Two sisters, one operatic beginning—and a lifelong connection to the Canadian Children’s Opera Company

For sisters Kate and Stephanie Applin, the Canadian Children’s Opera Company wasn’t just a choir; it was a formative home where their love of opera took root and their artistic identities began to flourish. From their earliest roles on major stages to a decade of music-making with the CCOC, the Applins’ story celebrates the community, mentorship, and lasting connections that shaped their lives both on and off the stage.

Stephanie Applin’s introduction to opera came at just four years old, when she was cast as Cio-Cio San’s son in the Canadian Opera Company’s 1990 production of Madama Butterfly. “My first memories of opera are from that production,” she recalls. “The COC was having a hard time finding a boy who could sit still long enough!”

A few years later, both she and her sister Kate auditioned for the CCOC’s Apprentice Chorus under Lynn Janes and Teri Dunn—and a decade-long journey with the company began.

“Our family was always a classical music family,” Kate says. “But my first real experience with opera was being part of the children’s chorus in the COC’s 1998 production of Hansel & Gretel. I still remember the thrill of the overture starting up every evening. I was completely taken by the excitement, the production, the community of performers, the hair, makeup, and so much more.”

From those early productions grew a shared love of opera—and an artistic home that shaped them both.

Stephanie sang with the company from 1995 to 2004, and Kate from 1995 to 2005, moving through Apprentice Chorus I and II and then into the Main (now Principal) Chorus. Stephanie even founded the first Youth Chorus, creating a place for high-school singers to keep performing after graduating from the Main Chorus.

Favourite productions…

One production Kate was sorry to miss participating in was Dean Burry’s The Hobbit. “It premiered the year after I graduated,” she says. “I got such a thrill singing Far Over the Misty Mountains before the premiere and I’m so happy the opera has had a long life with the CCOC.”

Stephanie has fond memories of The Snow Queen and Julius Caesar Jones, and has become an enthusiastic audience member in recent years. “I loved The Monkiest King and The Nightingale of a Thousand Songs,” she says.

The Applin sisters carry vivid, warm, and sometimes hilarious memories of their time in the CCOC.

Kate remembers the moment that brought them back after a short break from the choir. While visiting the opera house to support friends, they met new Artistic Director Ann Cooper Gay backstage. “Once she met us, she recognized our names and was determined we should rejoin,” Kate laughs. “Her encouragement brought us back, and we spent the rest of middle and high school in the Main and Youth Choruses.”

That moment, she says, taught her about the deep care, community, and lifelong friendships the CCOC fosters.

For her part, Stephanie vividly remembers her nerve-wracking audition for John Tuttle—“He was so stoic, I couldn’t tell how I was doing!”—and Tuttle dubbing her “Applin Major,” with Kate becoming “Applin Minor.”

There was also the legendary Pirates of Penzance strawberry incident. “We had real strawberries for a picnic scene,” she recalls. “Several choristers ate them off the props table. We all got a lecture from stage manager Stephanie Marrs about the sanctity of the props table.”

Another cherished memory: singing for Maureen Forrester at the inaugural Opera Canada Awards. “We took a photo together afterward,” Stephanie says. “She told me she always says the [German swear] word Scheiße before a photo to get the perfect smile.”

The CCOC was formative in other ways, too. Kate remembers struggling during her first year in the Main Chorus as a Grade 5 student—one of the youngest at the time. “I even asked my parents if I could quit,” she says. But with their encouragement to stick it out for the term, she soon found her footing. “I found my friends, got used to the rhythm of rehearsals, and eventually discovered the incredible, life-changing community of the CCOC.”

For Stephanie, the choir offered something rare: friendships across ages and backgrounds at a time in life when most social circles stay narrow. “It was unique,” she explains. “I’ve loved seeing where life has taken my fellow choristers, and how many keep music in their lives in different ways.”

Both sisters carried from the CCOC not only musical skills but a deep love of opera—and the confidence that comes from being part of an artistic community.

It seemed inevitable that the CCOC would become a family affair. “Our father later served on the board,” Stephanie says, “and our mother was a very active parent during productions. There have been Applins involved for a long time!”

That involvement blossomed into professional paths rooted in music and leadership.

Today, Kate combines her artistic and business training in a multifaceted career. After completing degrees in voice and opera performance, she founded Metro Youth Opera, which she ran with Stephanie throughout her twenties. She later completed an MBA and built a career in the tech sector. She now works for Microsoft in Redmond, WA, and serves as Past-President of the Board of Soundstreams.

Stephanie has built a career in arts administration. She works with Tapestry Opera in Toronto and previously worked in development with major health nonprofits. Opera remains at the heart of her professional and creative life.

From a toddler in Madama Butterfly to young choristers finding their voices—and ultimately to leaders in arts and culture—the Applin sisters exemplify the CCOC’s lasting impact.

Their story is one of community, resilience, and joyful artistry. And, as Kate put it, it’s proof “of the deep and incredible community the CCOC builds, and the long-lasting friendships that remain.”

Thank you, Kate and Stephanie, for sharing your story—and for being part of the CCOC family.