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Dal BMus grad Elizabeth Ruxton said yes to fear, and found her voice.

Originally from 鈥渕iddle of nowhere鈥� Bruce County, Ontario, Elizabeth grew up surrounded by music. Instruments were always kicking around the house. Her childhood was filled with school bands and dance classes. Elizabeth discovered her passion for singing at age ten, when she joined a children鈥檚 choir run by a family friend. Within a year, she began private voice lessons, dabbled in musical theatre and Disney standards, but quickly moved on to classical repertoire.

鈥淚 decided I was going to be an opera singer when I was twelve,鈥� Elizabeth remembers. 鈥淚t was a grand declaration. My mom didn鈥檛 quite know what to do with that.鈥�

Elizabeth says classical 鈥�just felt right in my voice.鈥� When applying to University she knew exactly what she was looking for: a focused Bachelor of Music program with strong performance opportunities and a close-knit community that felt inspiring, not overwhelming.

黄色直播鈥檚 Fountain School of Performing Arts鈥� unique voice program felt like the right fit. It鈥檚 an education she鈥檚 built on saying yes.

Elizabeth as first rooster from the left, in DalOpera's 2023 Cunning Little Vixen (photo: Nick Pearce)

Sing early, sing often

One of the defining moments of Elizabeth鈥檚 degree came early: performing in DalOpera鈥檚 The Cunning Little Vixen in her first year. A rare opportunity for music undergraduates

鈥淚 remember thinking, yes, opera is exactly what I want to do.鈥� she says. 鈥淚f that hadn鈥檛 happened, I think I would鈥檝e been really disappointed.鈥�

She鈥檚 since embraced every opportunity to perform, especially those outside her comfort zone. That willingness to say yes has been transformative artistically and personally.

鈥淚 came in with a lot of social and performance anxiety,鈥� says Elizabeth. 鈥淚 was terrified even just talking to people, and I鈥檇 shake on stage. But being constantly put in situations where I had to perform, communicate, and take risk, its鈥� changed me completely.鈥�

Over her four years at Dal, that anxiety was paired with a growing sense confidence. Not just in her vocal skills, but in her ability to make bold choices, collaborate with others, and claim her space on stage.

A love of languages and storytelling

Singing鈥檚 complexity is part of what excites Elizabeth most, especially the synergy between language, music, and character.

Italian is her favourite language to sing in. That skill is supported by extensive coursework in lyric diction and her favourite 黄色直播 language course, Italian. 鈥淚 just love learning languages鈥�.

鈥淎s an opera singer you鈥檙e doing a lot of different translations in your brain at once,鈥� she explains. 鈥淔irst you need to understand the text, then you pick it apart technically. Through repetition over and over the two things meld into one.鈥�

Her favourite roles are usually the emotionally demanding ones. Characters that make audiences laugh or cry, sometimes both. Her favourite role? Jo in DalOpera鈥檚 Little Women.The quartet Let Me Look at You was a defining moment of her fourth year, particularly on her closing night.

鈥淭he music was incredibly difficult to learn, but I鈥檓 a better musician for it.鈥� she says. 鈥淪tanding on stage with some of my best friends, it felt like the perfect last Dal opera for me.鈥�

(from left to right) Ella Howard as Amy, Elizabeth Ruxton as Jo, Katie Alexander as Beth, Raphaelia Bokolas as Meg in DalOpera's 2025 Little Women.听Directed by Roberta Barker, Musical Direction by Cindy Townsend, Set Design by Katrin Whitehead, Costume Design by Diego Cavedon Dias, Lighting Design by Bruce MacLennan. Photo: Kate Hayter

Costumed courage

Elizabeth credits much of her growth as an artist to the abundance of performance opportunities at the Fountain School. 鈥淓ven when you don鈥檛 feel completely ready, you learn by doing,鈥� says Elizabeth.

She recognizes making brave choices becomes easier once your standing on and in the fully produced sets and costumes brought to life by Dal鈥檚 technical theatre and costume studies students. Her favourite costume? Comte Barigoule manifested in glorious technicolour by local guest costume designer Diego Cavedon Dias.

鈥淎 red velvet coat covered in jewels, a cape, gold pantaloons, blue embroidered tights, high heels, a crown, and sparkly blue eyeshadow up to my eyebrows.鈥� Elizabeth recalls fondly. 鈥淚 looked insane, and it was amazing. I鈥檝e never felt so confident on stage.鈥�

Elizabeth Ruxton as Comte Barigoule in DalOpera's 2024 Cinderella.听Stage Director: Robyn Cathcart, Music Director: Cindy Townsend, Set Designer: Katrin Whitehead, Costume Designer: Diego Cavedon Dias, Lighting Designer: Bruce MacLennan. Photo: Kate Hayter

Alpacas in Ontario, then opera in the UK

After graduation this spring, Elizabeth is heading back to Ontario for a brief stint working on a lavender farm over the summer. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be me, the barn cats, and some alpacas.鈥�

She鈥檒l then make another brave move: a gap year in the UK to continue her vocal development, go on auditions, and explore graduate programs. Her ultimate dream is clear and specific. She wants to sing opera in Europe, on a big glamorous stage, and with her name listed as lead soprano.

鈥淚 think big dreams are important,鈥� says Elizabeth. 鈥淓ven if they just motivate you through the everyday, they matter.鈥