Henry Renglich
artistic director
Artistic Director of Etobicoke Centennial Choir since 2008, Henry brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a conductor, pianist, composer and music pedagogue to ECC.
Henry holds Bachelor of Music Degrees in Piano Performance and Honours Theory, and a Master’s degree in Piano Performance from McGill University, along with a Bachelor of Education degree from York University. While in Montreal, his keyboard talent and improvisational skills were in demand at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and Linda Rabin Danse Moderne. He composed a variety of musical and theatrical works, including a cabaret for The National Theatre School, and was Musical Director for the Piggery Theatre in North Hatley, Quebec.
Henry taught at McGill University and the University of Waterloo, where he was active as a chamber musician and accompanist. He has coached and accompanied vocalists in styles ranging from classical and opera, to contemporary and musical theatre. His opera experience includes serving as Chorus Director for Opera Hamilton, as well as accompanist for Toronto Opera Repertoire and Coro Verdi.
Henry has composed a number of choral arrangements for Etobicoke Centennial Choir during his tenure, most recently, three world music pieces by guitarist Anton Apostolov and his Balkania Ensemble, for ECC’s June 2019 concert.
An experienced music pedagogue who believes strongly in quality music education for young children, Henry’s children’s choirs have won numerous awards and been chosen for professional theatrical productions, including Livent’s production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” where his choir can be heard on the Canadian cast recording.
Carl Steinhauser
collaborative accompanist
Carl began studying the piano at age four and earned his ARCT in Piano Performance in 2008. He holds a Bachelor of Music (Honors) in Music Theory and Composition from the Western University, where he studied piano with Gwen Beamish and composition with Peter Paul Koprowski and Paul Frehner.
Carl has been ECC’s accompanist since 2012. His exceptional keyboard skills and collaborative focus are a tremendous asset to both the conductor and singers. In addition to his work with ECC, Carl is an accompanist for the Mississauga Festival Choir and the organist at Runnymede United Church. He does frequent collaborative work with the Toronto District School Board and Etobicoke School of the Arts.
Mélissa Danis
soprano section lead & assistant conductor
Mélissa Danis is a French-Canadian lyric soprano who recently completed a fellowship program as Vocal Scholar at The Royal Conservatory of Music – Glenn Gould School under the guidance of Adrienne Pieczonka and Elizabeth McDonald.
In 2021, she graduated with her Master Degree from The University of Toronto’s Opera School. In May 2019, she graduated with honors from The Glenn Gould School with her Bachelor in Voice Performance.
Miss Danis’ recent performances with the Glenn Gould School includes Danica in Svadba (Sokolovic) and Almirena in Handel’s opera Rinaldo. In addition, her performances with U of T Opera consist of Micaëla in La Tragédie de Carmen (Bizet), A Little Nacht Music where she performed Mimi in the quartet Addio dolce svegliare alla mattina (Puccini), Maria Bertram in Mansfield Park (Dove) and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart).
Over the years, Miss Danis has developed a profound love for musical theater as well as cabaret.
Hermione Jane Goss
soprano section lead
Hermione Jane Goss is a young coloratura soprano, and has been described as having “a wonderful essence in rehearsal, a curiosity” (Moniz de Sà, Arts Umbrella 2018). She has a Bachelor of Music in Classical Voice Performance from the University of Toronto, where she studied with Wendy Nielsen.
Hermione has been involved in many choirs throughout her life; she began singing in the Toronto Children’s Chorus training choirs at the age of 5, was a section leader in all 3 of her high school choirs, and during the course of her time at the University of Toronto, sang with the Chamber Choir (with conductor Lori Dolloff) and the Macmillan Singers (conducted by Dr. Jamie Hillman).
Hermione is passionate about representation, social justice, and performing new works. She is also very interested in minority language politics, and in 2022, she had the opportunity to program a song cycle called Dhá Amhrán by Fuhong Shi (with poetry by Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill and Colm Breathnach), which was composed in 2019 as part of the Irish Language Art Song Project.
In addition to her work in music, Hermione has a background in theatre and dance, and is the co-author of a graphic novel called Yorick and Bones (HarperCollins, 2020).
