FEBruary 12th 2020

Praised for his sensitivity and artistic integrity, twenty-three-year-old Carter Johnson has established a reputation as one of Canada’s most promising young pianists. In 2018, Johnson won the top prize in two of Canada’s most important competitions, winning both Grand Prize in the OSM Manulife Competition and First Prize in the CMC Stepping Stone competition. He has performed with orchestras including l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, l’Orchestre Métropolitain, the Orchestra of the Americas, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of Northern New York, and his playing has been broadcasted by Medici TV and Radio-Canada. Johnson has collaborated with artists including Paolo Bortolameolli, Fredrika Brillembourg, Haik Kazazyan, Tania Miller, Carlos Miguel Prieto, David Robertson, and Arianna Zukerman—he has also performed with the string members of the Gryphon Trio. 

Johnson began the study of piano at age five with Shelley Roberts, continued studies with Michelle Mares, and then with Mark Anderson at the University of British Columbia, where he received a Bachelor of Music in piano performance. He resides with his wife Hannah and their sons Preston and Ambrose in New York City where he is active as a soloist, teacher, and collaborator. Johnson is currently pursuing a Master’s degree with Matti Raekallio at the Juilliard School.

Marie Civitarese, soprano, was born and raised in Trail, BC. She received a Bachelor of Music in Voice and Opera Performance at SUNY Purchase College in 2015, where she studied languages, lyric diction, and art song literature, as well as performed leading roles in Purchase Opera’s productions. At the University of British Columbia, Marie studied with Marisa Gaetanne while earning her Master of Music in Opera Performance, graduating in 2017. In 2017 she also attended the Mozarteum International Summer Academy in Salzburg on scholarship; Marie recently returned to Austria to complete a five-week course in German lieder at the Franz Schubert Institute. Operatic roles performed include Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Gretel and the Dew Fairy (Hänsel und Gretel), Frasquita (Carmen), Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), Ciboletta (Eine Nacht in Venedig), and Damon (Acis and Galatea). Marie is a recent graduate of the Calgary Opera Emerging Artist Development Program. Last season, she made her debut with Calgary Opera as Countess Ceprano (Rigoletto) and created the roles of Dottie and Gravedigger in the world premiere of Ghost Opera. Marie has been a soloist with the Purchase College Chorus, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Pilsen Opera Orchestra, and the Festival Chorus and Orchestra. Marie has been awarded by the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (Western Canada Region), the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation, the Strauss/Hecht Foundation, the Schuyler Foundation for Career Bridges, the Young Singers Foundation, as well as the British Columbia Arts Council.