Biography
Duncan Stenhouse Duncan Stenhouse is a Canadian-British bass and composer. This season, Duncan was named one of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “30 hot classical musicians under 30” and debuted with Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio singing the roles of The High Priest of Baal in Nabucco, First Apprentice in Wozzeck, and Zaretsky in Eugene Onegin. He also covered the roles of The Bonze in Madama Butterfly, the Assistant to Déscartes in Bilodeau & Bouchard’s La Reine-Garçon, and Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin.
This summer Duncan will be singing with the Glimmerglass Festival as the cover of Angelotti in Tosca as well as Jules, Bob, Charles, and the Boatman in Sunday in the Park with George. Next season at the Canadian Opera, Duncan will be singing the role of Count Ceprano in Rigoletto, as well as Basilio in the Young Artist show of il barbiere di Siviglia. He will also cover the roles of the Duke of Verona in Roméo et Juliette.
Duncan is a graduate of the Advanced Diploma in Opera and Master of Music (Honours) at the Royal Academy of Music, and the Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Voice Performance with a minor in Composition at Memorial School of Music. While at University Duncan sang the roles of The Caterpillar in Will Todd’s Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland, Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Spinelloccio and Notaio in Gianni Schicchi, the Keeper of the Madhouse in The Rake’s Progress, Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro, Norton in La cambiale di matrimonio, and Superintendent Budd in Albert Herring.
Duncan has also sung the roles of Colline in La bohème for Longborough Festival Opera, Zaccaria in Nabucco for Uncovered Opera, and both Crespel in Les Contes d’Hoffmann and Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte for the Halifax Summer Opera Festival. He has sung as an Alvarez Young Artist with Garsington Opera, performing in their productions of Der Rosenkavalier and Rusalka. He has also sung in the chorus with Opera Holland Park and Hurn Court Opera, where he also covered the role of Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni.
In competition, Duncan has won the Christina and Louis Quilico Competition at the Canadian Opera Company, the Newfoundland Provincial Music Festival, the Sarah Harrison Prize at the Hurn Court Opera Singer of the Year Competition, and the Sybil Tutton Opera Award from Help Musicians. He placed 3rd at the 50th FCMF Canadian National Music Festival, and at Canadian Opera Company’s 10th Centre Stage Competition.
Composing, academic research, and teaching are also very important to Duncan. He has had multiple works premiered, given masterclasses, voice lessons, and lectures at Memorial University, and his dissertation: Songs of the Great White North: Exploring Canada’s Peoples through Art Song, earned him a distinction for his MMus degree and an honourary Diploma of the Royal Academy of Music. Duncan also has a passion for Russian and Czech repertoire, having worked extensively with Lada Valešová at the Royal Academy of Music, Jarmila Karasová with the Emmy Destinn Foundation, and Ilana Zarankin at the Canadian Opera Company.
