Chemainus Classical Concerts

Eve Daniell:
Canadian/British soprano Eve Daniell roles include Fiordiligi (Opera Holland Park cover, Pop Up Opera, Cooper Hall Emerging Artists Programme), Elettra (Amersham Festival), Donna Elvira (OHP cover), Konstanze (Pop Up Opera), Tatyana (Dartington International Summer School), Nerone in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea (Royal Academy Opera), Mother and Witch in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel (Pacific Opera Victoria Young Artist Program), Krasava in the British premiere of Smetana’s Libuse, and this winter she returns to the UK to sing Donna Anna in a touring production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Eve has appeared on CBC’s North by Northwest, BBC 4’s The Archers, BBC 3’s In Tune, on the Prairie Home Companion (APHC Baltic Cruise 2014) with Garrison Keillor and she was a soloist in the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms (2016) singing Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music. She’s sung with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Academy of Music’s Song Circle and Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata Series, at venues including Wilton’s Music Hall, Colston Hall, Trafalgar Square, the National Portrait Gallery (UK), St John’s Smith Square, and she sang Canadian composer Tobin Stokes’ Canoeat Canada House in a private performance for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, and Governor General David Johnston.

Eve studied at the Royal Academy of Music (UK) on a Sainsbury Award and the Catherine Osborne Scholarship, going on to win the Academy’s prestigious Pavarotti Prize. She is grateful for the support of the International Opera Foundation and the British Columbia Arts Council enabling her to study Mozart roles under the guidance of Dame Felicity Lott and Dr Jane Glover, and later in Strauss’s songs and roles with Dame Felicity and Anthony Legge. She is also grateful for support from the Josephine Baker Trust, the Canadian Centennial Scholarship Fund, and the Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation.

Rykie Avenant:

Rykie Avenant is a graduate of the University of Stellenbosch, South
Africa. After obtaining a Licentiate in Piano Performance and a
Bachelor of Music Education, she worked as repetiteur for the Cape
Town and Pretoria opera companies before relocating to Canada in 1991.

Rykie came to Vancouver Island 17 years ago via Powell River,
where she appeared regularly in concert for the Academy of Music,
as well as at the International Kathaumixw Choral Festival.
In the Cowichan Valley she is in demand as teacher, coach and
performer, and currently focuses primarily on collaborative work with
various voice studios and instrumental ensembles. Together with
Catharina de Beer she forms Double Digits Duo, performing piano music for four hands.

In September 2019, Rykie joined Chemainus Classical Concerts as artistic co-director.