Schubert: Die Schöne Müllerin - John Holland, baritone & Kathleen Penny, piano
February 1, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Schubert: Die Schöne Müllerin - John Holland, baritone & Kathleen Penny, piano
About The Artists
Czech-Canadian Bass-Baritone John Holland has embarked on a diverse career of opera, oratorio, and art song. In 2020, John won a JUNO award for a recording of Handel’s Dixit Dominus. His Operatic credits include Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Leporello in Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre in Prague, Kecal in The Bartered Bride, Purkrabi in Dvořák’s Jakobín, and recently as Belcore in L’Elisir d’amore. He is a frequent performer with The Mississauga Symphony, and also with Opera York. John has also performed at Bachfest in Leipzig (2014, 2022), San Marco in Venice, and has shared the stage with the likes of Placido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Rene Pape, and Lorin Maazel. Recent recordings include, Bass Soloist for a CD recording of Bach’s Motets, and Handel’s Dixit Dominus, both on the ATMA Classique label. John has been a clinician and vocal coach with No Strings Summer Opera Intensive since 2022, serving as an artist-mentor as Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Escamillo in Carmen, Papageno in The Magic Flute, and Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte. In the summer of 2025, John was on stage as Captain Corcoran in HMS Pinafore with Opera York, Escamillo in Carmen with Kindred Spirits Orchestra, and Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte with No Strings Theatre. He reprises the role of Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus with Abridged Opera and Windsor Symphony in 2026.
On the podium, John is currently the Artistic Director of both the Toronto Classical Singers and Chorus York, and has been the longtime music director at Blessed Trinity Parish. He has also conducted the choirs at York University, the Ontario Youth Choir, the West Elgin Choral Society, and other choirs around Ontario. Dr. Holland completed his PhD in Musicology in 2018. His scholarship is focused on the study of Czech Opera, Art Song, and Choral Works. His book, The Lost Tradition of Dvořák's Operas: Myth, Music, and Nationalism was published in 2023 through Lexington Books. In 2024, John co-produced the Year of Czech Music Opera Fest. He is the founder of the Canadian Institute for Czech Music, and a contract faculty member at York University. At Avenue Road Music and Performance Academy, John is the Director of Fundraising and Community Programming, spearheading such initiatives as the Music for Life adult music courses.
Kathleen has been an enthusiastic pianist all her life, beginning with piano lessons at age 8. She received her ARCT in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music as an adult in 2005, and has completed the RCM certificate courses on teaching Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced levels of piano. Kathleen has been an award winner at music festivals in Toronto and Washington, and has played in a multitude of recitals and fund-raising concerts. She has been organizing piano playing groups and master classes for adult pianists for many years, including as the leader of the Toronto “Ivory League” and organizer of Avenue Road Music and Performance Academy programs. As a firm believer in lifelong learning, Kathleen continues to study piano with Michael Berkovsky, Alexander Panizza, Tristan Savella and Lawrence Pitchko, and piano pedagogy at the RCM. After retiring as a partner of the law firm Blake, Cassels and Graydon LLP, Kathleen has increased her commitment to teaching and coaching piano, with the goal of helping her students to experience the joy and fulfilment of making music.
Program
Die schöne Müllerin "The Fair Maid of the Mill", Op. 25, D. 795
Request Tickets
Tickets to the event are offered without cost. Donations are invited. Charitable tax receipts will be issued for donations over $20. All donations go to support emerging artists and future programming at the Academy.