David MacAdam – General & Artistic Director (website)

David MacAdam is an alumnus of the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he earned both Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degrees in Vocal Performance, with honors. His educational background includes training in all areas pertaining to the lyric stage: vocal performance, dance, acting, directing, stage management, and technical areas. Aside from OPO, recent seasons have seen him working with the fledgling Nickel City Opera in Buffalo, NY, where he directed their first two seasons' productions of Rossini's The Barber of Seville (2009) and Verdi's beloved Rigoletto (2010), both featuring splendid international casts including Metropolitan Opera bass Valerian Ruminski and renowned baritone John Packard, widely acclaimed for creating the role of "Joseph" in the Jake Heggie opera Dead Man Walking. As a vocal student, David also participated in master classes conducted by such luminaries as Gérard Souzay, Elly Ameling, Dalton Baldwin, Margaret Harshaw, and Maureen Forrester, among others. He began his professional career as a singer, and has performed with a number of professional companies, including Greater Buffalo Opera, Syracuse Opera, Buffalo Opera Unlimited, Opera Lyra Ottawa, and others, in both Canada and the United States. His favorite roles include Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, and Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. David was a co-founder of the Greater Buffalo Opera Company, and he has extensive experience in the management end of the performing arts. Moving to Eastern Ontario to spend two seasons with Opera Lyra Ottawa, he decided to stay. His artistic endeavors include stage direction, beginning in the US and continuing locally in Ottawa with Théâtre Lyrique de Hull, Opera Breva, Pellegrini Opera and The Savoy Society, as well as performing, teaching voice privately and working with developing young singers.