Responsibilities:
• Director-At-Large (Independent Teacher Liaison, Suburban)
• Vocal Showcase Committee Chair
Soprano Irene Ilic earned a Master of Music degree in Voice Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music in Ohio. Originally from upstate New York, Irene currently has a thriving private teaching practice in Newmarket. She is a member of NATS, ORMTA, CMFAA and a board member of the OMFA. Irene has adjudicated many festivals throughout Canada. She is also the founder and director of the Newmarket Voice Festival, an annual event since 1996. She was a member of the repertoire selection committee for both the 2012 edition and 2019 edition of the Royal Conservatory of Music Songbook Series. Her love of both classical and musical theatre repertoire has strongly been reflected in her teaching. Several of her students have appeared in the Toronto casts of The Sound of Music, Billy Eliot (and US tour), Mary Poppins, The Lord of the Rings, The Lion King, Mamma Mia, We Will Rock You and in many productions of Opera Atelier. Her student, John-Michael Scapin, won CBC’s show Triple Sensation and was awarded a $150,000 scholarship. Many of her students have won Silver and Gold Medals for the highest voice RCM exam mark in Ontario over the years. Irene is very proud that so many of her students have chosen to pursue music at the university level and as a career path.
