Duncan Stenhouse
Bass

Named one of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “30 hot classical musicians under 30, Duncan Stenhouse is a Canadian-British-Irish bass and composer. In the summer of 2025 he made his US debut as a Resident Artist at the Glimmerglass Festival. In his final year of the Ensemble Studio at COC Duncan will be singing Count Ceprano in Verdi’s Rigoletto, and will perform in the young artist show of Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia as Basilio.

He will also be covering The Duke and role studying Friar Laurent in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, as well as role studying Sparafucile in Rigoletto and Duke Bluebeard in Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle. In the 2024/25 season, Duncan debuted as a member of Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, singing the roles of The High Priest of Baal in Verdi’s Nabucco, First Apprentice in Berg’s Wozzeck, and Zaretsky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. He also covered the roles of The Bonze in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, the Assistant to Déscartes in Bilodeau & Bouchard’s La Reine-Garçon, and Prince Gremin in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.

He is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music where he received his Advanced Diploma in Opera, and Master of Music (Honours). While at the Academy, Duncan sang as Bottom in the school’s production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Spinelloccio and Notaio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, the Keeper of the Madhouse in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, Bartolo in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Norton in Rossini’s La cambiale di matrimonio, and Superintendent Budd in Britten’s Albert Herring. He also sang as Il Commendatore, John Claggart, Olin Blitch, and Count Walter in the school’s scenes shows. Outside of the Academy, Duncan has sung the roles of Colline in Puccini’s La bohème for Longborough Festival Opera and Zaccaria in Uncovered Opera’s concert performance of Verdi’s Nabucco. He sang as an Alvarez Young Artist with Garsington Opera for two summers, performing in the chorus and covering the roles of Waiter 3 and Boots in their award-winning production of Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier and Dvorák’s Rusalka.

Prizes and awards include first place in the Christina and Louis Quilico competition, the Sarah Harrison Prize at the Hurn Court Opera Singer of the Year Competition, and the Sybil Tutton Opera Award from Help Musicians. He also placed 3rd at Canadian Opera Company’s 10th Centre Stage Competition and was a finalist in the Emmy Destinn Foundation’s Czech Music Competition.

Raúl Morales Velazco
Bass

Raúl Morales Velazco is a member of the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) where was heard this past season as Méphistophélès in Gounod’s Faust and his debut as Dulcamara in L’elisir D’amore at the Opera Festival of Morelia.  This season he sings the titles role in Le Nozze di Figaro at Academy of Vocal Arts. Future engagements include his debut at the Donizetti Opera Festival in Bergamo as Calistene in the Poliuto. He was born in México and trained in the México Opera Estudio where he performed the roles of Colas in Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne, Manuello in Melesio Morales’ opera Anita, Polifemo in Handel’s Acis & Galatea, and Padre Magistral in Penella’s Don Gil de Alcalá.

Raúl made his European debut in 2024 as Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and Bartolo/Antonio in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at the Trentino Music Festival. In 2023 as part of the International Summer Opera Festival of Morelia, Raul performed Colline in La bohème and the roles of Bartolo and Antonio at Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. Previous engagements have included Dulcamara in Donizetti’s L’elisr d’amore for Ópera Estudio del Noroeste, the Commendatore in Mozart’s don Giovanni for Teatro del Bicenterario, the Sacrastan in Puccini’s Tosca for Teatro Ciudad Sagrada, and Sciarrone in Tosca for Orquestra Filarmónica 5 de mayo.

Raúl won 3rd prize at 2022 Carlo Morelli contest as well as being a finalist in the Concurso Latinoamericano de Canto Radio Filarmonía in Peru. He won second prize in the men’s division of the 2023 Maria Callas Brazilian Singing Contest as well as being a district winner at Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition Mexico district and an encouragement Award at Rocky Mountains Region at the same contest.

“In a cast without weaknesses, bass Donato DiStefano’s Don Magnifico stands out. Di Stefano is a great Italian singing actor, commanding every trick in the comedian’s arsenal, and manages to be spectacularly stylish without concealing Magnifico’s abusiveness.”  – Canadian Opera company 

