Canadian mezzo-soprano Lillian Brooks has been praised for her “lyric sound” (Ludwig van Toronto), “easy handling of coloratura” (Schmopera), and noted for her “wonderful sensitivity to story and the development of song” (FYI Music). The 2024/2025 season sees Lillian debut with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra for Mozart’s Kronungsmesse, and make returns to both Chorus Niagara and the Grand Philharmonic Choir for Bach’s B Minor Mass and Handel’s Messiah, respectively.

This past season, she made her debut with the Grand Philharmonic Choir for Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and joined both the Peterborough Singers and Chorus Niagara for their presentations of Handel’s Messiah. Other recent engagements include Handel’s Messiah with Brott Opera, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with Chorus Niagara, and Mahler’s Ruckert Lieder with innerCHAMBER.

In 2015, Lillian made her professional debut with Chorus Niagara singing Mozart’s Requiem under the baton of Robert Cooper. Her love for oratorio and concert work continues to grow as she finds herself in high demand for her interpretations of oratorio repertoire, including Handel’s Messiah and Dixit Dominus, Bach’s St John Passion and St Matthew Passion, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Durufle’s Requiem, and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. She was elated to perform the Canadian premieres of both Last Light Above the World by Alan Bevan and The Cross of Christ by Romulo Delgado.

Equally at home on the operatic stage, her roles include Fenena in Nabucco and Lucia in Cavalleria Rusticana with Toronto City Opera, and a return to Toronto’s Koerner Hall for the Royal Conservatory’s production of Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. Futher opera credits include Bradamante in Alcina (Handel), Annio in La clemenza di Tito (Mozart), Mrs. Nolan in The Medium (Menotti), Filipyevna in Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky), Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte (Mozart), Flora in La Traviata (Verdi), Cornelia in Giulio Cesare (Handel), and Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart). 

Lillian enjoyed two years with Calgary Opera as a member of their McPhee Artist Development Program during their 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons. During her time in Calgary, Lillian had the pleasure of performing as The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Hansel in Hansel & Gretel. Lillian also had the opportunity to participate in new-music workshops as part of Calgary Opera’s “Opera Labs” series, working with Canadian conductors and composers such as John Estacio, Dean Burry, Kelly Marie Murphy, Jean-Claude Picard, and Johannes Debus. 

Lillian’s musical journey has led to numerous accolades for her dedication to the craft. In 2015, she was awarded the prestigious Hnatyshyn Foundation Developing Artists Grant, while graduating cum laude from York University, where she studied with Canadian mezzo-soprano Catherine Robbin, and earned first prize in their annual Concerto Competition. Lillian received her Artist Diploma in Vocal Performance from the Glenn Gould School in 2017 and went on to participate in the 2018 Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme in Aldeburgh, UK, where she studied with internationally acclaimed faculty including Matthew Rose and Anne-Sofie von Otter. 

(September 2024)
Image provided by Marika Brooks Photography.