Elizabeth McDonald

High-energy and innovative voice teacher, singer, and entrepreneur Elizabeth McDonald is committed to supporting the next generation of operatic artists. During the pandemic, she co-founded em2CONNECT to create a system for mentoring artists into taking actionable steps toward clarifying their goals.  She also co-hosts the free online community From the Voice of, a platform to bring collaboration, equity+action, and connection to the arts.

A co-founder of the trio, Women on the Verge (WOV), Elizabeth has worked to bring awareness to the works of Canadian female composers. WOV has performed in the UK, Iceland, and France and has toured Western Canada and the US. WOV created the podcast Getting the Song Out in 2020 and will premiere a new commission by Canadian composer Cecilia Livingston and Toronto Poet Laureate Anne Michaels in 2022.

As a faculty member of the University of Toronto, Elizabeth’s students have won major awards, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition, and the E-Gré National Music Competition.  Elizabeth serves as a member of the Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Standing Committee and is a member of the Faculty of Music Safe Space.

Elizabeth holds a Master of Music from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Toronto; she was a young artist with the Santa Fe and Canadian Opera Companies and has conducted masterclasses all over the world. Elizabeth is a proud Prince Edward County native who lives with her husband and two teenage children.