Praised for her “mellifluous yet clear” singing [James Young, Music in Victoria], mezzo-soprano Rebecca Claborn has performed with some of Canada’s finest classical ensembles. With a repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the present day, Rebecca has a particular passion for early music.
Rebecca's solo highlights include Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Händel’s Israel in Egypt with the Richard Eaton Singers; Händel's Dixit Dominus and Bach's Cantata 182 and Mass in B Minor with the Ottawa Bach Choir; Respighi’s Lauda per la Natività del Signore with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir; Bach’s Cantata 150, Cantata 184, and Psalm 51 with the Victoria Baroque Players; Händel's Messiah with the Choir of St. James Cathedral; and Kuhnau’s Gott, sei mir gnädig nach deiner Güte with the Theatre of Early Music.
In demand as a chorister and ensemble singer, Rebecca is a member of vocal octet Opus 8, and Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s professional core. She has also sung with such ensembles as the Tallis Choir, the Musicians in Ordinary, the Gabrieli Consort, the Theatre of Early Music, Pro Coro Canada, and the Toronto Consort.
As a recording artist, Rebecca appears most recently on Opus 8's latest recording, Firsts (2019). She is a featured soloist on two releases with the Theatre of Early Music: The Heart's Refuge (2014, Juno-nominated), and The Vale of Tears (2015), both on Analekta. She also appears on the Toronto Chamber Choir’s 2019 release A Voice of her Own, featuring works by fourteen female composers.
Rebecca completed a double Bachelor's degree in voice performance and music education at the University of New Hampshire, and subsequently moved to Canada to receive her Master of Music in voice performance from the University of Alberta, as a student of soprano Jolaine Kerley. Further studies were undertaken at the Victoria Conservatory of Music as a student of acclaimed soprano Nancy Argenta, and at the University of Toronto as a student of countertenor Daniel Taylor. Rebecca is a two-time participant in the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute and the Victoria Conservatory Advanced Oratorio Course, and a participant in the Franz-Schubert-Institut Master Course in Baden-bei-Wien, Austria. In masterclasses, she has worked with such outstanding musicians as Emma Kirkby, Ann Monoyios, Julius Drake, Elly Ameling, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Laurence Cummings, Benjamin Butterfield, Adrian Butterfield, Wolfgang Holzmair, and Peter Harvey.
Rebecca maintains a private vocal studio in Toronto, and has taught for VIVA! Youth Choir of Toronto, as well as the Victoria Conservatory Summer Vocal Academy, offering private lessons, masterclasses, and coachings in Baroque performance practice.
When she is not singing classical music, Rebecca enjoys dabbling in folk music, and is a recent beginner on the clawhammer banjo, carrying on her family’s love of Appalachian traditional music. She lives with her husband in Toronto.
“When I say that Rebecca Claborn’s performance was enough to distract attention from the expertly played flutes, I mean this as high praise. Her singing was mellifluous yet clear... Careful attention was paid to the meaning of the text.”
“The arias, sung by bass-baritone John Holland, alto Rebecca Claborn and tenor Jeff Boyd, were beautifully expressive and balanced.”
“The purity and depth of what is offered to the listener is made even better by the impressive cast of soloists: Rebecca Claborn, mezzo soprano; Kyle Guilfoyle, countertenor; Isaiah Bell, tenor; and Alexander Dobson, bass; all of them deliver inspired performances and the impression of a contagious spirituality. ”