Shannon Mercer Wins Women's Musical Club of Toronto Career Development Award for 2006.

Originally from Ottawa, Shannon Mercer now resides in Toronto, though her performing career has taken her all over North America and Europe, including London, San Francisco, Amsterdam, New York, and France. Nearer to home, she has sung baroque music with Les Violons du Roy, Opera Atelier, and Studio de Musique ancienne de Montréal, as well as Rosina in Opera Ontario’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia and various roles with the Canadian Opera Company – in fact, she is currently performing with the COC as Despina in Cosi Fan Tutti. In December 2006 she will be singing in the Messiah in Montreal and Calgary, and early next year she will perform in France the title role in Semele by Marin Marais.

Shannon Mercer has a music degree from McGill University, and a diploma from the University of Toronto’s opera school. She also spent much of 2005 in Vienna where she furthered her vocal studies with Margaret Singer and coaches David Aronson and Janko Kastelic, both of the Vienna State Opera. Ms Mercer has received much support from the Canada Council for the Arts, including the prestigious Bernard Diamant and Virginia Parker awards.