Donato Di Stefano
Bass

One of the most sought after basses in the opera world, Donato DiStefano has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Munich, Paris, Brussels, Toronto, Dallas, Hamburg, Toronto, Washington, Tokyo, Frankfurt, and Miami, just to name a few. This season Donato sings the title role in Don Pasquale with Staatstheatre Karslruhe. Engagements this season include Geronte in Manon Lescaut with Gran Teatro del Liceu. Most recently he performed the title role in Gianni Schicchi with Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, the title role of Don Pasquale and Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro with Opera Frankfurt, and Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi at the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Sacristan in Tosca at the Canadian Opera Company,  Don Pasquale at the Tiroler Festspiel Erl, Simone in Gianni Schicchi with the Saito Kinen Festival, Alcindoro/Benoit in Koln and Toronto, Geronte in Manon Lescaut in Frankfurt, Bartolo in Barbiere at the Berlin Staatsoper, and Geronimo in Il Matrimonio Segreto at the Staatsopera Koln. Prior to that he performed Mustafa in Nancy, Simone in Gianni Schicchi in Toronto, Bartolo in Munich, Don Magnifico in Valencia, Melitone in La Fortza del Destino with the Staattheater St. Gallen, and Mustafa in Avignon. Prior to that he was heard at the Dallas Opera as Don Pasquale, the Metropolitan Opera as Simone in Gianni Schicchi, and the Washington National Opera as Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, a role he reprised in Leipzig, Munich and Lisbon. He also performed Il Matrimonio Segreto at the Innsbruck Festival.

Notable performances include Simone in Gianni Schicchi at the Metropolitan Opera and the Canadian Opera Company, Mustafa in Nancy and Avignon, Bartolo in Munich, Don Magnifico in Valencia, Il Matrimonio Segreto in Köln, Don Pasquale at the Dallas Opera, Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the Washington National Opera, Leipzig, Munich and Lisbon, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola at the Canadian Opera Company, Don Magnifico for La Monnaie, L’Opéra National de Lorraine in Nancy, and the Minnesota Opera, Bartolo in Leipzig and Hamburg, the title role of Gianni Schicchi in Frankfurt and in Tel Aviv.

Donato Di Stefano’s discography includes two recordings of La Serva Padrona, with La Petite Bande conducted by Sigiswald Kuijken for Accent Live, and one under Gustav Kuhn for Ricordi-Bmg. A broadcast production of the same title for RAI International is slated for release on DVD. He can also be heard as Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro on Naxos, La Traviata with Zubin Mehta on Philips, Rendine’s Un Segreto di Importanza for Ricordi, Linda di Chamounix on Frequenz and Soliva’s Giulio e Sesto Pompeo for the Radio Svizzera Italiana label.

Burak Bilgili
Bass

From the time of his professional operatic debut at the Teatro alla Scala as Don Alfonso in Lucrezia Borgia, Bass Burak Bilgili has had tremendous success singing in internationally renowned venues such as the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Opéra de Montréal, Canadian Opera Company, Liceu de Barcelona, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, where he has worked with such conductors as Evenlino Pidò, Nicola Luisotti, and Alberto Zedda.

In the 2024-25 season he performed Michele in Il Tabarro with Musica Viva in Hong Kong, and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte with Opera Naples. His most recent engagements also include the title role in Rossini’s Maometto II with the Istanbul State Opera, Enrico in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena with Musica Viva in Hong Kong, Sparafucile in Rigoletto with the Rochester Philharmonic, Friar Lawrence in Romeo et Juilette with Opera Naples, and appearances in concert in his native Turkey. Other recent engagements include Dulcamara with Musica Viva Hong Kong, Mozart’s Requiem with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, excerpts of Verdi’s Aida and Rigoletto also with the Atlanta Symphony, Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia for Cincinnati Opera, and the title role of Don Pasquale for Michigan Opera Theater (canceled for Covid). Recently he has also been heard as Escamillo at Opera di Firenze, Mustafa in L’italiana in Algieri in Montpellier, Frer Laurent in Beijing at NCPA, and Don Pasquale at Ft. Worth Opera, Oper Köln as Padre Guardiano in La Forza del Destino, L’Opera de Tours as Mustafa in L’italiana in Algieri and Nilakantha in Lakme at the Royal Opera of Oman. He has performed Zaccaria in Nabucco at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, the Washington National Opera and the Auckland Philharmonia, Sparafucile in Rigoletto in Mexico, Oroveso in Norma at Florida Grand Opera, Conte de Walter in Luisa Miller at Staatsoper Hamburg, Laurent in Romeo et Juliette and Don Pasquale with Atlanta Opera.

Recent concert engagements include Handel’s Messiah with the Washington National Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Dvoák’s Stabat Mater at Carnegie Hall, Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass with the Atlanta Symphony, Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and the Istanbul Symphony State Orchestra, and Ramfis in Aida with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Other notable engagements include Ramfis in Aida with Edmonton Opera, Procida in Vespri Siciliani with the Caramoor Festival, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte for Avignon, Ferrando in Il Trovatore for the San Francisco Opera, Fiesco in Simon Boccangra for L’Opéra de Montréal, The Four Villians in Les conte d’Hoffmann for Virginia Opera and in Beijing, Sparafucile in Rigoletto for Omaha Lyric Opera, Colline in La Bohèmefor Naples Opera, Nourabad in Les Pécheurs de perles for Florida Grand Opera, Leporello and Banquo for Vancouver Opera, Daland in Der Fliegende Holländer for Michigan Opera Theater, and Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia for the Canadian Opera Company.