Co-directeur artistique
Alexander Dobson
British-Canadian baritone Alexander Dobson has been praised for his musical and dramatic artistry on both opera and concert stages. He was lauded for his “gripping embodiment of
Wozzeck” (Journal Voir) in a production of the Berg opera with Théâtre du Nouveau Monde and Orchestre Métropolitain, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Other roles of note include the title role in Don Giovanni, the Count/Le Nozze di Figaro and Thomas Betterton/Prince of Players, all with Florentine Opera, and Guglielmo/Così Fan Tutte, Belcoré /L’elisir d'amore and Ned Keene/Peter Grimes, all with L’Opera de Montréal. Acclaimed for his accomplished blend of stagecraft and vocal ability, Mr. Dobson is particularly in demand for contemporary stagings. His recent performance as “The Master” in Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie’s production of Against Nature was praised for its “clarity and sustained feeling” (The Globe and Mail ) More recently Alex sang in the world premiere of The Night Falls by Ellis Ludwig Leone with Ballet Collective and made the Canadian premiere in Angels Bone with Loose Tea Theatre in Vancouver and Toronto singing the role of Mr. XE. Dobson was also acclaimed as “The Pilot” in Soundstreams’ production of Airline Icarus, a new opera by Brian Current. The recording of Airline Icarus was the winner of the JUNO for Classical Composition of the Year in 2015. The recording of Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players, with Florentine Opera and the Milwaukee Symphony, was released in April 2020 on the Reference Recordings label and received two GRAMMY(r) nominations. Alexander made his London debut at the Linbury Theatre with Royal Opera House Covent Garden in the premiere of The Midnight Court by Ana Sokolovic. He also was acclaimed for his appearances in a staged performance of Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony directed by Atom Egoyan at Spoleto Festival USA, and as King Karl in Schubert’s Fierrabras with Toronto’s VOICEBOX:Opera in Concert.vAlexander graduated from the University of Toronto Opera Division and the Faculty of Music at the University of Western Ontario with Honours. He is also an alumnus of the Music Theatre Program at the Banff Centre, Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, the Steans Institute for Young Artists at Ravinia, and L’Atelier Lyrique de L’Opera de Montreal. Alexander is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes including those from the International Voice Competition of Paris (including the Edward Marshall Association Award for Outstanding
Baritone), the Jeunesses Musicales National Competition, the Marilyn Horne Competition (Music Academy of the West), and the Jacqueline Desmarais Competition. An ardent singer since childhood, Alexander's solo début was at twelve years old, as a treble soloist in the Canadian premiere of Lloyd Webber's Requiem under conductor Elmer Iseler. Alex is currently Professor of Applied Voice at Mount Allison University.
Co-directrice artistique
Christina Raphaëlle Haldane
Christina Raphaëlle Haldane (she/ her), soprano joined the Sackville community in 2022, when she was appointed to the voice faculty at Mount Allison University’s Department of Music. Her ethos of collaboration and connectivity leads her to foster meaningful relationships with students, faculty, community partners, and music industry professionals, to enable an affirming voice community at Mount Allison to thrive. She has an international profile as a leader, clinician, performer, and adjudicator and is grateful for her path as a lifelong learner, scholar, and teaching artist. Christina has enjoyed an international performance career as an opera singer, orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. She has interpreted many lead opera roles, having performed for opera houses such as The Finnish National Opera, The Royal Opera Covent Garden, Scottish Opera and Musica Viva Hong Kong. Her specialisms include Handel’s heroines, comedic bel canto, and French mélodie, and her exploration of contemporary music has led to many collaborations with living composers. She is a critically acclaimed recording artist whose work fuses Western art music with other styles, such as folk, jazz, and the avant-garde. Christina’s roots are Acadian and British, and she calls Moncton home, where she lives with her partner Patrice and their two diva-dog Pomeranians, Wally and Sissi. She is excited to join the artistic team and musical community of the Sackville Festival of Early Music!
