About Us
Welcome to the Buchanan Park Opera Club (BPOC)! Each year since 1995, the students and staff of the Buchanan Park Opera Club have assembled together to create a masterpiece, and this year is no different...
Mrs. Martens: Artistic Director
Dawn Martens holds a Bachelor's degree in Art History and History from McMaster University, a Master's in History from The University of Western Ontario, and a Bachelor of Education from The University of Toronto. She has taught primary grades, and has led educational seminars at The University of Western Ontario and The University of Toronto, as well as for local school boards. Mrs. Martens is a freelance writer whose work has been published in educational journals, theological magazines, and in Opera Canada. She has been interviewed by Peter Gzowski on Morningside, as well as on CHML, 96.3 FM Toronto, CBC Ottawa, and CBC's Saturday Afternoon at the Opera.
She has appeared on CH Morning Live and CBC's Midday. She received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Hamilton- Wentworth District School Board for her work with the BPOC, was inducted into the McMaster Alumni Gallery, and was nominated for a Disney Teaching Award and as Woman of the Year in the Arts for Hamilton-Wentworth. In 2006, Ms. Martens and the BPOC received a Music Education Excellence Award from the Kodaly Society of Canada as well as a rating in the top thirty schools in Today's Parent magazine for its extraordinary extracurricular opera program.
She is an organist and director of music in the Presbyterian Church. She has one husband, two children, one Whippet, and two Shelties. When she grows up, Mrs. Martens wants to direct an opera at the Met.
David S. Fawcett: Composer, Performer, Music Educator
David S.Fawcett is a composer, performer and music educator. He has written song cycles and choral, chamber and orchestral music. His first symphony was recently performed. An operatic tenor, he was guest soloist with choirs and orchestras and performed in 35 productions with the Canadian Opera Company. Mr. Fawcett holds degrees in Music and Education from the University of Western Ontario where he studied composition. He later studied opera at the Banff School and the University of Toronto. He lives in Hamilton with wife, soprano Elise Bedard.
Did you Know....?
The BPOC has mentored students in two other schools producing operas: Hakadote Junior High school in Japan who produced their own Carmen in October, 1999 and Hillcrest Elementary School in Surrey, BC who produced The Magic Flute in May, 2005
Every single child from grade one to six is involved in our opera... that's almost 250 participants!
Each year, Opening Night performances are "sold out" within days of placing tickets on sale.
Every child in all of our productions is costumed at no expense to their parents.
Every child involved in our opera has a job to do in some aspect of the production: the children literally "run the show" by being in the chorus, a lead, a dancer, or in the technical crew.
1,000 printed opera programs are produced each year for audience members.
All teaching staff and over 100 parents volunteer in some capacity for the opera.
The BPOC is the only public school opera club of its nature in Canada and, in fact, in North America.
Buchanan Park the only primary school in Canada to have hosted the world renowned CBC Opera Quiz.
Frederika von Stade and Placido Domingo - along with dozens of other opera singers and hundreds of opera fans - own one of Buchanan Park School's "Opera Oinker" pigs.
All of our net proceeds for each opera go to McMaster University's Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Research Fund at the Children's Hospital of Hamilton (Ontario) Health Sciences. Since 1997, we have donated C$22,282 dollars to this cause.