The PTBOToday.ca Spirit Awards celebrate “the best people, places, and businesses” in the Peterborough community. We’re happy to say that the Peterborough Singers have won the 2023 award for Top Local Performance Group. The awards, presented by OLDIES 96.7 and EXTRA 90.5, invited Peterborough residents to vote for organizations whose spirit uplifts the local community, something the choir always aspires to do. Thousands of ballots were cast in a number of categories, and we’d like to thank all of those who voted for the Peterborough Singers.
Leslie Fagan is a world-renowned soprano, a dedicated educator and mentor, and a proud Canadian artist.
Hailed by critics as “nothing short of astonishing” and “in a class of her own,” she has for decades performed under the baton of noted conductors at many of the world’s most famous music venues. Leslie is perhaps most famous for her storied performances of Handel’s Messiah, which have soared out from stages in New York, London, Kyoto and beyond. Leslie has performed at many of the world’s most famous music venues, including Royal Albert Hall, Lincoln Center, Bordeaux Opera House, and – 16 times and counting – at the world-famous Carnegie Hall.
Her career reads as a journey in the company of many of music’s most famous names. She has sung Stravinsky and Debussy in France, Bach in Germany, and Mendelssohn in Manhattan. She has dazzled audiences with concert performances in Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Netherlands. She has shared the stage with such luminaries as Victor Borge, Lois Marshall, and Maureen Forrester. She has interpreted the legendary operas of Mozart, Puccini, and Donizetti.
Leslie has performed on CBC radio and television, BBC radio and television, and National Public Radio, among other platforms. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto, where she studied with Madame Irene Jessner and Lois Marshall, and has studied privately with famed performers and composers in France and Italy.
Leslie has adjudicated international vocal competitions at the highest level, including the Oratorio Society of New York’s annual Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition.
When not on the world stages, Leslie is an Associate Professor who teaches aspiring singers at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Leslie is co-founder of the Canadian Art Song Project, whose mandate is to champion the legacy of Canadian song. The first two CDs in the series, “Thread of Winter” and “Halibut Cheeks and other Love Songs” have been received with rave reviews. www.canadianartsong.ca
As a recipient of the Order of Ontario, Leslie is recognized for her sustained artistic excellence, her commitment to educating the next generation of vocal performers, and her championing of the great Canadian songbook though the Canadian Art Song project. www.lesliefagan.com
