Michael Schade

Patricia O'Callaghan  Patricia's Official Website

However, this little Irish nightingale eventually spread her wings and sailed South to the University of Toronto to continue expanding her musical career....but it wasn't too long before her international performances started to garner international raves. Billboard Magazine's editor Timothy White claimed her as "the most promising cabaret artist of her generation" and she was immediately signed to a recording contract with Teldec, a subsidiary of Warner-Brothers.

Gregory Cross

Gregory had just graduated from the University Of Toronto's Opera School, but his outstanding talent was very evident. It is not surprising when, two years later, he landed the role of Firmin in the Canadian Production of "Phantom Of The Opera".

Conductor Rosanne Simunovic and Gregory Cross' paths would cross 14 years later...on May 16th 2001....the Scenes From A Dream CD Release party in Timmins. Gregory Cross generously donated his time to come to Timmins to perform as well as support the CD that featured many of his outstanding solos during the 1987 concert. His presence at the CD Release was a memorable success and had Timmins "buzzing" for weeks after. Truly a night to remember!!

Showcased songs from this concert are on Scenes From A Dream:
Act One Scene 6: When The Foeman Bears His Steel
Act Two Scene 9: Movin' On Act Two Scene 15: Gee, Officer Krupke
Act Two Scene 16: Tonight Quintet

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Paul Massel

Larry Herbert

The concert was truly magical....sold out weeks in advance...and, more important, was the last time that an audience would have the truly inspiring experience of seeing the late Greg Bond perform. Greg died a year later, of a brain tumor, on April 8, 1989, but his generous and ebullient nature and his special musical skills will remain forever in our memories.

Showcased songs from this concert are on Scenes From A Dream:
Act One Scene 4: We Beseech Thee
Act One Scene 11: Jellicle Cats
Act One Scene 13: Skimbleshanks


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Greg Bond

The concert was truly magical....sold out weeks in advance...and, more important, was the last time that an audience would have the truly inspiring experience of seeing the late Greg Bond perform. Greg died a year later, of a brain tumor, on April 8, 1989, but his generous and ebullient nature and his special musical skills will remain forever in our memories.

Showcased songs from this concert are on Scenes From A Dream:
Act One Scene 4: We Beseech Thee
Act One Scene 11: Jellicle Cats
Act One Scene 12: Rum Tum Tugger
Act Two Scene 8: Entertain


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The Essentials

Urban Folk

Michael Schade

Now one of the leading Mozart tenors on the stage today Michael Schade performs regularly at the Vienna Staatsoper, Salzburg Festival, Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, l'Opéra de Paris, San Francisco Opera, Hamburg State Opera, the Chicago Lyric Opera and the Los Angeles Opera.

Recent appearances include Don Giovanni (Salzburg Festival), Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (San Francisco, Vienna), Die Fledermaus (Vancouver),Viaggio a Reims, (Toronto), Die Zauberflöte (Los Angeles, Vienna), a televised concert of Alexander's Feast in Vienna with Concentus Musicus directed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, with whom he also performed and recorded Orlando Paladino. Concerts took him to San Francisco, New York and Ann Arbor, solo recitals to Amsterdam, Stuttgart, Feldkirch and Prague, duo recitals to London, with Barbara Bonney, and to Geneva, Brussels and Edinburgh with Russell Braun.

An extensive recording artist, Mr. Schade's most recent St. Matthew Passion (Teldec), conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt won the 2002 GRAMMY for Best Choral Performance. He has also recorded with conductors Claudio Abbado, John Eliot Gardiner, Helmut Rilling, Sir Colin Davis, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Trevor Pinnock. His recently released solo recording on Hyperion is devoted to Lieder and Art Songs. Future releases include Orlando Paladino with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Die Meistersinger with Ben Heppner, conducted by Christian Thielemann.

