Teiya Kasahara 笠原 貞野

Nikkei Canadian settler Teiya Kasahara 笠原 貞野 (they/them) is a queer, trans non-binary opera singer and creator-performer based in Tkarón:to, colonially known as Toronto. Heralded as “a force of nature” (Toronto Star) and “an artist with extraordinary things to say” (The Globe and Mail), Teiya has sung for nearly 20 years roles such as the Queen of the Night/THE MAGIC FLUTE (COC, Aalto-Essen, Vancouver, Edmonton), MADAMA BUTTERFLY (Windsor Symphony), Fata Morgana/L’AMOUR DES TROIS ORGANGES (Aalto-Essen), and the soprano solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (Vancouver, Kingston). 

They are the creator-performer of the five-time Dora award nominated show THE QUEEN IN ME, which premiered to sold out audiences and rave reviews at the Canadian Opera Company in 2022, and has since toured internationally.

Within their creation practice Teiya explores the intersections of identity politics by disrupting and reimagining the operatic canon through their original works.