Valerie Kuinka

Valerie Kuinka has worked within theatre and opera for 40 years including as a Canadian stage director and professional classical violist. A staff stage director at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC (2004-08), Valerie has also directed productions across Canada including the Canadian Opera Company. For many years, Valerie established and ran her own Toronto-based multi-disciplinary theatre company, Collaborations, during which time she wrote, produced, directed, and performed in productions. As a professional classical violist, Valerie has been active as a chamber, orchestral, studio, and performance artist for over 40 years including as a member of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra. In recent years, Valerie has been devoting most of her time to working with emerging operatic artists as a dramatic/musicianship coach and career consultant and to building and running Highlands Opera Studio. Valerie holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from the University of Toronto and a Master of Music from the University of Michigan.