The Fox

COMPOSER / JILL BANFORD

Roan Shankaruk is a composer and interdisciplinary artist based in Vancouver, BC. Performances of her compositions have been presented by Sonic Boom, Re:Naissance Opera, and Vancouver Opera. Roan’s first opera, The Woman Who Borrowed Memories, premiered in spring of 2018. It was later mounted in Montreal by the 23 Degree Theatre Company and then produced as part of the 2019 Vancouver Fringe Festival – their first ever opera. In 2024, Roan was commissioned by Good Mess Opera Company and Muse 9 to compose the music for their new opera, Monsters Made. Her current commissioned project is U-29 - a horror piece set aboard a sinking submarine that marks her second collaboration with Opera Unbound. When not composing, Roan works full-time in the Vancouver Film industry, plays vintage jazz, busks on Granville Island, and draws graphic novels. She is unbelievably excited for the premier of The Fox!

DIRECTOR

Christopher Lam 林子榮 is a Chinese Canadian director/actor who is based in Vancouver. Some of the companies he was worked with include Arts Club Theatre, Bard on the Beach, CTORA and The Stratford Festival. He is the co-artistic director of Ensemble Theatre Company and recipient of the Jean Gascon Award and the Ray Michal Award for outstanding body of work by a director. He is currently finishing his MFA in Directing at UBC. Recent credits: Metamorphoses (United Players) James and the Giant Peach (CTORA) and upcoming: A Streetcar Named Desire (ETC). www.thechrislamshow.com

MUSIC DIRECTOR

Perri Lo is a Vancouver-based pianist and vocal coach working in opera, chamber music, and dance.  She has worked with opera companies across Canada, and has performed and coached with local companies including Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, City Opera Vancouver, Re:Naissance Opera, Burnaby Lyric Opera, and Sound The Alarm Music Theatre – both in traditional and contemporary repertoire. As an active performer and recitalist, Perri has collaborated with baritone Luka Kawabata on a staged theatre and art song work, HAFU with City Opera Vancouver. She recently performed with baritone Lucia Lucas in a recital presented by the Trans Awareness Conference in Victoria, BC. Perri is a company pianist for Ballet BC and Arts Umbrella Dance Company, and enjoys creating new works with dancers and singers, including Floating Island (2024) with Belle Spirale’s Dance Deck, and the world premiere, Obsidian (2025) with Ballet BC, choreographed by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schreiber.

PRODUCTION DESIGN / MARKETING

Jessica Wynn Cole is an artist whose work bends mediums to create something entirely new. Not quite a graphic designer but not entirely a photographer, she loves to create mixed media work that plays with surrealism, cinema, and texture. But don’t be misled – she’s not all creative, she does business too! When she’s not in the world of art, she’s working in animation and film production. She’s constantly complimented on her fashion sense and ability to make Excel documents look like works of art. Past works include U-24 (2025), Floating Island (2024), and solo show Things You Can Touch (2024).

HENRY GRENFEL

Adam Schmidt is a tenor based in Surrey, BC. Recent performances include Count Almaviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Burnaby Lyric Opera), Queen: A Night with the Opera (Opera Kelowna), The Dragon in The Reluctant Dragon (Counterpoint Choir), Johannes-passion (Victoria Baroque, Aura Chamber Choir), and Messiah (Rosa Barocca, The Malaspina Choir). He began his academic career in engineering, but after performing in Otello with Pacific Opera Victoria in 2015 he figured that if he was going to be paid to sing, the least he could do was get some professional training! Adam studied Voice Performance and Pedagogy at McGill with John Mac Master, and at the Victoria Conservatory of Music with Nancy Argenta and Ingrid Attrot. Adam maintains a small studio of students and has given masterclasses in the United States and Canada. In between music engagements, Adam is an Industrial Controls Electrician with Ainsworth Inc. and the IBEW 213.

NELLIE MARCH

Taryn Plater is a versatile singer and creator, recognized for her “dramatic and vocal thrust” (Opera Canada). Driven by an interest in opera’s relationship to different genres and mediums, her portfolio focuses on Ukrainian art song, collaboration with dance, and the intersection of jazz and classical music. As a founding member of Opera Unbound, Taryn pursues projects that open new avenues for artistic collaboration. Taryn was a 2024 emerging artist with Manitoba Opera and has been part of developing new works with Paper Rabbits, Good Mess Opera Theatre, Belle Spirale, and the Or Festival. In 2021, Taryn created the digital artist statement First Steps through Against the Grain’s National Opera Intensive, and she continues to explore non-traditional opera creation with the development of her original multi-media performance piece, Pamyatayesh. tarynplater.com

JILL BANFORD

Filipino Mezzo-soprano Renee Fajardo has performed on the opera stage and as a solo recitalist in the Philippines, UK, Europe, and Canada. She currently lives within the lands of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking peoples. Committed to artistic practice that creates belonging for all, she is the Education Manager at Gateway Theatre and an Artistic Producer for Sound the Alarm: Music/Theatre. In June 2025, she released Liham, a collaborative song cycle project that blends film, music, and digital design to tell stories of the Filipino diaspora. She premiered  Liham in concert at the STAND Festival in November. This season, Renee also returns to  Juno-nominated vocal ensemble, Musica Intima. In April, she will be the soloist for Turning Point Ensemble’s  El Amor Brujo and will be singing the role of Jill Banford in Opera Unbound’s The Fox. Renee is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and University of Toronto Opera.

