Simone McIntosh

Hailing from Vancouver, B.C., Simone McIntosh is a mezzo-soprano with “sheer vocal agility and lovely rich sound” (Vancouver Sun). Currently an Adler Fellow at the San Francisco Opera (SFO), she is also a recent graduate of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio. Over the years McIntosh has received several distinguished awards and acknowledgements such as winning the Wirth Vocal Prize 2016, COC Ensemble Studio Competition 2016, Ottawa Choral Society New Discoveries Competition 2018, and inclusion in the CBC’s “30 Hottest Classical Musicians Under 30” in 2016.

In operatic repertoire McIntosh spends a good amount of time performing pants roles such as Cherubino (Burnaby Lyric Opera; SFO cover), Ruggiero (Opera McGill), Stephano (SFO cover), and Hansel (SFO cover). Other roles in McIntosh’s repertoire include Cenerentola (Vancouver Opera), Dorabella (COC cover), Tamiri (Merola Opera), Béatrice (MY Opera), and Little Women’s Meg (Opera McGill).

An avid lover of Art Song and recital work, McIntosh is always looking for new challenges in repertoire and is dedicated to exposing audiences to music and experiences they may not have heard before. Notable recital pieces in her repertoire include Messaien’s rarely performed Harawi, his Quechuan inspired fifty minute song cycle, and American composer John Harbison’s hour long song cycle, Motetti di Montale, a stunning rendering of Eugenio Montale’s bleak and dreary poetry. Other art song repertoire include Berg’s Op. 2 & Sieben frühe lieder, Schoenberg’s Op. 2, Strauss’ Op. 27 and Poulenc’s Banalites among many others.

McIntosh has had many fortunate opportunities to learn and grow as an artist. In addition to the San Francisco Opera and Canadian Opera Company’s young artist program, McIntosh has had Fellowships with the Merola Opera Program, Songfest, Toronto Summer Music Festival and The Banff Centre of the Arts. McIntosh graduated from McGill Schulich School of Music with an MMus, and graduated with a BMus from the University of British Columbia.