Rosanne Simunovic first met this amazingly gifted tenor in December 1985. At that time, Michael came to perform as a tenor ringer for the Timmins Youth Singers. He was still a student at the University of Western Ontario; however his superb vocal gifts were very evident, even at that very young age. At the time, Rosanne said that "this young man is going to be a huge star".
Sure enough, in 1990, Michael's star was starting to rise and shine very brightly; yet, he still found the time to return to Timmins as a Guest Artist to perform in this concert. This concert was a creative "work of art" for Rosanne; the combination of Disney numbers and secular music in the first half, "A Fairy Tale Christmas", had the audience transported to a fantasy world. In the second half, The Story Of Bethlehem", Michael Schade and the Timmins Youth Singers performed excerpts from "The Messiah", as well as sacred Christmas music. The concert was an inspiring experience that will remain indelible in the minds of all who attended or participated.

Showcased songs from this concert are on Scenes From A Dream:
Act One Scene 8: Never Never Land


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Howard Cable

Michael Burgess

Karen Skidmore

Tim Scott

The Gents

Henry Ingram

Gregory had just graduated from the University Of Toronto's Opera School, but his outstanding talent was very evident. It is not surprising when, two years later, he landed the role of Firmin in the Canadian Production of "Phantom Of The Opera".

Truly a night to remember!!

Showcased songs from this concert are on Scenes From A Dream:
Act One Scene 6: When The Foeman Bears His Steel
Act Two Scene 7: Precious Memories
Act Two Scene 9: Movin' On
Act Two Scene 15: Gee, Officer Krupke
Act Two Scene 16: Tonight Quintet

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Daniel Taylor

Daniel Taylor performed as a tenor ringer for several seasons with the Timmins Youth Singers. He has always been a gifted and disciplined musician and contributed greatly to the success of numerous Timmins Youth Singers' Concerts.

His parents lived in Timmins for several years before they moved to Ottawa...Daniel's birthplace! However, the Timmins ties remained strong. In the late eighites through his participation in the Ontario Youth Choir, Daniel met Timmins OYC member Lauri Ann Loreto who pointed Daniel in the direction of the TYS.

However, in 1990, during the TYS concert featuring Michael Schade as guest artist, the choir also featured Daniel Taylor performing an aria from the "Messiah". It was a wonderful and exciting memory watching both Michael and Daniel perform at this concert as everyone knew that very soon both their names would be internationally recognized in the world of professional music. Thanks Daniel for your hours of musical contribution to the Timmins Youth Singers.

The Canadian counter-tenor Daniel Taylor completed his undergraduate studies in English, philosophy and music at McGill University (Montreal) and his graduate work in religion and music at the University of Montreal, furthering his studies with the leaders of Britain's baroque specialist groups. He continues now with Jan Simons and Michael Chance. Daniel Taylor's Glyndebourne debut in the 1997 Peter Sellar's production of Händel's Theodora was greeted with critical praise and followed on an equally successful operatic debut in the Jonathan Miller production of Händel's Rodelinda (recorded for EMI). His other operatic roles have included Nerone in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, Eustazio and Gottfredo in Händel's Rinaldo, Athamas in Händel’s Semele, and Tolomeo in Händel's Giulio Cesare. In addition to opera, Taylor's repertory includes a wide range of sacred works, lute songs, and contemporary works such as Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Sakamoto's Life. He has performed with many leading orchestras and ensembles such as Les Arts Florissants, Les Violons du Roy, Les Voix Humaines, the American Bach Soloists, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Collegium Vocale de Ghent, the Academy of Ancient Music, the English Baroque Soloists and others.

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Born in Toronto, Ontario, Rob has always been involved in music and the theatre.

At the early age of 4, he was on stage playing guitar and singing in front of thousands of people as part of his Uncle's Sunday morning church service. Throughout his childhood, he continued to participate in choirs and school plays.

Rob was a member of the first graduating class of Canterbury High School of the Arts - Ottawa's own School of the Arts. While at Canterbury he fell in love with musical theatre.

At McGill University, Rob started his professional career as a chorister with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. However singing wasn't his only passion. It was while living in Montreal that Rob toured to Charlottetown... which is where he met his wife-to-be - Stephanie Graham (they were very happily married in 2004!). Rob and Stephanie have appeared together in a number of productions, most notably those produced by Smile! productions, designed specifically for senior citizens. The Apple Tree was a fun, two-person show, highlighting Adam and Eve (played by, you guessed it, Rob and Steph!).