Praised for her "international voice" that is "powerful, articulate, and modulated at will", soprano Tracy Cantin is quickly becoming one of Canada's top young artists. Having recently won the attention of American audiences, Tracy joins the ranks of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, as a studio ensemble member at the prestigious Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, for their 2012-13 season, and their 2013-14 season. This season, Tracy will be making her International debut where she will be the soprano soloist alongside bass-baritone Bryn Terfel in two performances of Beethoven's Symphony no.9 under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. She will also perform as the soprano soloist in the newly re-orchestrated World Premiere of Berstein's Songfest, arranged for chamber ensemble and conducted by Alexander Platt - this performance will mark her Ravinia Festival debut. 

Tracy made her American debut in Chicago singing Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Mimì in La Bohème with the Civic Orchestra at the Chicago Symphony Center. She made her professional operatic debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, singing the Fifth Maid in Strauss' Elektra, in the highly acclaimed production by Sir David McVicar, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, where she was praised in Opera Today for her “admirable attention to diction”. Most recently, Tracy has been heard on stage at the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Countess Ceprano in Verdi's Rigoletto, as Fiordiligi in Mozart's Così fan Tutte, and as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier with the Grant Park Music Festival. 

 

Tracy has recently been featured in a series of themed recitals that have been broadcast on 98.7 WFMT - Chicago (1929, Voices of Women, WWII, Chicago). Upcoming performances include a performance of Beethoven's Symphony no. 9 with the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, and a soloist in Bernstein's Songfest at the Ravinia Music Festival.

Raised in Prince Edward Island, Tracy is a recent graduate of McGill's Schulich School of Music, where she was enrolled in their coveted Artist Diploma program in Voice Performance, under the tutelage of American Baritone Sanford Sylvan. With Opera McGill, she debuted with the role of Mimì in Puccini's La Bohème, and went on to sing the roles of the Governess in Britten's Turn of the Screw, and Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni. She was also the featured soprano in an evening of scenes from Verdi's most beloved operas, in which she performed the final acts from Otello (Desdemona) and La Traviata (Violetta). Other operatic credits include Alice Ford in Verdi's Falstaff (Opera NUOVA, Highlands Opera) the Mother in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, (University of Alberta Opera Workshop) and Nella in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi (Opera NUOVA).

Equally at home on the concert stage, Tracy was recently engaged as the soprano soloist with l'Ensemble Sinfonia de Montreal in Beethoven's Symphony no. 9. She has also been heard as a Soprano Soloist in Bach’s Magnificat, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Handel's Messiah, as well as Mahler’s Symphony No.2. An advocate of Art Song literature, Tracy recently performed recitals in London and Montreal, which featured such masterpieces as Strauss' Vier Letzte Lieder, Barber's Despite and Still, Britten's Les Illuminations, and Debussy's Proses Lyriques.

Tracy has been the grateful recipient of many scholarships and awards over the years, and was recently the winner of the prestigious Lois Marshall Memorial Competition, and the winner of the St. Andrews International Aria Competition. She is currently supported by the generous donations of Mrs. C. G. Pinnell, the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation, and the Edmonton Community Foundation. Tracy holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the University of Alberta, and a Master of Music in Voice Performance and Literature from the University of Western Ontario.