Christina Raphaëlle Haldane
soprano
soprano
Christina Haldane’s career spans the UK, Europe, Asia and North America, and she is currently based in Canada’s Atlantic provinces. She has interpreted many lead opera roles, having performed for opera houses such as The Finnish National Opera, The Royal Opera Covent Garden, Scottish Opera and Musica Viva Hong Kong. She specialises in performing Handel’s heroines, comedic bel-canto roles and contemporary opera. Christina enjoys performing and curating recital and chamber music concerts, and she is often invited to perform with leading orchestras. her exploration of contemporary music has led to many collaborations with composers, and she continues to bring their vocal works to life. She is a bilingual English and French speaker of Acadian heritage, and has dual Canadian and British nationality.
Christina is looking forward to some exciting creative activities and collaborations in the upcoming season. Her artistic partnership with her cousin, interdisciplinary artist Carl Philippe Gionet, continues to flourish; together, they will be curating and workshopping his re-imaginings of 12 Acadian Folksongs, which will culminate in a new vocal edition and recording of the arrangements. This project is generously funded by ARTS NB and MUSIC NB. Christina is also thrilled to have been selected as one of this season’s ‘EXPORT NB’ artists, a prestigious career development initiative with MUSIC NB, in her home province of New Brunswick. Recently Christina released her critically acclaimed debut album ‘…Let me explain’ a collection of Canadian art songs which explores folk, jazz and avant-garde styles. In 2020 she was the lead artist for ICARE, an interdisciplinary digital performance product produced through the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Innovation initiative, in partnership with CBC/ Radio Canada.
Christina’s operatic career began by performing comedic bel canto roles, with her debut as the iconic title role in Donizetti’s LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT for Swansea City Opera’s 30+ date tour of the UK, a role she later reprised for Musica Viva Hong Kong. In the bel canto repertoire she went on to perform Clorinda in Rossini’s LA CENERENTOLA for Iford Arts and Scottish Opera, and Adina in Donizetti’s L’ELISIR D’AMORE for Musica Viva Hong Kong. Handel’s heroines have provided Christina with many vocal and dramatic opportunities, especially in the roles he wrote for the great Italian diva Francesca Cuzzoni. Christina has performed Cleopatra in GIULIO CESARE IN EGITTO for Finnish National Opera and the title role in RODELINDA for Opera in Concert Toronto, as well as curated a program of arias called ‘Capturing Cuzzoni’ for Handel House in London, UK. She has also performed Solomon’s Queen in Handel’s Solomon with Kraków’s acclaimed baroque orchestra Capella Cracoviensis, conducted by Alessandro de Marchi.
Christina has enjoyed a strong relationship with the Royal Opera Covent Garden. She performed the London premiere of Jonathan Dove MINTERNE in the Crush Room recital space and the role of Rapunzel in their production INTO THE WOODS. As a cover artist for the Royal Opera, Christina has been engaged as Fiorilla IL TURCO IN ITALIA, Sifare MITRIDATE, Nella GIANNI SCHICCHI and Silvia in Thomas Adès’ bold opera THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (also for the Salzburg Festival). Christina’s performance of Silvia’s aria was streamed to over 50,000 viewers in the Royal Opera House Insights special on the music of Adès.
Other roles in Christina’s repertoire include Pamina DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE (Cambridge Philharmonic), Vixen and Fox THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN (Oundle International Festival and Longborough Festival Opera), Mercedes CARMEN (Cambridge Philharmonic), Musetta LA BOHÈME (Minack Theatre Cornwall), Lucinda in Mendelssohn DIE HOCHZEIT DES CAMACHO (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and European Opera Centre), the title role ALCINA (Hampstead Garden Opera) and Second Niece PETER GRIMES (Cambridge Philharmonic). Christina is an active performer of Oratorio, and has been a soloist in works by Handel, Mozart, Bach, Rossini, Haydn, Pergolesi, Buxtehude and Mendelssohn.
Christina strongly believes in mentoring the next generation of talented young singers, and has an international profile as a vocal educator, adjudicator, and master teacher. She is the head of the Atlantic division of Canada’s national opera training program COSA, and is the co-president of the Canadian Atlantic Provinces National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) chapter. Christina is on the voice faculty at two masterclass programs, BIIMA – Breno Italy International Music Academy and Musique sur mer en Acadie, New Brunswick. In 2019 she joined the Voice Faculty at Dalhousie’s Fountain School of Performing Arts in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and continues to combine performing with her love of teaching.
For her formal training Christina enjoyed a broad international vocal education. Christina received a BMus from the University of Toronto, spent a year at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, was awarded a PDVT and an MMus from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and a DMA from the University of Toronto. She participated in several international summer training programmes as a student, including the Chautauqua Institution, the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme in Aldeburgh and the Académie Internationale d’Été de Nice. Christina’s curiosity continues to flourish, and she is an eternal ‘student’ of music and the arts. Christina lives in Moncton, New Brunswick.
Robert Gilder
Managing Director
rgilder@robert-gilder.com