About Camille
Performer
Researcher
Researcher
A dynamic interpreter of opera, concert works, and musical theatre, specializing in historically informed performance
Above: photo by Dahlia Katz
Researcher
Researcher
Researcher
Investigating how Western ideas about gender and sexuality have changed since the 17th and 18th centuries
"The York-Minuet" by James Gillray
Educator
Researcher
Educator
Offering an affirming and accepting space for students of all levels to explore and develop holistically
Above: photo by Kinsey Holt
Biography
As a performer, Camille Rogers (they/them) has been praised for their “tremendous stage presence” and “real flair for comedy” (Operaramblings). Camille’s “gossamer mezzo-soprano” (Mooney on Theatre) has been described as “even-keeled and grounded even in times of intense physicality” (Schmopera). Camille has also been recognized for their work as Co-Artistic Director of Toronto’s queer opera collective OperaQ, and has been invited to speak at related events hosted by Against the Grain Theatre, Amplified Opera, the University of Toronto, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, and VIVA! Youth Singers of Toronto. With OperaQ, Camille has produced three full-length opera productions: Dido and Belinda (2019), Handel’s Drag Messiah (2021), and Medusa’s Children (2022), and is in the process of developing a one-act musical for young audiences exploring non-binary gender identity.
Camille currently studies at the University of Toronto, pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts with a Collaborative Specialization in Sexual Diversity Studies. Their research, supported by the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship and the Queer Trans Research Lab Dissertation Completion Award, investigates the life of queer and gender-non-conforming 17th-century French opera singer Julie d’Aubigny Maupin (1670-1707). As part of their studies, in 2022 Camille wrote and premiered La Maupin, a narrative cantata composed by Colin McMahon and portraying notable adventures from d'Aubigny's life.
An active performer in many styles of music theatre, Camille most recently appeared as The Narrator in Concerning Matthew Shepard with Pax Christi Chorale. Other past engagements include Suli/Suzie in the world premiere of Pomegranate at Buddies in Bad Times, Aeneas in Dido and Belinda with OperaQ, the role of Lake in FAWN's collectively improvised techno opera Belladonna, Young Girl in The Marriage of Figaro with Opera Atelier, and the title role of L’Italiana in Algeri with MYOpera. Camille has also been featured as a soloist with the Toronto Bach Festival and the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra, and has presented solo recitals with Centric MusicFest and Lethbridge Pride.
Right and below: photos by Dhoui Chang
Select Performance Credits
Narrator (Considering Matthew Shepard- C. Johnson) Pax Christi Chorale (2022)
Music Director: Elaine Choi
Alto (Messiah- G. F. Handel) Lethbridge Symphony (2021)
Music Director: Glenn Klassen
Hawker (Bowls Workshop- S. Jha) - Loose Tea Music Theatre (2021)
Director: Alaina Viau
Music Director: Joshua Slater
Voice (Music for 18 Musicians- S. Reich) - U of T Percussion Ensemble (2020)
Music Director: Aiyun Huang
Solo Recital "I'm Not That Girl" - Lethbridge Pride Fest (2019)
Suli/Suzie (Pomegranate- K. Marshall) - Buddies in Bad Times (2019)
Director: Michael Mori
Music Director: Jennifer Tung
Aeneas (Dido and Aeneas- H. Purcell) - OperaQ (2019)
Director: Madison Angus
Solo Recital "She Shines on the Earth" - Centric MusicFest (2018)
Artistic Director: Ryan Kolodziej
Lake (Belladonna) - FAWN Chamber Creative (2018)
Director: Amanda Smith
Young Girl (The Marriage of Figaro- W. A. Mozart) - Opera Atelier (2017)
Director: Marshall Pynkoski
Music Director: David Fallis
Isabella (L'Italiana in Algeri- G. Rossini) - MYOpera (2017)
Director: Anna Theodosakis
Music Director: Natasha Fransblow
Alto (St. Mark Passion- J. S. Bach) Toronto Bach Festival (2017)
Music Director: John Abberger
Publications
"Thus Do All Women: Comedy, Sentimentality, Ambiguity, and a Così fan tutte for the #MeToo Era.” Women & Music 26 (2022): 45-67.
"An Artist's Call for Accountability." Opera InReach. March 11, 2021.
"Gender in Opera." Opera InReach. December 18, 2020.
"Take the Note." Amplified Opera. December 11, 2020.
"Listening for a Queer Utopia: Unexpected Pleasures in Baroque Castrato Roles." Whatever: A transdisciplinary journal of queer theories and studies 2, no. 1 (2019)
Public Presentations
Voice Masterclass (2022)
Ontario Youth Choir
Vocal Music and Intersectionality Panel Discussion (2022)
Girls Rock Camp Alliance
International Women’s Day Panel (2021)
Pacific Opera Victoria
Gender Diversity in Opera Panel (2021)
Against the Grain Theatre
Trans & Non-Binary Composer and Artist Panel Discussion (2021)
Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra
“Trans Voices” Pedagogy Lecture (2020)
VIVA! Youth Singers of Toronto
Post-Performance Panel (The Queen in Me) (2019)
Amplified Opera
Education, Awards & Scholarships
Doctor of Musical Arts - University of Toronto (2019-present)
Mark S. Bonham Centre QTRL Doctoral Dissertation Completion Award (2022)
"Learn to teach trans voice alteration in 5 weeks" - Renée Yoxon (2021)
Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (2019)
Master of Arts, Musicology - University of Toronto (2019)
Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2018)
Master of Music, Music Performance (Opera) - University of Toronto (2017)
SSHRC Canadian Graduate Scholarship - Masters (2016)
Alberta Heritage Fund Arts Graduate Scholarship (2015)
Bachelor of Music with Great Distinction - University of Lethbridge (2015)
University of Lethbridge Faculty of Fine Arts Gold Medal (2015)
Current Positions
Co-Artistic Director & Producer - OperaQ
Program Manager, Women in Musical Leadership - Tapestry Opera
Private Instructor - Singing & Gender-Affirming Voice
Mentor - Opera InReach
Past Positions
Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression in Music Studies Research Assistant
- University of Toronto (2021-2023)
Voice Instructor - The Voice Lab, Inc. (2022)
Voice Instructor, Summer Music Intensive - Marigold Music Program (2022)
Teaching Assistant - University of Toronto (2017-2022)
Adjudicator, Junior Classical Voice & Composition
- Lethbridge and District Music and Speech Arts Festival (2021)
Research Communications Assistant - University of Toronto (2021)
Gender Diversity Consultant - Tapestry Opera (2021) & Opera Laurier (2019)
Research Assistant - University of Toronto (2018-2019)
Opera Division Assistant - U of T Opera (2016-2017)
Music Director - Lethbridge Shakespeare in the Park (2015)
Senior Student Instructor - University of Lethbridge Conservatory (2014-2015)
Programming Intern - Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra (2013-2015)
Producing
Dido + Belinda
Handel's Drag Messiah
Handel's Drag Messiah
A re-imagining of Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, with the addition of narration from the point of view of Dido’s closest confidante, Belinda (May 2019)
Above: photo by Emily Ding
Handel's Drag Messiah
Handel's Drag Messiah
Handel's Drag Messiah
A fresh and fun take on a holiday standard of classical music, featuring original drag numbers developed with guidance from mentor and host Gay Jesus (Dec 2021)
Medusa's Children
Handel's Drag Messiah
Medusa's Children
A new chamber opera by Charlie Petch and Colin McMahon, drawing on the aftermath of the Medusa myth to tell a story at once dark, tender, and whimsical (June 2022)
Above: still by Coffeeshop Creative