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.

Matthew Cairns, tenor

Canadian tenor Matthew Cairns, named one of CBC’s “30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30,” is quickly establishing himself as one of the most compelling voices of his generation. Known for his expressive singing, versatility, and stage presence, he performs a wide repertoire spanning opera, concert, and contemporary works. 

In the 2025/26 season, Cairns makes his role debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca with the National Arts Centre Orchestra under Alexander Shelley and his Seattle Opera debut as Don José in Carmen under Ludovic Morlot. Recent highlights include returns to the Canadian Opera Company as Ismaele in Nabucco and Tambourmajor in Wozzeck, a Paris Opera debut as Froh in Das Rheingold, and performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Orchestre Métropolitain and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared at Festival International de Lanaudière in Aida and Tristan und Isolde. 

A former member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Cairns made his Met debut in Aida and covered roles including Bob Boles in Peter Grimes. He is also an alumnus of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, where he performed roles including Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), the Prince of Persia (Turandot), and Liberto (The Coronation of Poppea). 

Cairns is a Grand Finals winner of the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, a finalist in Neue Stimmen, and a recipient of the CBC Music Young Artist Development Prize. He holds a master’s degree in opera performance from the University of Toronto. 

Members of the Pacific Opera Victoria Chorus

The Pacific Opera Chorus comprises adults of all ages and includes community singers, aspiring professionals, and vocal students at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and the University of Victoria. Over the last decade, with the support of a generous anonymous grant, Pacific Opera has offered a growing range of development opportunities for the Chorus. These include workshops on dance, movement, stage combat, and more, master classes by visiting artists, and other programs designed for members of the Chorus, as well as for other students of voice, and for practising artists working in the fields of music, theatre, stage design and direction.

“First mention has to go to the chorus, which did such an extraordinary job they came close to eclipsing the rest of the production. Under the direction of Giuseppe Pietraroia, the 30-member group of young vocal students, sprinkled with more experienced singers, raised the roof of the Royal Theatre when called upon, but also played their changing roles as soldiers, factory girls, townspeople, women of questionable moral character and bandits with both skill and commitment. Their sound was cohesive and powerful, but also sophisticated and refined. Astonishing for a volunteer chorus.” (Opera Canada, reviewing Pacific Opera’s October 2022 production of Bizet’s Carmen.)

Dancers from Ballet Victoria

Ballet Victoria is a boutique professional ballet company with four yearly productions. Our performances are dramatic, technically demanding, and often laced with humour.

Our ballets are accessible and relevant to a wide range of multi-cultural audiences spanning three generations. The shows are entertaining, hold great artistic depth and satisfy both those who discover classical ballet and the expert aficionado.

Under the direction of Paul Destrooper since 2007, the company has become a national cultural asset with 12 full time dancers, and has produced over 100 new works, and toured internationally in the USA and Mexico. Ballet Victoria enjoys a wonderful relationship with the Victoria Symphony, collaborating on as many creative endeavors as possible. The artistic team is constantly exploring new territory. Music creates an uncompromising range of choreographies, from Baroque music to Rock, from Opera to folk songs. The result: pure magic. The experience: fascinating. The memories pure delight.