Published on May 26, 2026
The Royal Conservatory is pleased to announce the six exceptional artists accepted into the prestigious Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program for the 2026-27 academic year.
Diana Agasian, soprano (Vancouver, Canada)
Armenian Canadian soprano Diana Agasian is an emerging artist on the international operatic and art song scene. Most recently based in Vienna, she studies voice under the tutelage of Kammersängerin Olivera Miljaković, coaches with renowned collaborative pianist and Lieder specialist Helmut Deutsch, and works with German diction coach Gabriele Jacoby.
A graduate of The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, she has performed on stages across Canada, including Koerner Hall and the Orpheum Theatre, and has appeared as a featured soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for their 'Traditional Christmas' concert series. Her operatic credits include the Woman/Siren in Handel’s Rinaldo and the Third Spirit in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, both productions with The Glenn Gould School.
In June 2024, she made her Vienna concert debut at the historic Ehrbar Saal and, in March 2025, presented a solo recital at the C. Bechstein Centrum. She is also an alumna of the Franz-Schubert-Institut in Baden, where she cultivated a deep connection to the German Lied tradition. Originally from Vancouver, she studied at the VSO School of Music with Diane King.
A semi-finalist in the 2023 Spazio Musica Competition for the role of Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, she also spent a year in Pisa, Italy, where she studied with baritone Giancarlo Ceccarini. In summer 2026, she looks forward to joining the Tanglewood Music Center as a Vocal Fellow and is equally excited to return to The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto in September as a member of The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program for the 2026–27 season.
Katherine Kirkpatrick, soprano (Saskatoon, Canada)
Katherine (Katie) Kirkpatrick is a Canadian soprano from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, currently based in Toronto. She is praised for her compelling interpretations of dramatic roles and brings a particular passion for contemporary repertoire. Recent role credits include Female Chorus in Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Daria Garbinati in Donizetti’s Viva la Mamma, Miranda in Kaija Saariaho’s The Tempest Songbook, and Janine/Ofwarren in Poul Ruders’ The Handmaid’s Tale, performed as part of the 2025 Interplay program at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Katie holds a deep commitment to art song and is a two-time Norcop Prize in Song finalist at the University of Toronto, earning Second Prize in 2025. This year, she travels to Tours, France, to continue her studies of French mélodie at the Académie Francis Poulenc. She earned both her Master of Music in Opera and Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the University of Toronto. Her current and former mentors include Monica Whicher, Nathalie Paulin, Suzy Smith, Rachel Andrist, and Steven Philcox.
Katie looks forward to continuing her studies as a Rebanks Fellow with The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program at The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School for the 2026–27 season.
Kcenia Koutorjevski, mezzo-soprano (Chilliwack, Canada)
Kcenia Koutorjevski is “a force to be reckoned with” (National Capital Opera Society). The young Russian Canadian mezzo-soprano, praised for her “rich vocal tones” (The Beach Metro), is rapidly establishing herself within Canada’s opera scene. She has performed an impressive range of roles across the country including Carmen in Carmen, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Julius Caesar in Giulio Cesare, Ruggiero in Alcina, and Madame de la Haltière in Cendrillon.
She is the recipient of numerous distinctions, including the London Opera Guild Scholarship, the Adrianne Pieczonka Award for Vocal Excellence, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, and recognition as a finalist in the 2025 National Capital Opera Competition.
Kcenia holds an ARCT in Piano Performance and completed her Master’s in Operatic Performance at the University of Toronto in 2025 under the mentorship of Elizabeth McDonald. During the 2026–27 season, she is honoured to join the The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program at The Glenn Gould School of the The Royal Conservatory of Music. Passionate about community engagement and education, she is dedicated to making opera and classical music accessible, connective, and relevant to today’s audiences.
Joanne Lee, flute (Seonygnam City, South Korea)
A dedicated and passionate flutist currently based in New York City, Joanne Lee is committed to continually expanding her creative boundaries in music.
At the age of 12, Joanne made her debut as a soloist with the Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra after winning the annual Chetham’s Concerto Competition with Vivaldi’s Concerto for Flute in D major. She was also awarded the Leverhulme Scholarship from the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain. Joanne was one of five finalists in the woodwind category of the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2016, which was broadcast nationwide. She has appeared as a soloist in the Leeds International Recital Series (2016 and 2017) and was invited to perform as one of four featured soloists at Wigmore Hall in London.
