Sandra Bender, Soprano Sandra Bender recently completed her Masters of Music (Solo Vocal Performance) at the McGill University Schulich School of Music. Sandra recently sang the role of Blanche in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites with Opera McGill in 2009, covered the role of Lady Billows in Britten’s Albert Herring and sang excerpts from the role of Elettra in Mozart’s Idomeneo with Opera McGill in the 2007-2008 season. Other recent performances include excerpts of such roles as Cio-Cio San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Larina in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. In autumn of 2003, Sandra sang the role of Second Lady in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Sandra was the District winner (North Dakota) of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, advancing to the Regional Finals in 2004, as well as having been a national finalist at the Canadian Music Competition. Born in Winnipeg, Sandra competed in the Winnipeg Music Competition Festival for many years and participated in the 2003, 2004, and 2005 Rose Bowls as the winner of several classes, most notably as the three-time winner of the Grade A German Lieder class. Ms. Bender also specializes in twentieth/twenty-first century art song, the latter having also won her a recommendation to the Associated Manitoba Arts Festival where she won the Manitoba Composers category. Ms. Bender has studied most recently with Michael Meraw, Joanne Kolomyjec, Wendy Nielsen, Lois Watson-Lyons, and has most recently coached with Michael McMahon (regular repertoire coaching), Patrick Hansen (operatic repertoire), Olivier Godin (Dialogues des Carmélites), and Laura Loewen. She has also worked with Deborah Voigt (projected), Ruth Golden, Wendy Nielsen, John Macmaster, Tracy Dahl, Cynthia Lawrence, John Hess, Michael McMahon, Tammy Hensrud, Jeffrey Springer, Mel Braun, Charlene Pauls, Robert MacLaren, Karen Jensen, Rosemarie van der Hooft, and Margot Sim in masterclasses and/or private lessons. Sandra has participated in summer programs including the Contemporary Opera Lab (Winnipeg (Mel Braun), 2002 & 2003), St. Andrews Opera Workshop (St. Andrews-by-the-Sea (Wendy Nielsen), 2004-2006), and Prelude to Performance (New York City (Martina Arroyo), 2007).  Made with Xara