ABOUT
Camila Montefusco is a storyteller at heart. Described as possessing "an instrument of remarkable power and endurance" (Revue L'Opéra Québec), the Brazilian-born mezzo-soprano is a recent graduate of Opéra de Montréal's Atelier lyrique.
Recent highlights include her portrayal of Rychtarka in Janáček's Jenufa and her first appearance as alto soloist in Handel's Messiah with the Orchestre classique de Montréal. Prior seasons brought her to the Banff Centre as Offred in The Handmaid's Tale, to the Opéra de Montréal mainstage as Maman in L'enfant et les sortilèges, and to the role of Annio in La clemenza di Tito. She made her professional Montreal debut as Madame Flora in The Medium with the Orchestre classique de Montréal, where she was praised for "amplifying the emotional power of her beautifully timbred voice through the quality of her stage presence and the naturalness of her acting" (Ludwig Van Montréal). This upcoming season, she makes her mainstage and role debut with Pacific Opera Victoria as Second Lady in The Magic Flute.
As a co-founder of the Obsidiana Duo, Montefusco brings the same storytelling instinct to the recital stage, championing the music of historically overlooked Latin-American composers. Their work has been described as "a theatrical piece delivered with operatic intensity and depth" (Ludwig Van Toronto), and their most recent program went on two national tours with Prairie Debut and Debut Atlantic.
Montefusco has been a resident artist with leading programs including the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme, the Dolora Zajick Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, OperaFest Sewanee, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Pacific Opera Victoria, and Opera on the Avalon. Her past roles include Goffredo in Rinaldo, Nada in Sokolovic's Svadba, La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica, and Indiana Elliot in The Mother of Us All.
Originally a professional violinist, Camila began her career performing with symphony orchestras in Brazil. It was while playing in the opera pit that she fell in love with the voice and the art of storytelling. She earned a Bachelor of Violin Performance from the University of São Paulo, then moved to Canada to pursue voice, receiving a Master of Music with honours from Western University, followed by the Rebanks Family Fellowship at the Glenn Gould School.
Recent accolades include First Prize at the Macina Competition, Second Prize at the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio Competition, Third Prize at the Marmande International Singing Competition, First Prize at the Maritsa Brookes Concerto Competition, Second Prize at the Galina Pisarenko Youth Competition, the Revelation Prize from the Linus Lerner International Vocal Competition, and an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.
This season, Montefusco is honoured to be a recipient of the 2026 Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award and Walter Prystawski Prize, the Vancouver Opera Guild's Career Development Grant, and the Hnatyshyn Foundation's Carl and Trudy Michailoff Developing Artist Grant for Classical Vocal Performance.
When she is not singing her heart out, you'll find her cooking with her husband, dancing to Latin American music, and playing with puppies that do not belong to her, although she really wishes they did.
