Biography

Acclaimed for her “energetic drive to realize the highest musical standards possible,” Music Director Raisa Nakhmanovich has been a mainstay of many successful seasons with Opera in Concert. Sadko, Nabucco, Maria Stuarda, L'Amour des trois oranges, Ruslan and Ludmila, King Roger, La Vestale, Thaïs, and Stiffelio are among the memorable OIC productions for which her musical direction has won critical acclaim. Moving to Toronto in 1990 after beginning her professional career in her native Latvia, Raisa soon established a solid reputation here as an esteemed collaborative pianist and expert vocal coach, working regularly with Toronto Operetta Theatre and other local opera companies, as accompanist for rehearsals and master classes, and as Music Director for numerous concerts and festivals throughout Ontario, as well as in special events such as the Rubies Opera Canada Awards. Conductors with whom Raisa has collaborated include Derek Bate, John Greer, Kevin Mallon, and Wayne Strongman. She has frequently been invited to serve as Music Director for productions of Summer Opera Lyric Theatre, among them Così fan tutte, Falstaff, Ariadne auf Naxos, and Les Contes d'Hoffmann, and most recently Vanessa by S. Barber. In addition, Raisa has for many years been a dedicated teacher and active accompanist in the Music Department at York University, as a much-appreciated member of both the Voice and Piano faculties. Her skilled coaching is also sought after in her private studio, where Raisa Nakhmanovich continues to help shape the future of many of Canada’s finest young singers.