Promotional materials

Taryn Plater is a versatile singer and creator, recognized for her “dramatic and vocal thrust” and “velvety vocal texture” (Opera Canada). Driven by an interest in opera’s relationship to different genres and mediums, her portfolio focuses on Ukrainian art song, collaboration with dance, and the intersection of jazz and classical music. As a founding member of Opera Unbound, Taryn pursues projects that open new avenues for artistic collaboration, including Floating Island, a piece for music and movement, and the world premiere of The Fox, a new chamber opera. Her background in jazz performance supports her Thin Walls work – original fusion arrangements involving other accomplished local jazz and classical musicians. Taryn was an emerging artist with Manitoba Opera and has been part of developing new works with Paper Rabbits, Good Mess Opera Theatre, Belle Spirale, the Or Festival, and Against the Grain’s National Opera Intensive. She continues to explore non-traditional opera creation with the development of her original multi-media performance piece, Pamyatayesh.

Taryn Plater is a versatile singer and creator, recognized for her “dramatic and vocal thrust” and “velvety vocal texture” (Opera Canada). Driven by an interest in opera’s relationship to different genres and mediums, her portfolio focuses on Ukrainian art song, collaboration with dance, and the intersection of jazz and classical music. As a founding member of Opera Unbound, Taryn pursues projects that open new avenues for artistic collaboration, including Floating Island, a piece for music and movement, and the world premiere of The Fox, a new chamber opera. Her background in jazz performance supports her Thin Walls work – original fusion arrangements involving other accomplished local jazz and classical musicians.

Taryn was an emerging artist with Manitoba Opera and an RBC Artist Fellow with the Association for Opera in Canada. She has been part of developing new works with Paper Rabbits, Good Mess Opera Theatre, Belle Spirale, the Or Festival, and Against the Grain’s National Opera Intensive. Taryn continues to explore non-traditional opera creation with the development of her original multi-media performance piece, Pamyatayesh. In recognition of her prolific work with Ukrainian classical and folk repertoire, she received a Ukraine – Heritage, Spirit and Future award from the Hnatyshyn Foundation.

Taryn’s varied background extends beyond performance to include linguistics, arts marketing, urban design, and community planning. Her practice as an urban planner informs the way Taryn uses music to connect with community and animate spaces. It has also informed her choice to invest as both a singer and producer in collaborations with artists across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.

Taryn Plater is a versatile singer and creator, recognized for her “dramatic and vocal thrust” and “velvety vocal texture” (Opera Canada). Driven by an interest in opera’s relationship to different genres and mediums, her portfolio focuses on Ukrainian art song, collaboration with dance, and the intersection of jazz and classical music. As a founding member of Opera Unbound, Taryn pursues projects that open new avenues for artistic collaboration, including Floating Island, a piece for music and movement by Kara Gibbs, and the world premiere of The Fox, a new chamber opera by Roan Shankaruk. Her background in jazz performance supports her Thin Walls work – original fusion arrangements involving accomplished local jazz and classical musicians.

Taryn was a 2024 emerging artist with Manitoba Opera and a 2021-2022 RBC Artist Fellow with the Association for Opera in Canada. She has been part of developing new works with Paper Rabbits (PROM NITE (epilogue)), Good Mess Opera Theatre (Monsters Made), Belle Spirale (Floating Island), and the Or Festival (Through the Window). She created the digital artist statement First Steps through Against the Grain’s National Opera Intensive, and continues to explore non-traditional opera creation with the development of her original multi-media performance piece, Pamyatayesh. In recognition of her prolific work with Ukrainian classical and folk repertoire, Taryn received a Ukraine – Heritage, Spirit and Future award from the Hnatyshyn Foundation in 2022. She is grateful to also be the recipient of a Vancouver Opera Foundation bursary from the Toni and Hildegard Cavelti Foundation Fund, an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and honourable mention at the Vancouver Women’s Musical Society’s 2022 voice competition.

In addition to her performance endeavours, Taryn has worked in arts marketing, development, and community planning. Her practice as an urban planner informs the way she uses music to connect with community and animate spaces. It has also informed her choice to invest as both a musician and producer in collaborations with artists across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Taryn enjoys varied performance opportunities with numerous local companies, including Re:Naissance Opera, Burnaby Lyric Opera (Rosina in Il Baribiere di Seviglia; Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro), Nebula Performances (Carmen in Carmen), Opera Lirica, City Opera, and Vancouver Opera’s VOICES series.

Taryn earned her opera performance degree at the University of British Columbia studying with Krisztina Szabó and Marisa Gaetanne. In her time at the University of British Columbia, she performed the roles of Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Fanny Price (Mansfield Park), La Marchesa Melibea (Il viaggio a Reims), Marta (Pasażerka), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), and Second Lady (Die Zauberflöte). Her teachers, coaches, and mentors have included Krisztina Szabó, Marisa Gaetanne, Judith Forst, Monica Huisman, David Agler, and Richard Epp. She has also trained with Opera NUOVA, the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and the Ukrainian Art Song Project, and has featured in concerts in Germany and the Czech Republic.