Artists Inspiring Artists – a FREE series to ignite creativity, presented by the Canadian Opera Company!

Renée is a vibrant performing arts professional with twenty-five years of diverse performing, teaching, writing, and directing experience from stage to film, to things in between. Creative opportunities have taken Renée all over the UK, London’s West End and off West-End, Europe, Canada, Korea, Central Asia, and many other inspiring places. Highlights as a director/performer over the years include, English Touring Opera (company principal and teaching artist), D’Oyly Carte Opera Company (Savoy Theatre, 2002 Season, ensemble and swing), Marsinah in Kismet (The Arcola Theatre), Associate Director for Noise Ensemble composed by Ethan Lewis Maltby (Edinburgh Fringe, Seoul Drum Festival, European Tour), director of Little Red Riding Hood composed by Tom Smail (Toronto Fringe Kids), director- Le Nozze di Figaro, L’elisir d’amore, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, The Merry Widow, Die Zauberflote, Don Pasquale (Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts), Opera Revue (Blitzkeig Cabaret), and coaching, writing, and producing with long time creative partner Allyson Devenish (Rubi: Shades of Love, Struggle and Protest, The Audition Clinic). During the pandemic, Renee enjoyed remotely directing Endymion’s Dream, The Pirates of Penzance, and La Clemenza di Tito for COSA Canada whilst continuing to work with singers and actors online. In 2022, she had the pleasure of being an RBC Artist Mentor with the Association for Opera in Canada, a teaching artist with the Canadian Opera Company, a principal performer in Risk!: A Climate Cabaret (Silverman and Eastman), a choral clinician to the Durham Girls Choir, a core faculty member on the inaugural COC Summer Intensive, an invited teaching artist at SOLLT, U of T, Hart House Theatre, and The National Opera Studio (London, England), as well as a teacher/coach/mentor to individual singing actors at varying stages of their development and careers.