Anna Boyes

Anna Boyes is a doctoral candidate in Vocal Pedagogy at the University of Toronto, where she studies under the supervision of Lorna MacDonald. Her dissertation is a pedagogical guide for selected solo vocal works by Reena Esmail, Kamala Sankaram, and Naresh Sohal. Anna will present her research as a national finalist in the 2025 Canadian Federation of Music Teachers' Association student competition in Montreal this summer. She is a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the London Music Scholarship Foundation, a National Finalist in the Canadian Music Competition, and the 2024-25 Brenda Berge Vocal Excellence Award from the University of Toronto. Additionally, she has received the Mariana Paunova and Stefano Algieri Scholarship in Voice twice, and the Gaelyne Gabora Memorial Prize from McGill University. With a strong passion for teaching, Anna works with students of all ages. At the University of Toronto, she has served as the voice instructor for the music minor engineering program for two years and as the vocal coach for the Soprano-Alto Chorus under the direction of Dr. Elaine Choi for three years. She has also mentored Undergraduate Vocal Pedagogy students for four years. She also enjoys adjudicating music festivals. Since 2015, Anna has maintained an active private voice studio, diligently working to enhance the musical and vocal skills of her students. Her lessons, which focus on student agency through goal setting, aim to build musicianship, efficient breathing and alignment, clarity in tone, diction, and intonation when singing in various languages, and increase vocal range through balanced resonance and registration. Performance preparation encompasses enhancing confidence, expressive artistry, and interpretive skills. Her students successfully prepare for Royal Conservatory of Music examinations, music festivals, competitions, and participate in two studio recitals each year, performing solos, duets, and ensemble pieces. Some of her students have gone on to pursue music education in post-secondary institutions, won music competitions, and secured lead roles in musical theatre at their schools and within the community. In addition to teaching, Anna is an accomplished performer. She has taken on opera and oratorio roles with organizations such as the Toronto Operetta Theatre, Cantate Iterum, Oxford Collegium Singers, Arcady, UWOpera, Summer Opera Lyric Theatre, Durham Philharmonic Choir, University of Toronto Choirs and Orchestra, and Accademia Europea dell’Opera in Italy. Some of the notable opera roles she has performed include the title role of Handel's Alcina, Cleopatra (Handel's Giulio Cesare), Mabel (Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance), Mascha (Straus' The Chocolate Soldier), Erste Dame (Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte), and Nita (Canadian premiere of Guerrero's Los Gavilanes). Among her favourite oratorio works that she has performed are Haydn’s Creation, Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Mass in C, and Lieschen from Bach’s Coffee Cantata. Anna has participated in several training programs, including Stratford Summer Music’s Vocal Academy, Against the Grain’s Summer Modern Opera Intensive, and Brott Opera. She holds a Master of Music in Voice Performance and Literature from Western University, as well as a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from McGill University.