The Canadian Opera Company has announced the addition of pianists Elisabeta Cojocaru and Kimly Mengyin Wang to the company’s Ensemble Studio for the 2025/2026 season. They will take on, and continue to develop their skills in, the important role of pianist coaches in the opera world.
“We are delighted to have Elisabeta and Kimly joining our program,” says Dorian Cox, Director of the Ensemble Studio, in a statement.
“Our pianist coaches serve a vital role, not only in day-to-day sessions with our Ensemble Studio training staff, but also throughout preparations for mainstage and concert performances at the COC. With such a breadth of experience behind them, our graduate pianists have gone on to hold music staff and repetiteur positions across North America and in Europe. I look forward to working with Elisabeta and Kimly and seeing their continued development!”
The final round of auditions, and the resulting offers accepted, just recently. Pianists in the Ensemble Studio program receive the same level of intensive professional coaching and practical experience in opera performance, and will be coaching the artists at rehearsals alongside COC music staff.
The Romanian-Canadian pianist is a dedicated collaborative pianist, as well as solo performer and educator. She is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Ottawa, and is pursuing a PhD at Université de Montréal (UdeM). She currently holds a McGill-Université de Montréal Vocal Arts Residency.
Her research looks into performance practice of Romanian art song, and she’s participated in international summer festivals such as the Franz Schubert Institute in Austria, l’Académie vocale internationale de Lachine in Montréal, SongFest in Nashville, Opera Nuova in Edmonton, and Exzellenz Labor Oper in Germany.
A native of China, Kimly Mengyin Wang pursued her music studies in Germany, Canada, and the United States. After earning a bachelor’s degree in solo piano performance and master’s degree in collaborative piano from the University of Western Ontario, Kimly Mengyin Wang subsequently received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano from Boston University.
She has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and in opera productions throughout North America, Europe and China. Her background in vocal and operatic work is extensive, and includes serving as a vocal coach at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and as a répétiteur for opera productions at the Boston University Opera Institute.
Congratulations to both artists!
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