Lauren Halász
alto section lead
Ottawa native Lauren Halász is a mezzo-soprano, director, and singer/songwriter based in Toronto.
Lauren has been featured as an emerging artist with both Tapestry Opera and Against the Grain Theatre. They have also been seen in oratorio around the Greater Toronto Area, most notably as the Alto soloist in Mozart’s Solemn Vespers and Haydn’s Mass in G Major with the Mississauga Choral Society, as well as Handel’s Messiah with both Music Niagara and Arcady. Favourite Opera credits include Annio in La Clemenza di Tito, Cherubino with Le Nozze di Figaro, and Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte.
Lauren made their directorial debut in 2020 with a filmed production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel for Fuse, an art’s collective based in Kitchener, Ontario. More recently, Lauren directed Medusa’s Children, a hybrid opera film, with OperaQ, and co-directed A Good Haunting Vol. 2 with Good Mess Opera Theatre.
Equally passionate about contemporary music, Lauren is the lead vocalist and songwriter for independent folk band, “Lo & the High Road”, and maintains a private studio of singers of all levels singing a wide variety of music.
Lauren holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Voice Performance from Western University, and an Advanced Certificate in Performance from the University of Toronto.
Amanda Weatherall
alto section lead
Mezzo Soprano Amanda Weatherall holds her MMus of vocal literature and performance from Western University. She is from Cranbrook, British Columbia, where she had her first taste of the stage. The highlight of her Cranbrook performances was playing Evangeline Harcourt in Anything Goes at Mount Baker Secondary and performing with Fort Steele Heritage Town as various historical residents.
Amanda was thrilled to take part in the Yulanda M Faris Young Artist Program with Vancouver Opera, and performed as the Wife in the Music Shop, a Canadian Premier, and as Carmen in Carmen: Up Close and Personal, a new adaptation of the classic work by Bizet, during her time there. Her other operatic credits include the title role in Bizet’s Carmen (Western), the chorus in Verdi’s Otello (Canadian Opera Company), Romeo in Bellini’s i Capuleti e i Montecchi (Opera NUOVA), Fox in Janáček’s Cunning Little Vixen (NUOVA), Olga in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (NUOVA), Meg Page in Verdi’s Falstaff (Western), and Third Lady in Mozart’s Magic Flute (Western). She has performed with Tapestry Opera in their Songbook XI and with the Symphony of the Kootenays on multiple concerts. Most recently she sang Filippyevna in Highlands Opera Studio’s production of Eugene Onegin.
David Finneran
tenor section lead
David attended St. Michael’s Choir School through elementary and high school. His enjoyment of many music genres moved him to learn guitar, drums and organ as well as piano. David completed a Bachelor of Music degree at Carleton University, where he focused on classical piano performance and composition, along with studying jazz theory and music history. While in Ottawa, he further developed his vocal skills as a member of the Canadian Centennial Choir, Carleton University Choir and The Capital Vox Choir, a jazz choir led by Elise Letourneau.
David also sings at St. John’s United Church in Oakville. He teaches private music lessons in piano, guitar and music theory at D&D Music, an Oakville-based music business which he co-owns with his wife, Daniella Theresia.
Pete Oundjian
tenor section lead
Pete Oundjian is a Toronto-based tenor, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music educator. He grew up singing in the Canadian Children’s Opera Company, and subsequently studied vocal performance at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. Pete also performs as a solo acoustic artist, and as a bassist and vocalist in Tricycle, a Toronto-based rock trio.
Eugene Polyansky
baritone section lead
Eugene’s interest in music began in his teenage years, when he played the guitar and sang in rock and pop bands. He sang in church choirs and went on to study composition, electronic music, musical arrangement and conducting.
Eugene studied music pedagogy at the Conservatorio “Giuseppe Verdi” di Milano. While in Milan, he collaborated with professional ensembles and orchestras, including artists of the Teatro alla Scala. He has performed and toured in Europe with globally-recognized conductors.
Eugene joined Etobicoke Centennial Choir as baritone lead in November 2022. In addition to performing, Eugene provides voice teaching and diction coaching for children and adults both classical and contemporary music genres.