the leadership of several well-known music directors including Giuseppe Pietraroia, Michael Gormley, Brian Jackson, Bruce More, and currently Brian Wismath.

Recent performances with the Victoria Symphony include Handel’s Messiah, Wagner’s Lohengrin (Third Act), Verdi’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Britten’s War Requiem, and Brahms’ Requiem. In 2015, the VCS men’s chorus performed the world premiere of The Piper, a moving work by local composer Tobin Stokes, and part of the Victoria Symphony’s Lest We Forget series.

The Victoria Choral Society is a member of the British Columbia Choral Federation, Choral Canada, and Chorus America. The choir is proud to collaborate with many community partners including Ballet Victoria, Pacific Opera Victoria, Victoria Chamber Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, and Vox Humana Chamber Choir.

Christ Church Cathedral Young Choristers

For 150 years, Christ Church Cathedral has been a centre of sacred choral and instrumental music, ranking among Victoria’s most important musical institutions. The Young Chorister Program, founded in 2017 through a partnership between Christ Church Cathedral and The Cathedral School, is the only school-based, fully immersive Anglican Cathedral Chorister program of its kind in Canada.

The Young Choristers regularly sing with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra and the Victoria Symphony in addition to their regular round of weekly services. The singers, all of whom receive a scholarship to attend the Cathedral School, rehearse four mornings a week during school term. Choristers begin their journey in grade 4 and develop through the program until graduation in grade 8. This immersive program is made possible through the generosity of NRS Fund and the St Cecilia Fund at the Victoria Foundation, the Christ Church Cathedral Music Endowment Fund (Victoria Foundation), and the support of many individual donors.

In 2023, they were honoured to sing in Westminster Abbey, London and St George’s Chapel, Windsor. They are currently looking forward to a tour to San Francisco (summer 2025) and further international tours.