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Introducing the 2019-20 Rebanks Fellows, on the cusp of professional careers

Introducing the 2019-20 Rebanks Fellows, on the cusp of professional careers

Published on October 6, 2019

Introducing the 2019-20 Rebanks Fellows, on the cusp of professional careers

The Royal Conservatory is pleased to announce the five young artists who have been accepted into its prestigious Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Unique in Canada, The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program is the one-year postgraduate program of The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School. Created for artists on the cusp of a professional career, it offers a rich curriculum for career development including: private study with exceptional faculty and guest artists; concert presentations and career coaching; and marketing training and support. Each Rebanks Fellow also participates in a funded international residency. The continued success of The Rebanks Family Fellowship Program has been made possible thanks to the unwavering support of the Rebanks Family and The W. Garfield Weston Foundation.

2019-20 Rebanks Fellows

Sydney Baedke, soprano (Medicine Hat, AB) – A two-time prize winner at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Sydney received her graduate operatic degree from Rice University. She was most recently seen as Fortuna/Valletto in The Coronation of Poppea with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where she also covered Gilda in Rigoletto as a Gerdine Young Artist. She has performed leading roles across Canada and the United States, including Calisto (La Calisto), Olympia (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Cunégonde (Candide), Muffin (A Wedding), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), and Johanna (Sweeney Todd). Sydney holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto and has held fellowships with prestigious institutions including the Aspen Music Festival, the Toronto Summer Music Festival, and Songfest at Colburn.

Jillian Bonner, mezzo soprano (Saint John, NB) – Jillian is a recent graduate of the Calgary Opera Emerging Artists Program. In 2019, Jillian also debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis (Mozart Requiem), as part of Barbara Hannigan’s Equilibrium Young Artist Initiative. During the 2018-19 season, she was a District Winner in Boston for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Jillian has sung with Symphony New Brunswick, the Calgary Bach Society and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Her recent roles include Charlotte in Werther (LAMP) and Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte (Calgary Opera).

Ryan Davis, viola (Saskatoon, SK) – Hailed as a “lovely violist” (The WholeNote), Ryan is swiftly emerging as a sought-after artist in solo, chamber, and orchestral performances. His musical studies include a Bachelor of Music from McGill University, where he graduated with “Outstanding Achievement in Viola” as a scholarship student of Andre Roy, a Master of Music from Yale University as a student of Ettore Causa, and an Artist Diploma from the Colburn School under the tutelage of Paul Coletti. Under the guidance of Steven Dann and Barry Shiffman, Ryan is the first violist to be selected as a Rebanks Fellow.

Rosie Gallagher, flute (Sydney, Australia) – Rosie earned her Bachelor of Music from the Juilliard School and her Master of Music from the Royal Academy of Music. She has performed with orchestras at Carnegie Hall, Royal Festival Hall, and Lincoln Center. Rosie made her solo debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall as a first-prize winner of the Alexander & Buono International Flute Competition. Most recently, she has been engaged as a core member of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect. She also participated in the Yellow Barn artist residency in 2017 and 2018.

Byungchan Lee, violin (Vancouver, BC) – Byungchan received his master’s degree from the Juilliard School, where he was awarded a Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant. He has also received the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award and McGill University’s Golden Violin Award. Byungchan has garnered recognition as a Yuri Yankelevitch International Violin Competition prizewinner, and as one of CBC’s “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30.” He plays on a 1869 J.B. Vuillaume violin and bow, on loan from the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank.


The Royal Conservatory is grateful to the Rebanks Family and The W. Garfield Weston Foundation who have made The Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program possible through their generous support.
The Glenn Gould School is also supported by funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canada Arts Training Fund, and from the Ontario Arts Council.