PIANIST

A vibrant musician, Risa Tonita performs as a solo and collaborative pianist. She especially enjoys working on experimental music. Recent performance highlights include performing with violinist John Littlejohn at Blueridge Chamber Festival (2025), with singer/songwriter Alicia Kayley at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week (2024), performing with bassoonist Ingrid Chiang as part of the Concerts Café Classico Series in Langley, BC (2023) and the UBC Noon-Hours series (2023), and performing in the final round of the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Piano Competition (2022). Risa holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance from the University of British Columbia, a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music in piano performance from the University of Ottawa, and holds a “Diplôme d’études musicales” from a conservatory in France. When she needs a break from her piano shenanigans, Risa loves to sing, dance, bake, eat delicious food, and spend time with family, friends, her husband Alexander, and her mini-Aussie Luna.

VIOLIN

Teodora Dimova is a professional violinist with a sensitive and lively style of playing. Originally from Bulgaria she has resided in Canada for over twenty years. Teodora holds a Bachelor and a Master degrees from McGill University.  Always inspired by chamber music and orchestral playing she has played in several orchestras and festivals internationally. After her university studies Teodora joined the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for four consecutive seasons. Missing the mild Vancouver climate and her family, she then took a one-year contract with the Victoria Symphony. Since the pandemic she lives in Vancouver and plays regularly as an extra musician with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. More recently Teodora has also become a practitioner in The Feldenkrais Method while also expanding her own family with two little ones.

CELLO

Born in Incheon, South Korea, Min Jee completed her Bachelor of Music degree from the Kyung-won University in Korea and an Artist Diploma from the Vancouver Academy of Music. After moving to Canada, she enjoyed two months participating in the NAC’s Institute of Orchestra Studies in the autumn of 2011, which allowed her the opportunity to perform with the National Art Centre Orchestra under the baton of Pinchas Zukerman in Ottawa. She also participated in masterclasses by distinguished cellists such as Aldo Parisot, Daniel Muller Schott and Desmond Hoebig in Vancouver and Calgary. Min Jee was previously a Section Cellist of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and a Principal Cellist of the Vancouver Island Symphony. Min Jee has also performed regularly as a substitute player with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra since 2016.

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Christian Ching is a queer scenographer, lighting designer, and production manager with a love for design and nature. She is a graduate of Simon Fraser University with a double degree in Theatre Production and Design and in the Biological Sciences. Originally from the Philippines, she is currently based in the unceded Coast Salish territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations (also known as Vancouver). Her practice aims to revolve around playful collaboration and a focus on the environmental aspects of storytelling. In her free time, she likes to write and run RPGs, draw, and make music.

JILL BANFORD (ROLE STUDY)

Chinese-Canadian soprano Emma Jang has performed in collaboration with local companies including Burnaby Lyric Opera, City Opera Vancouver (Song from the Uproar), and Vancouver Opera, where she understudied the role of Dukdukdiya for the touring production of The Flight of the Hummingbird. Hailed for her “voice like a crystal clear jewel”, Emma has been a featured soloist with Opera Kelowna, the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, and the North Czech Philharmonic. This spring, Emma made her debut in Asia with a tour of the Mandarin language opera Thunderstorm as the lead character Fan Yi. She completed her MMus in Opera Performance at the University of British Columbia. Highlights with UBC Opera include her European debut as Despina (Così fan tutte), Vixen (Přihody Lišky Bystroušky), and Gretel (Hansel and Gretel). Emma is thrilled to be working with Opera Unbound again for the premiere of this exciting new work.

HENRY GRENFEL (ROLE STUDY)

Kevin Liu is a tenor, based in Vancouver, B.C. He is currently pursuing his doctorates at the UBC. His credentials include a Master of Music in Opera Performance and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from UBC, and also has an ARCT in Piano Performance. Kevin has recently returned from a month-long tour across China, performing the role of Chong in the opera Thunderstorm. He has also performed a variety of roles with UBC Opera, including Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, Lippo Fiorentino in Street Scene, the Gamekeeper in Rusalka, in the Czech Republic. He is the assistant director of UBC Opera's 2026 production of Giulio Cesare. Beyond operatic roles, Kevin has collaborated in concerts as a solo singer with the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, Vancouver Bach Choir, and Nebula Performances. Kevin also has experience as both a stage manager and as a choir director with Nebula Performances.