Our Artistic Directors

Steven Philcox

Pianist Steven Philcox is highly regarded as one of Canada’s finest collaborators and is a frequent partner of Canada’s vocal elite performing in concert halls both at home and abroad.

From 1999-2010, Philcox was a celebrated member of the music staff of the Canadian Opera Company where he served as répétiteur and assistant conductor on  more than 35 productions and was the pianist of choice for baroque and classical continuo. In 2006, Philcox distinguished himself in an auspicious debut conducting the company’s final performance of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte at the newly opened Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Other conducting credits with the company (as assistant condictor) include performances of Gounod’s Faust, Britten’s Albert Herring and Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia.

As a pedagogue, Philcox has given masterclasses throughout North America and is regularly invited to mentor young artists at many of Canada’s prestigious training programs. Recent highlights include Opera on the Avalon, Vancouver International Song Institute, University Of Texas, Austin, Canadian Opera Company Studio Ensemble, Stratford Summer Music Vocal Academy, and the Centre for Operatic Studies in Italy. He is the director of the Art of Song program at Toronto Summer Music.

Philcox has recorded for the Stone Records and Centrediscs labels.

Philcox is currently Associate Professor and head of Collaborative Piano studies at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music.

Lawrence Wiliford

LAWRENCE WILIFORD is in high demand in concert, opera, and recital repertoire ranging from works by Monteverdi to contemporary composers. Critics have acclaimed him as an “amazing tenor” (Vancouver Sun) having “exceptional power throughout his range” (Boston Globe) and as a “phenomenal” and “matchless artist” (Globe and Mail).

Mr. Wiliford has collaborated with conductors such as Jane Glover, Matthew Halls, Grant Llewellyn, Nicholas McGegan, John Nelson, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Trevor Pinnock, Helmuth Rilling, Nathalie Stutzmann, and Pinchas Zukerman. His diverse opera credits include Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, and Die Entführung aus dem Serail; Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Albert Herring and The Turn of the Screw; Lully’s Persée, and Rameau’s Pygmalion and La Guirlande. Mr. Wiliford has been involved in a number of world premiere performances featuring works by Benjamin Britten, Derek Holman, James Rolfe, John Greer, Marjan Mozetich, and Zachary Wadsworth among others. 

His recorded projects appear on several labels and include a GRAMMY nominated and JUNO award-winning recording of music by Vaughan Williams with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Peter Oundjian (Chandos); J.S. Bach’s Johannes-Passion under the direction of Alex Weimann (ATMA Classique); a program of late works for tenor and harp by Benjamin Britten (ATMA Classique), and sacred songs by Edmund Rubbra, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst (Stone Records).  Wiliford is also a featured soloist on the 2020 JUNO nominated recording of Zachary Wadsworth’s oratorio When There is Peace by Chor Leoni Men’s Choir. lawrencewiliford.com