Artistic Direction

Larry Beckwith, artistic director

Larry Beckwith

Larry Beckwith enjoys a successful and versatile career in the arts in and around Toronto. He studied violin and musicology at the undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of Toronto, graduating in 1989. Since then, he has vigorously pursued his interests in choral music, Baroque and contemporary music, theatre, radio, teaching and writing. As a professional singer, he has appeared regularly with the Elora Festival Singers, Tafelmusik Chamber Singers, Opera Atelier, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Exultate Chamber Singers. An accomplished Baroque violinist, Larry studied with Jeanne Lamon and was a founding member of the Aradia Baroque Ensemble. In 2003, he founded Toronto Masque Theatre which, under his artistic leadership, has presented more than 25 critically-acclaimed programs of interdisciplinary performing art, including a cycle of the five major music theatre works by Henry Purcell and stage works by Molière, Stravinsky, John Blow, John Beckwith, Monteverdi, Handel, Charpentier and others. Through TMT, Mr. Beckwith has commissioned and premiered new works in the spirit of the masque by Canadian composers Abigail Richardson, James Rolfe, Omar Daniel, Dean Burry and Alice Ho. Larry Beckwith runs the celebrated strings program at the arts-intensive Unionville High School and lives in Toronto with his wife, soprano Teri Dunn, and their two daughters Alison and Juliet.

Artistic Associates

Derek Boyes, associate director

Derek Boyes

As an associate artist with Toronto Masque Theatre, Derek Boyes has performed in Masques for a Rainy Day; directed and performed in Masques of War, Dioclesian, Fairy Queen, and Venus and Adonis; and directed King Arthur, the double bill of Aeneas and Dido and Dido and Aeneas, and Indian Queen. Derek is an associate artist of Soulpepper Theatre and is currently in his 9th season, appearing in You Can't Take it With You and The Crucible. Past seasons include roles in The Odd Couple, As You Like it, Our Town, The Government Inspector, Olympia, The Wild Duck, Nathan the Wise, Hamlet, King Lear, Mary Stuart, Loot, Awake and Sing, The Time of Your Life, Doc, The Fantastics, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Exit the King. Derek recently directed Kill Shakespeare for the inaugural Word Festival. He received the Soulpepper Artistic Director's Award in 2009. Derek has performed with many North American theatre companies and orchestras, including The Stratford and Shaw Festivals, as well as in many TV, film and radio projects, and was featured on two Juno award-winning albums for the Children’s Group.

Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, associate director

Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière

A recipient of grants from the Quebec Arts Council and Canada Council,Marie-Nathalie Lacoursièreholds a Bachelor’s degree in Music, and studied acting – specializing in commedia dell’arte. She is the Artistic Director of Les Jardins Chorégraphiques, a member of Le Nouvel Opéra, and Artistic Associate with Toronto Masque Theatre. For over 15 years she has worked as a dancer, choreographer, actress and stage director for many groups, including Les idées heureuses, l'Ensemble Masques, l’Ensemble Caprice, Studio de musique ancienne, Aradia, and Toronto Masque Theatre. She has been invited to appear at several festivals, including the Boston Early Music Festival, the Berkeley Baroque Festival, the Ottawa, Norfolk, and New Zealand Chamber Music Festivals, and Festival Montréal Baroque. Her opera direction credits include Rossini et ses muses, le Grand dîner (l'Atelier Lyrique de Montréal Opera), Donizetti’s Elisir d'Amore, and Offenbach’sTales of Hoffmann(les Jeunesses Musicales du Canada). She has also directed Purcell's Dido and Aeneas (Apollo’s Fire, Cleveland), Bizet's Carmen (Opéra théâtre Rimouski), and Rameau's Pygmalion (le Nouvel Opéra at Early Music Vancouver. For the University of Montreal’s Opera Department she directed Handel's Giulio Cesare, Strauss's Der Zigeunerbaron and Die Fledermaus, Monteverdi's L’Incoronazione di Poppea and Purcell's Fairy Queen ; and at McGill University, Monteverdi's Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria. Next June, Miss Lacoursière will be period movement coach at the Opéra de Nice in Scarlatti's Il Tigrane, andwill also apear as Arlequin.

Thanks to our sponsors

Special thanks to Roger Moore, The Mary-Margaret Webb Foundation, The Michael and Sonja Koerner Charitable Foundation, The McLean Foundation, The J.P. Bickell Foundation and The SOCAN Foundation.