British Columbia-born baritone Justin Welsh’s career highlights include appearances as Crown in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess with Kent Nagano conducting l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, and Queegueg in the Canadian premiere of Heggie’s Moby Dick for Calgary Opera. He garnered praise from the Calgary Herald, who noted, “Welsh’s role was exceptionally well-realized, a major accomplishment as a singing actor.”

The recent 2025/2026 season saw Justin return to the Canadian Opera Company as Grégorio in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, and making his Vancouver Opera debut as Schaunard in Puccini’s La bohème under the baton of Jonathan Darlington.

In past seasons, he appeared as Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (National Arts Centre Orchestra, Edmonton Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria), Schaunard in Puccini’s La bohème (Canadian Opera Company, Orchestre Philharmonique et Chœur des Mélomanes), Marullo in Verdi’s Rigoletto (Pacific Opera Victoria), Weidhoff in Braunfels’ Die Vögel (Pacific Opera Victoria - Canadian Premiere), and Barone di Kelbar in Verdi’s Un giorno di regno (VoiceBox: opera in Concert). Welsh also joined the musical cast of Rhapsody in Blue: A Gershwin Celebration for the composer’s centenary in venues across Ontario.

No stranger to contemporary works, Justin appeared as Izunna in the world premiere of Cusson’s Of the Sea (Tapestry Opera), Rufus Rockhead in the world premiere of Brady’s Backstage at Carnegie Hall (Montréal’s Centaur Theatre), as Ari in the world premiere of Rolfe’s Swoon (Canadian Opera Company), a featured soloist in Vivier’s Musik für das Ende (Soundstreams), Bound (Against the Grain Theatre), and joined Pacific Opera Victoria as the Customs Officer in the Canadian premiere of Dove’s Flight. Additionally, with Tapestry Opera, he appeared as The Teacher in the world premiere of Current’s Gould’s Wall, where he earned a Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for Outstanding Ensemble.

Concert engagements include performances with Kitchener’s Grand Philharmonic Choir, the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir, White Snake Projects, the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Niagara Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, Regina Symphony, for works including Beethoven’s Mass in C and Symphony No. 9, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s St John and St Matthew Passion, the Requiems of Verdi, Mozart, and Fauré, and more. Justin was also featured in the world premiere of Barbara Croall’s miziwie (everywhere) with Pax Christi Chorale at Toronto’s Koerner Hall. 

Justin’s additional operatic credits include Marcello in La bohème (Opéra de Montréal), Papageno in The Magic Flute (Pacific Opera Victoria, Canadian Opera Company), Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro (Pacific Opera Victoria), Guglielmo in Così fan tutte (Canadian Opera Company), Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors (Calgary Opera), Belcore in Elisir d’Amore (Jeunesses Musicales), Slender in Salieri’s Falstaff (VoiceBox: Opera in Concert), Baron Douphol in La traviata (Edmonton Opera), and was featured in the Lepage production of Stravinsky’s The Nightingale with the Canadian Opera Company and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In past seasons, Justin was also highlighted in digital productions of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi with the Canadian Opera Company, and Raum’s The Garden of Alice with Pacific Opera Victoria.

In the summers of 2015 and 2016, Justin joined the Picoplat Opera Company (Trinidad & Tobago) productions of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutti and Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffman. He also participated in their first vocal masterclasses, in a joint effort with the local University as a special guest.

Welsh is an alumnus of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, the Tanglewood Summer Institute, and the University of British Columbia. In 2006, his dedication as a singing-actor earned him the first prize of the Kurt Weill Foundation’s Lotte Lenya Competition.

March 2026
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