About Us

Kathryn Rose Johnston, Soprano

Praised for her “warm ringing tone” (Ludwig van Toronto), Kathryn Rose Johnston is an up-and-coming soprano on the Canadian opera scene. She joined the Fonitika Vocal Ensemble in Summer of 2023. Originally from Kingston, Ontario, Kathryn has studied across the country from a Bachelor of Music at the University of Toronto to a Master of Music at the University of British Columbia as well as being a young artist in Confluence Concerts’ Side-by-Side program.

Kathryn has worked on many new music projects including workshopping and premiering operas by Canadian composers Dean Burry and Norbert Palej and premiered Princess Shirin in The Echoes of Bi-Sotoon with Cultureland Opera Collective. Kathryn’s recent operatic roles include Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, First Wood Sprite in Rusalka and Musetta in La bohème. Kathryn is happy to also be a member of the Toronto Heliconian Club and a voice teacher at Bravo Academy for the Performing Arts.

 

Lydia Palmer, Mezzo-soprano

Lydia is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Bachelor of Music in Performance program and the University of Windsor’s Dramatic Arts program. Lydia has performed with a wide variety of choirs in Toronto, including: Incontra Vocal Ensemble, Hedgerow Singers, Exultate Chamber Choir, St. Andrew’s United Church Choir and the University of Toronto’s Schola Cantorum and MacMillan Singers. In August 2016 she joined the Yorkminster Park Baptist Church choir at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England. Lydia is thrilled to be performing as part of Fonitika.

 

David Walsh, Tenor

Born and raised in Toronto, David finished his Diploma of Opera Performance at the University of Toronto with Honours in 2022.

David has been very successful as a soloist around Southern Ontario, but he also has quite a history in choirs and choral settings. Currently, he is singing with the chorus of the Canadian Opera Company, and also is the tenor staff lead in the senior choir at Islington United Church. He has sung with many ensembles around the city including Voca Chorus of Toronto, Orpheus Choir of Toronto, Viva Youth Singers of Toronto and recently the Apocryphonia Concert Series. The community of choral music making has always been an enticing draw for David as a young singer into his adult life, and he is overjoyed to join Fonitika Vocal Ensemble and continue to build community and make beautiful music.

As well as an avid singer, David is an avid biker. This form of transportation is the way he practices a lot of his repertoire. So, if you ever see a blur of red hair and hear some Donizetti or Bernstein on the downtown streets of Toronto, you have most likely encountered David Walsh.

 

Joshua McFaul, Baritone

Joshua studied vocal performance at Trinity Western University, and enjoys a plethora of musical styles. On the West coast he has appeared with Vancouver Chamber Choir and musica intima, and has toured with Vancouver Opera In Schools. Here in the GTA he has sung with Cantabile Chamber Singers, Oakville Choral, Sacred Music Singers Toronto, St. James Cathedral Choir, and also performs innovative liturgical and Hebrew music with The Ruach Singers. When he's not singing (or humming on the subway), you'll find him solving computer conundrums, spending time with #mendelthecat, or kicking back with friends and a good tabletop RPG. Much love to Shalyn for all her wonderful support.