Co-directrice artistique
Jimin Shin Dobson
Violinist and Violist Jimin Shin Dobson started her musical studies in Europe at the age of six at le Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg. From age ten, she grew up at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto under the tutelage of Canadian Violinist Erika Raum (also Marie Berard and Mayumi Seiler) and Violist Steven Dann.
Since discovering the Baroque Violin as a freshman at the Cleveland Institute of Music with baroque violinist and dancer Dr Julie Andrijeski and the esteemed Early Music faculty at the Case Western Reserve University, Jimin has pursued her passion for performing on gut strings through various summer festivals like the International Baroque Institute at Longy, the American Bach Soloists Academy, Berwick Academy of the Oregon Bach Festival, and Early Music Vancouver, as well as appearing on many professional stages throughout her training, including with Cleveland’s Apollo’s Fire and with the San Francisco Bach Choir Orchestra as guest Concertmaster. Newly based in Sackville, New Brunswick, Jimin remains an active performer across the country, especially in the Early Music scenes of Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto where she appears regularly with numerous ensembles including the Juno Award winning l’Harmonie des Saisons, Arion Orchestre Baroque, Orchestre Galileo, Studio de musique ancienne de Montreal, Clavecin en Concert, les Boreades de Montreal, Ensemble Telemann, Ottawa Baroque Consort, Ottawa Bach Choir, Trinity Bach Project, and Theatre of Early Music. Also an avid chamber musician, recent performances as the violist of the period string quartet, Ximenez Quartet has brought her to Crowsnest Pass, Alberta as guest artist of The Pass Early Music Fest,
as well as Tucson, Arizona for the Arizona Early Music. In the Canadian Maritimes, Jimin has completed two seasons of Nova Scotia tours of Handel’s “Messiah” as Concertmaster of Musique Royale’s Ensemble Ménestrel, leading and coaching the chamber-sized orchestra comprising professional musicians new to performing on gut strings. Passionate about continuing to build the historically informed performance scene in the Maritimes, Jimin’s exciting new roles in Sackville include co-artistic directorship of the Sackville Festival of Early Music, as well as professor of the new Baroque Performance Practice course at Mount Allison University.
Shawn Bostick: Directeur général
Shawn Bostick is a musician, educator, arts manager, and fundraiser living in Eastern Canada. He holds music degrees from Mount Allison University and St. Francis Xavier University. Shawn established the Atlantic Waves Imprint label during his tenure as Regional Director of the Canadian Music Centre. The label’s second release Between the Shore and the Ships won two East Coast Music Awards including the inaugural Classical Composition of the Year. In 2017 he joined the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra’s Moncton Sistema Centre as a Teaching Artist and currently is the Production Manager of the Tutta Musica Orchestra. Shawn is currently co-producing the 19 th season of the Sackville Festival of Early Music. Shawn’s work as an arts and event manager has included ¡Sacabuche!, Shaun Leblanc, Dave Thomson, Mike Biggar, Kenny James, Live Bait Theatre, Chris Hadfield, and John Cleese.
Emma Poulsen: stagière festival
Emma Poulsen is entering her fourth year of classical voice with a minor in psychology at Mount Allison University. She is currently focusing her studies on music performance to further her studies in music therapy and performance. From 2017-2020, she worked alongside Vladimir Sitnikov and Cheryl Edgett to record A Christmas Dollhouse Musical and Oak Island Treasure Musical. She has continued to broaden her performance skills through the Mount Allison adaptation of Sarah Sarah DeLapp’s The Wolves in 2022 as well as the Mount Allison Opera Show in 2023-2024. Currently Emma is working various jobs in the arts and music realm, which include her current internship with the Sackville Festival of Early Music, and her work in performing in long-term care facilities. Emma has recently completed her studies at BIIMA’s Vocal intensive in Breno Italy July, 2024.