Neil Craighead’s burgeoning career has taken him from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland, featured in operas by Somers, Verdi and Puccini. Recent and upcoming engagements include Handel’s Messiah with Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre Classique de Montréal, the Mozart Requiem with the Vancouver Bach Choir, and Così fan tutte with Edmonton Opera. Highlights of past seasons include Colline in La bohème for Calgary Opera, Vancouver Opera and the Canadian Opera Company, Handel’s Messiah with the Vancouver Bach Choir, Der Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte for Opéra de Québec, Don Fernando in Fidelio for Pacific Opera Victoria, Scarpia in Tosca with Opera on the Avalon, Zuniga in Carmen for Opéra de Québec and Count Ceprano in Rigoletto with the Canadian Opera Company. Equally at home in new works, Mr. Craighead was featured in COC’s production of Louis Riel – celebrating Canada’s Sesquicentennial - and Tapestry New Opera’s premiere of Oksana G. For Against the Grain Theatre he was Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, retitled #UncleJohn. An Alumnus of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, further credits include Pietro in Simon Boccanegra at Pacific Opera Victoria, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte for Edmonton Opera, and the roles of Somnus and Cadmus in the COC’s Semele, which took him to the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Mr. Craighead was born in Cape Town, South Africa and grew up in Calgary, where he was member of the Calgary Boys Choir. He studied voice at the Academy program of Mount Royal College and later received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Opera from the University of British Columbia. During his formative years, he attended young artist programs in Italy and Alberta and participated in tours and performances in Austria, the Czech Republic and China.