An avid orchestral and chamber musician, Joanne performs regularly with the Juilliard Orchestra and other ensembles, and has also appeared as a substitute with the New York Philharmonic on flute, piccolo, and alto flute. She has performed under the batons of Leonard Slatkin, Jörg Widmann, Ken-David Masur, and Santtu-Matias Rouvali. Her summer festival engagements include Curtis Summerfest, studying with Jeffrey Khaner; Jim Walker’s Beyond the Masterclass at the Colburn Conservatory; and the Saarburg Chamber Music Festival in Germany. At the Shenghi Flute Festival in China (2018), she won first prize in the quartet, duo, and solo competitions, in addition to receiving an honorary special prize. Most recently, she was a fellow at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival (Yale Summer School) and at the Spoleto Festival USA.
Accepted at the age of 12, Joanne studied at Chetham’s School of Music in the UK with Katherine Bryan. She went on to complete her undergraduate degree at the Manhattan School of Music, studying with Robert Langevin, Principal Flute of the New York Philharmonic, and received her Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, also under his guidance.
Joanne will join The Glenn Gould School as a member of The Rebanks Family Fellowship Program for the 2026-27 season.
Jason Moon, violin (Cupertino, USA)
Praised for his musical sincerity and fiery stage presence, violinist Jason Moon is an emerging artist who finds inspiration in everything from Fritz Kreisler to Queen. Recipient of the 2024 Frances Rosen Violin Prize from the Colburn School and founding violinist and violist of Trio Caspar, Jason leads a multi-faceted career as soloist and chamber musician, driven by a deep musical curiosity and love of collaboration.
As a soloist, Jason has won numerous competitions, including the Hellam Young Artists’ Competition, Hennings-Fischer Young Artist Competition, and Colburn Conservatory Concerto Competition, and is a prize winner of the Seoul International Music Competition. He has appeared with the San Francisco Symphony, Springfield Symphony, and Burbank Philharmonic, among others.
A passionate chamber musician, Jason is a founding member of Trio Caspar, Gold Medal winner of the 2026 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. He has collaborated with artists including Gidon Kremer, Gary Hoffman, and Rachel Podger, and has appeared at festivals including Kronberg Academy’s Chamber Music Connects the World, Music@Menlo, and Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival. He has also performed as baroque violinist with Juilliard415 and the Colburn Baroque Ensemble.
A native of the Bay Area, he studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College with Wei He before earning his Bachelor of Music from the Juilliard School under Li Lin. He recently completed Master of Music and Artist Diploma degrees at the Colburn School under the tutelage of Martin Beaver, and will join The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School as a Rebanks Fellow for the 2026–27 season.
Dabin Yang, violin (Toronto, Canada)
Violinist Dabin Zoey Yang was born in Seoul, South Korea, and began her musical journey at six. In 2016, she moved to Canada and joined The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists, studying with Jonathan Crow and Barry Shiffman. She later earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from McGill University under Andrew Wan, Concertmaster of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), where she was a Schulich Scholar and recipient of the Lloyd Carr-Harris Scholarship.
Featured in the 2024 edition of CBC’s 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30, Dabin has received numerous honors, including the Best Interpretation of Tchaikovsky and Isang Yun Awards at the 8th Tchaikovsky International Competition for Young Musicians, the 17th Prix Peter-Mendell Award, and the 2024 Prix d’Europe, totaling $56,500 in scholarships and recital engagements with the Orchestre symphonique des jeunes de Montréal (OSJM).
An avid chamber musician, most recently she was named a winner of the Yale School of Music Chamber Music Competition, which led to a performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She has received coaching from artists such as Ida Kavafian, Mihaela Martin, Miró Quartet, and Trio Wanderer.
Currently pursuing the Master of Musical Arts at the Yale School of Music under Augustin Hadelich, Dabin recently won the Yale Chamber Music Competition, performing at Carnegie Hall. She looks forward to returning to Toronto next season as a 2026-27 Rebanks Fellow at The Glenn Gould School.