Musical Roots: An Afternoon of Song From Classical Elegance to Theatrical Flair! Join celebrated local sopranos Charise Pohl, Chloé Dionne, and Mary Austin, alongside baritone Stephen Deturbide and pianist Greg Myra, for a captivating musical journey at The Carleton on the afternoon of Saturday, August 9th. Doors open at noon at the performance starts at 1:30 PM. Tickets are $28 + HST
This enchanting afternoon features a rich blend of classical English art song and vibrant musical theatre, highlighting works by renowned Canadian composers such as Srul Irving Glick, Matthew Emery, and Cecilia Livingston, alongside classics by Benjamin Britten, Kurt Weill, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Clark Gesner and much more.
From the lyrical to the dramatic, this performance promises to stir the soul and celebrate the beauty of voice and piano in harmony.
Charise Catarina Pohl is a Canadian lyric soprano from Nova Scotia. Her credits include Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, James Rolfe’s Aeneas and Dido, Die Fledermaus by Strauss, Michael Rose’s A Northern Lights Dream, The Cunning Little Vixen by Leoš Janáček, Cendrillon by Massenet, Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni, Manon by Jules Massenet and Street Scene by Kurt Weill. Charise has performed in the production of Rusalka by Dvořák in Teplice, Czech Republic and Opera Nuova’s Mansfield Park as Maria Bertram. She has participated in the Canadian Arts Vocal Institute in Montreal, the Island Summer Music Intensive in B.C. and C.O.S.A. She has just graduated from her masters degree studying with Krisztina Szabó for opera performance at UBC. Charise most recently returned from China after a month-long tour in six cities performing Thunderstorm by Mo Fan. Charise is starting her own opera company, launching in 2026 in Halifax, Nova Scotia with Chloé Dionne that focuses on women and promoting Canadian music and the Canadian music scene.
Chloé Dionne is a singer, musician, and artist currently based in Toronto. She has recently completed her Masters at the University of Toronto where she performed in numerous concerts and was coached by some of Canada’s top opera professionals.Chloé’s heart lies in Halifax where her family resides, and where she completed her undergraduate studies. She is looking forward to a life of spreading the joy of music whether it be through performing, teaching, or songwriting.
Stephen Deturbide Baritone is a composer and performer living in Halifax. He is about to start his last year of composition and voice at the Fountain School of Performing Arts, an intersection that has involved writing art songs set to classic literature from the sublime to the ridiculous (Yeats to Winnie the Pooh…though he can’t say which is which). He also enjoys writing for orchestra, guitar, and electroacoustic instruments. This summer he finished a composer’s residency at the highSCORE Festival in Belluno, Italy. He is thrilled to be living his dream of singing and writing day in and day out and can only hope his future is full of both.
Mary Austin is a performer with a strong foundation in theatre and opera. Her stage credits include Gwendolyn in The Importance of Being Earnest at the Grand Theatre (London, ON), Shirley in The Young Ladies of Baddeck Club with Theatre Baddeck, and Janet in the Savoy Theatre’s production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Mary is a graduate of Dalhousie University’s Opera Program and has appeared in numerous productions with Dalhousie Opera. In addition to her work on stage, she is a writer, producer, and actor in film and television, with screen credits including the Bell Fibe series’ Vollies, Trapped, and Everybody’s Meg, as well as the short film Cart Girls, which she co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in. She is thrilled to be part of another project that celebrates female-created and female-driven work.
Halifax pianist Gregory Myra received his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance in 2009 from Dalhousie University where he studied with Professor Peter Allen. Upon graduation, he accompanied the students of Professor Lucy Hayes-Davis at Dalhousie for two years. In 2011, he began studies at the University of Manitoba under Dr. Laura Loewen and graduated in 2013 with a Master of Music in Collaborative Piano. He was a staff pianist at Dalhousie playing for the voice studio of Professor Marcia Swanston and playing for Dal Opera and the Dalhousie Chorus. He has played for the Halifax Summer Opera Festival for many years and has also performed with Opera Nova Scotia and the Dalhousie Chamber Series. He is currently on the piano faculty at the Maritime Conservatory of Music.