ARIAS Emerging Young Artists Award Jury Members

W . R .  ( B O B )   M C P H E E

General Director & CEO Calgary Opera Association

With over twenty-five years in artistic and administrative leadership, Bob McPhee has become recognized as a leading force in the Canadian arts scene.
Bob was born and raised in Winnipeg where he received his initial education and music training.  He began his career as a baritone performing in theatre, opera and on radio and television.
Bob was General Manager of Orchestra London prior to joining the Edmonton Symphony as General Manager.  In 1992, Bob was appointed President and CEO of the Edmonton Symphony Society and Edmonton Concert Hall Foundation. 
Bob McPhee joined Calgary Opera as General Director and CEO in 1998 allowing him to return to his first love, opera.
Throughout his career, Bob has been active in many community associations and is in demand as a clinician and lecturer.  Bob has been an adjudicator, assessor and board member for numerous organizations.
During his career, Bob has worked with some of the great artists of the world from Itzach Perlman to YoYo Ma, from Renee Flemming to Pavarotti.  He has co-produced works with many Canadian and international companies, and is presently co-commissioning and producing Jake Heggie’s newest opera with San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera, Dallas Opera and the State Opera of Australia which will have its Canadian premiere with Calgary Opera in 2012.

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L I Z   U P C H U R C H

Pianist and vocal coach Liz Upchurch is one of the most sort after pianists and vocal coaches in Canada. Currently she is in her 12th season as Music Director of the Ensemble Studio at the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto. In that time she has helped to train an entire generation of Canadian opera singers including artists such as David Pomeroy, Shannon Mercer, Robert Gleadow, Krisztina Szabo, Joe Kaiser and many more. There she collaborates with celebrated guest artists including, Carol Vaness, Catherine Malfitano and Marlena Malas.

Born and educated in Britain Liz is a graduate prize-winning soloist of the Royal Academy of Music. She has performed and broadcast chamber music and song recitals extensively throughout Europe and North America as well as working at opera houses such as the Glyndebourne Festival.

Currently she runs a series of vocal concerts for the Ensemble Studio and their illustrious Alumni held at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Opera Centre.

Liz has played for many artists, more recently with Sondra Radvanovsky, Adrianne Piezconka, Brett Polegato and Monica Whicher. Liz has also recently released a CD of songs with Canadian baritone Peter McGillivray called Summer Schemes.

R I C H A R D   T U R P

Richard Turp was born in Montreal but from the age of 6 was raised in London, UK. Having graduated from London University (Russian Regional Studies and Music), he began vocal studies with his father, the renowned tenor, André Turp.

At the end of 1988 he became the Artistic Director of the Montreal International Music Festival where he remained until 1991 when he joined L'Opéra de Montréal as Director of Special Projects, a post he held for two seasons. He was briefly Interim General Manager of the McGill Chamber Orchestra before becoming Artistic Director of the Lachine Music Festival in 1997, a post he still holds today. In 1998 he co-founded with his colleague André Lemay-Roy and assumed the artistic direction of the André-Turp Musical Society that annually presents a prestigious vocal series in Montreal. He is a co-founder of the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute and assumed the direction of the vocal program at the Orford Academy in 2009.

Richard Turp has lectured widely, including for L'Opéra de Montréal, the McGill Chamber Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, CAMMAC and The Wagner Society. He has also hosted two editions of the Opera Canada Awards Gala (the Rubies).Richard has taught at UQAM and presently teaches at L'Université de Montréal where he teaches the undergraduate vocal literature course and has presented several seminars on French vocal repertoire. He also teaches French vocal diction at McGill University.

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