The return of Autumn Debassige after last years heart warming, barn warming and soulful performance of the Messiah

Matt Chittick has been grazing our Barn last year as well. He is our local hero in helping to support the arts wherever he can.

James Westman: Baritone

Elizabeth holds a BMus in Voice Performance and Music History from Laurier, along with an MMus and DMA in Voice Performance from the University of Western Ontario. During her DMA, she pursued ground-breaking interdisciplinary research into muscle tension voice disorders. With a passion for music, Elizabeth excels in opera, oratorio, and recital performances, particularly in interdisciplinary and innovative productions. Her first love as a solo singer was and is art song, and she has real enthusiasm for poetry and foreign language study. She also teaches integrated musician pedagogy and wellness and foundational vocal techniques at Wilfrid Laurier University, where she inspires future musicians.

Born in Sudbury, raised in Orillia, Autumn Debassige is a mezzo-soprano of First Nations heritage based in southern Ontario.

A versatile freelance soloist, Autumn has been featured by 4th Wall Music, Guelph Chamber Choir, The Cellar Singers, Spiritus Ensemble and by the Elora Festival in the inaugural roster of their Summer Vocal Program in Ensemble and Solo Singing.  She has appeared on stage at Niagara’s former Oh Canada Eh Dinner Theatre in their Broadway Showstoppers production and performed in Windsor Symphony Orchestra’s Wild,Wild West and Fiddlin’ Around concerts. In March 2023, Autumn made her operatic debut as Conversa II in Puccini’s Suor Angelica with Grand River Opera, though most recently she has been alto soloist for the premiere of Justin Lapierre’s Stabat Mater, under the direction of Ben Wallace, and for Symphony in the Barn’s signature Messiah Amongst the Cows.

Autumn is an active recitalist with a ‘rich and expressive’ voice, whose performances have been described as ‘lovely and stylish…wonderful, varied and consistently engaging.’   In the past year she has sung in concert series at Symphony in the Barn (Hanover), St. Andrew’s (Kitchener), First United Church (Waterloo), St. Paul’s Cathedral (London), St. James’ (Orillia), Yorkminster Park (Toronto), St. John’s (Kitchener), and St. James Cathedral (Toronto).

Whether performing song, concert or opera throughout the world, baritone James Westman’s passion and musicianship bring an extra dimension to his performances.

James Westman further thrives at art song repertoire in many different styles and genres. He has preformed recitals for The Marilyn Horne Foundation, The George London Foundation, The Aldeburgh Connection, the Canadian Arts and Letters Club, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Stratford Summer Music Festival, the Schawbacher Debut Recital Series, the Michigan Chamber Music Society, the Lanaudière Festival, Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyrique and the Wexford Festival, Ireland.

His success on the concert stage continues to flourish and he has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras. He has sung Handel’s Messiah with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa), Vancouver Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and the Kitchener-Waterloo Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra. He was featured in Carmina Burana with the Cleveland Orchestra, in Berlioz’ seldom performed Romeo et Juliette with the Edmonton Symphony and the Toronto Symphony, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Vancouver Symphony. He has performed solo gala concerts with the Boston, San Francisco, Baltimore and Indianapolis symphonies, as well as with Thirteen Strings and the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa.

When James is not performing he spends time in his hometown of Stratford Ontario with his wife Dini and cherished sons Liam and Hardy. He also enjoys mycology, horticulture and breeding Italian Greyhounds.