2006 TORONTO SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL "IN THE LIGHT OF MOZART" ANNOUNCES NATIONAL CAST FOR DON GIOVANNI

June 21, 2006 (Toronto) - Three of Canada's brightest emerging opera stars have been cast in the 2006 Toronto Summer Music Festival's staging of Don Giovanni, Artistic Director Agnes Grossmann announced today.

Phillip Addis, Philip Carmichael and Joey Niceforo will be the principals in the festival's four fully staged performances of the celebrated Mozart opera scheduled for August 17-20.

"By casting these players we are celebrating Canada's rising stars," said Grossmann. "All three of these singers have exceptional on-stage track records, both nationally and internationally, and we are certain they will impress the audience with their interpretation of the challenging score of Don Giovanni."

Phillip Addis (Don Giovanni) is best known for his powerful performance with Atelier Lyrique de L'Opéra de Montréal as Taddeo in Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri, as well as supporting roles in Rigoletto, Madame Butterfly and La Bohème. Philip Carmichael (Don Giovanni) is an award-winning protégé of the world's foremost Bach expert Maestro Helmuth Rilling. Joey Niceforo (Don Ottavio) enjoyed international fame as a member of the group The Canadian Tenors and recently appeared in his first TV role in Britney Spears' MOW Brave New World.

Artistic director Grossmann, a celebrated conductor, has also chosen 12 other singers to form the dual cast.

"We received more than a hundred applications from around the world for the remaining roles," said Grossmann. "It was exciting to hear young talent from across the country and it enabled us to handpick a cast that includes some of the best singers from Canada and abroad."

Confirmed performers include Jessica Bowes, Leslie-Ann Bradley, Rachael Harwood-Jones, Ileana Montalbetti, Paul Ouelette and Asztalos Bence from Hungary.

For the first time in Toronto history, the pit orchestra for all Don Giovanni performances will be composed of members of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Founded in 1960, the National Youth Orchestra is an internationally renowned training ground for classical musicians, constructed anew each year with student musicians from across the country.

The 2006 Toronto Summer Music Festival runs from July 28 - August 20 and includes performances by renowned artists Richard Goode, Menahem Pressler, the Leipzig String Quartet, Ian Swensen, Shauna Rolston, Mayumi Seiler and Toronto's own Gryphon Trio. The Toronto Summer Music Academy and Festival (TSMAF) is a project of the Silver Creek Music Foundation.

Tickets can be ordered online at www.torontosummermusic.com or by calling
1-888-222-6608.

For more information:
Sarah Kiriliuk, SISU Publicity
647-283-1766
Sarah_kiriliuk@sisupublicity.ca