A rising soprano, two audience prizes, and a leap into contemporary opera —this conversation brings you inside a young career. Opera Glasses down with Nikan Ingabire Kanate to map her path from Ottawa choir rehearsals to the Curtis Institute, then through a fall packed with finals, flights and a first-prize finish at the Center Stage competition hosted by the Canadian Opera Company.

We also open the score of Kaija Saariaho’s La Passion de Simone, where Nikon serves as the soprano voice tracing Simone Weil’s fierce, searching life. Nikon shares how she prepares for that challenge, why performing music by a woman composer feels important, and how the role expands her range as an artist.

Of course, the classics are never far. We talk about Kanate's competition repertoire – "Depuis le jour," "Porgi amor" – and her dream roles. There’s practical wisdom here for singers and fans alike: building rest into audition season, protecting the voice while traveling, finding community among finalists, and trusting technique when the moment arrives.

All episodes of The Opera Glasses podcast are hosted by the editor of Opera Canada, currently Michael Jones after Elizabeth Bowman hosted seasons 1 and 2. Follow Opera Canada on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Visit OperaCanada.ca for all of your Canadian Opera news and reviews.