Equipped with “dramatic and vocal thrust” (Opera Canada), Taryn Plater is a versatile performer with a strong investment in the future of the arts.
Taryn is grateful for the opportunity to create and learn on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
A versatile singer and creator, Taryn’s portfolio spans Ukrainian art song, new works, classic opera, and the intersection of jazz and classical music. Whether singing in a 200-year-old opera or one written last year, she strives to create performances that are poised and truthful. Inspired by her Ukrainian-Canadian heritage, she is particularly drawn toward slavic repertoire.
Taryn’s work increasingly focuses on collaborations that bridge different artistic genres and mediums. As co-director of the Vancouver-based non-profit Opera Unbound, Taryn has helped develop pieces for music and dance and new chamber operas.
Her practice as an urban planner informs the way Taryn uses music to connect with community and animate spaces. She welcomes any opportunity to explore new facets of musical creation.
Opera Canada Artist of the Week
September 2025
"This week, Taryn chats with us about fulfilling her childhood dream, recent multidisciplinary projects and how her career as an urban planner influences her art."
Reviews
"As played by Taryn Plater [...] the audience fell hard for her as well. Her strong yet lyrical mezzo-soprano and excellent acting chops seduced patrons and Don José"
— Hadani Ditmars, Opera Canada, 2025
"Taryn Plater was delightfully ditzy as the hapless Cherubino, though even this lovelorn adolescent has real feelings, as her “Voi che sapete” made abundantly clear."
— Robert Jordan, Opera Canada, 2022
"Marta [was] portrayed with dramatic and vocal thrust by Taryn Plater"
— Robert Jordan, Opera Canada, 2020
Promotional materials
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A versatile singer and creator, Taryn Plater’s portfolio focuses on Ukrainian art song, new works, and the intersection of jazz and classical music. Driven by an interest in non-traditional opera creation, she is developing an original multi-media performance piece, Pamyatayesh, and continues to pursue collaborative commissions through her company, Opera Unbound.
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Taryn Plater is a versatile singer and creator, recognized for her “dramatic and vocal thrust” (Opera Canada). Driven by an interest in opera’s relationship to different genres and mediums, her portfolio focuses on Ukrainian art song, new works, 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. Through this company, she commissioned and workshopped Floating Island – a new work for music and movement by Vancouver composer Kara Gibbs.
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 Good Mess Opera Theatre, Belle Spirale, and the Or Festival. In 2021, Taryn created the digital artist statement First Stepsthrough Against the Grain’s National Opera Intensive, and 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” (Opera Canada). Driven by an interest in opera’s relationship to different genres and mediums, her portfolio focuses on Ukrainian art song, new works, 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. Through this company, she commissioned and workshopped Floating Island – a new work for music and movement by Vancouver composer Kara Gibbs.
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 Good Mess Opera Theatre, Belle Spirale, and the Or Festival. Taryn created the digital artist statement First Steps through Against the Grain’s 2021 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 2021 Vancouver Opera Foundation bursary from the Toni and Hildegard Cavelti Foundation Fund and a 2019 Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Taryn’s varied background extends beyond performance to include linguistics, business, urban design, and community planning. She has worked in arts marketing, development, and planning, and has a keen interest in the role that the arts play in our cities and communities. -
Taryn Plater is a versatile singer and creator, recognized for her “dramatic and vocal thrust” (Opera Canada). Driven by an interest in opera’s relationship to different genres and mediums, her portfolio focuses on Ukrainian art song, new works, 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. Through this company, she commissioned and workshopped Floating Island – a new work for music and movement by Vancouver composer Kara Gibbs.
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 Good Mess Opera Theatre, Belle Spirale, and the Or Festival. She created the digital artist statement First Steps through Against the Grain’s 2021 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 2021 Vancouver Opera Foundation bursary from the Toni and Hildegard Cavelti Foundation Fund, a 2019 Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and honourable mention at the Vancouver Women’s Musical Society’s 2022 voice competition.
Taryn has trained and performed 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. At home, she enjoys varied performance opportunities with numerous local companies, including Re:Naissance Opera, Burnaby Lyric Opera (Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro), Nebula Performances (Carmen in Carmen), Symphony 21, Opera Lirica, and City Opera. In addition to her performance endeavours, Taryn has worked in arts marketing, development, and community planning, and has a keen interest in the role that the arts play in our cities and communities.
Taryn earned her opera performance degree at the University of British Columbia studying with Krisztina Szabó and Marisa Gaetanne while simultaneously pursuing training in linguistics and urban planning. 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.