Artistic Director, Spencer

Duncanson

Since arriving in Canada in the late 1970s, Spencer Duncanson has provided invaluable local leadership through numerous community contributions. Having served previously as chair of the Winnipeg Arts Council, Duncanson currently volunteers on the board of directors of the Winnipeg Foundation. A member of ACTRA, Duncanson holds a Masters of Education in Curriculum/Arts Education and a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in School Counseling from the University of Manitoba. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Music Education from Brooklyn College in New York and is a studied vocal performance at the University of Nevada-Reno. He is the founder of The Little Opera Company, a not-for-profit organization, dedicated to the production of operatic entertainment of high quality and broad accessibility. The organization also serves as a venue for local artists to profile and promote their talents. As an arts educator and performer, as well as a talented operatic singer, Duncanson has experience in film and stage as a narrator and actor. He coordinated fine art, band, choral music, dance and drama programs for Sisler High School as its Visual and Performing Arts Department Head. He has also served as a sessional arts instructor at the University of Manitoba and taught voice at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts.

It was a cold and dreary winter night when...

In 1995 the Little Opera Company was born out of a perceived need and a collective dream.  In a city noted for its rich cultural life and the incredible talent it spawned, there remained little opportunity for local emerging operatic artists to develop their craft and a limited sector of the population basked in the awareness of the entertaining relevance of opera.  In an attempt to augment the existing company that was already lending its voice in a Grand way to this need, a chamber opera company was created, the Little Opera Company. On a cold blistery winter night in December 1995, 300 people came out to see the Little Opera Company’s inaugural performance of Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors.  Since then we have had the privilege of seeing some of the fabulous talent that graced the stage of the LOC share their talents with major opera houses and concert halls around the world.  For this we are grateful.

Chamber opera for the masses...

And ever since then, the Little Opera Company has mounted one or two fully staged operas every year. Whether you’ve seen one of our operas in the Salle Martial-Caron Theatre at Collége Universitaire du Saint Boniface, the Global Performaning Arts Centre (MTYP), Prairie Theatre Exchange or as part of the Kenora Summer Arts Festival, we’re sure you’ve enjoyed our high quality productions featuring Manitoba’s finest emerging artists, many of whom, who’ve gone on to grace international opera stages.