Equipped with “dramatic and vocal thrust” (Opera Canada), Taryn Plater is a versatile performer with a strong investment in the future of the arts.
Taryn is grateful for the opportunity to create and learn on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Whether featuring in the Canadian premiere of Pasażerka or fusing classical with jazz in novel concert programs, Taryn’s performances are poised and truthful. Her practice as a community planner informs the way Taryn uses music to connect with community and animate public spaces.
Inspired by her Ukrainian-Canadian heritage, Taryn feels a strong draw towards slavic repertoire – to which her warm tone and deceptively powerful voice are well-suited. She is committed to presenting more repertoire by Canadian composers and welcomes any opportunity to sing new works and contemporary music.
Taryn is was a 2021-2022 RBC Artist Fellow with the Association for Opera in Canada and a 2024 DEAP artist with Manitoba Opera. Supported by her experience in arts marketing and development, she is the Artistic Director and founder of Opera Unbound.
SUMMARY BIO
A versatile singer and creator, Taryn Plater’s portfolio focuses on Ukrainian art song, new works, and the intersection of jazz and classical music. Driven by an interest in non-traditional opera creation, she is developing an original multi-media performance piece, Pamyatayesh, and continues to pursue collaborative commissions through her company, Opera Unbound.
150-WORD BIO
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, new works, 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. Through this company, she commissioned and workshopped Floating Island – a new work for music and movement by Vancouver composer Kara Gibbs.
Taryn was a 2024 emerging artist with Manitoba Opera and a 2021-2022 RBC Artist Fellow with the Association for Opera in Canada. She has been part of developing new works with 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.
250-WORD BIO
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, new works, 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. Through this company, she commissioned and workshopped Floating Island – a new work for music and movement by Vancouver composer Kara Gibbs.
Taryn was a 2024 emerging artist with Manitoba Opera and a 2021-2022 RBC Artist Fellow with the Association for Opera in Canada. She has been part of developing new works with Good Mess Opera Theatre, Belle Spirale, and the Or Festival. Taryn created the digital artist statement First Steps through Against the Grain’s 2021 National Opera Intensive, and continues to explore non-traditional opera creation with the development of her original multi-media performance piece, Pamyatayesh.
In recognition of her prolific work with Ukrainian classical and folk repertoire, Taryn received a Ukraine – Heritage, Spirit and Future award from the Hnatyshyn Foundation in 2022. She is grateful to also be the recipient of a 2021 Vancouver Opera Foundation bursary from the Toni and Hildegard Cavelti Foundation Fund and a 2019 Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Taryn’s varied background extends beyond performance to include linguistics, business, urban design, and community planning. She has worked in arts marketing, development, and planning, and has a keen interest in the role that the arts play in our cities and communities.
FULL BIO
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, new works, 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. Through this company, she commissioned and workshopped Floating Island – a new work for music and movement by Vancouver composer Kara Gibbs.
Taryn was a 2024 emerging artist with Manitoba Opera and a 2021-2022 RBC Artist Fellow with the Association for Opera in Canada. She has been part of developing new works with Good Mess Opera Theatre, Belle Spirale, and the Or Festival. She created the digital artist statement First Steps through Against the Grain’s 2021 National Opera Intensive, and continues to explore non-traditional opera creation with the development of her original multi-media performance piece, Pamyatayesh.
In recognition of her prolific work with Ukrainian classical and folk repertoire, Taryn received a Ukraine – Heritage, Spirit and Future award from the Hnatyshyn Foundation in 2022. She is grateful to also be the recipient of a 2021 Vancouver Opera Foundation bursary from the Toni and Hildegard Cavelti Foundation Fund, a 2019 Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and honourable mention at the Vancouver Women’s Musical Society’s 2022 voice competition.
Taryn has trained and performed with Opera NUOVA, the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and the Ukrainian Art Song Project, and has featured in concerts in Germany and the Czech Republic. At home, she enjoys varied performance opportunities with numerous local companies, including Re:Naissance Opera, Burnaby Lyric Opera, Nebula Performances, Symphony 21, Opera Lirica, and City Opera. In addition to her performance endeavours, Taryn has worked in arts marketing, development, and community planning, and has a keen interest in the role that the arts play in our cities and communities.
Taryn earned her opera performance degree at the University of British Columbia studying with Krisztina Szabó and Marisa Gaetanne while simultaneously pursuing training in linguistics and urban planning. In her time at the University of British Columbia, she performed the roles of Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Fanny Price (Mansfield Park), La Marchesa Melibea (Il viaggio a Reims), Marta (Pasażerka), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), and Second Lady (Die Zauberflöte). Her teachers, coaches, and mentors have included Krisztina Szabó, Marisa Gaetanne, Judith Forst, Monica Huisman, David Agler, and Richard Epp.
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