VOICE FACULTY
Denise Williams
BSc, MA, ARCT
SINGER, VOICE TEACHER, MUSIC FACILITATOR, FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
AWARDS: ORMTA CONTRIBUTION TO TEACHING, 2024; 100 ACCOMPLISHED BLACK CANADIAN WOMEN 2024
Denise Williams is an established professional singer, voice teacher, concert producer and music facilitator. She is a passionate advocate for the performing arts, leveraging her extensive professional experience and educational background to promote artistic expression and education. With a belief in the transformative power of music and the arts to bridge societal divides, Denise has dedicated her career to nurturing talent, fostering inclusivity, and promoting cultural understanding. Denise told David Perlman, publisher, “The Whole Note” that ... “understanding other cultures around us ... forms our pluralistic identity (and that)” ... is what motivates her.
Denise’s thirty-plus-years international career has put her at home on the concert, opera, and theatre stages. Highlights of her solo work include appearances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the Nathaniel Dett Chorale (Founding Member), and Mirvish Productions (North American premiere of The Sound of Music). Her stage experience includes the Canadian debuts of Portia White First You Dream (Eastern Front Theatre, and Theatre Northwest), along with solo concerts in major venues in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. Her most well-loved self-produced music project is her cross-cultural, Walk Together Children concert program, uniting African and Jewish diasporic cultures through music which has been presented in collaboration with professional musicians of the cultures represented and for many audiences (symposia, synagogues, school presentations, public presentations). Recently, she has added Muslim cultural music intersections as a commentary on commonalities of forcibly migrant cultures and diasporas, musical assimilations, and attempts at bridging social gaps. This project was awarded an OAC grant in 2023 and was performed in collaboration with professional musicians of this culture and a community choir (the Jubilate Singers). Denise’s newest performance project is MELANATTÉ, a fusion of Classical and Romantic hits with a modern Black context, in collaboration with its brainchild, Andrew Craig (aka Rhapsodius).
In addition to her achievements as a performer, Denise is also dedicated to arts education and community engagement. Her community music leadership contributions have included preschool and afterschool programs, music programs in seniors residences, choral directing, and choral workshops (CAMMAC, The Jubilate Singers, Common Thread Choirs, and The UT Scarborough Concert Choir), and has been a juror for arts councils (OAC, FACTOR). She has also been involved in international community music symposia addressing Music and Social Intervention, Music Collaboration Across Difference (York, St John University, UK), and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Level Education (Wilfrid Laurier University).
Denise is Founding Artistic Director and Producer of No Strings Theatre (NST) which supports the next generation of artists and encourages the development of new Canadian theatrical works. She is currently on the music theatre voice faculty of Sheridan College, operates her Voices of Colour Music (VCM) music studio, is a certified advanced voice teacher affiliate and examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music, and a national vocal adjudicator.
Professional memberships include CAEA, ACTRA, NATS, and ORMTA-CTB.
Denise has launched and supported scholarships for Black students and artists (Sheridan College music theatre, ORMTA-CTB). She continues to advocate for cross-cultural sharing of music traditions, equity, diversity and inclusion on performance stages.
Active Roles
Voice Coach (current production of Lion King, Mirvish Productions)
Voice Teacher & National Vocal Adjudicator (over 30 years)
Part time Music Theatre Faculty, Sheridan College (since 2018)
Founding Artistic Director, No Strings Theatre (since 2005)
Teacher Affiliate & Examiner, Royal Conservatory of Music (since 2000)
Owns Voices of Colour Music Studio (VCM) (since 1990)
Memberships
Examiners and Advance Certified Voice Teacher (RCM)
Vice President of the National Association for Teachers of Singing (NATS)/ Ontario Chapter
Immediate Past President, ORMTA Central Toronto Branch
Member, Elora Festival and Elora Singers Board of Directors
ACTRA, CAEA
Education
Master of Arts, Community Music, Wilfrid Laurier University
Arts and Entertainment Administration - Raymond Chang School, Toronto Metropolitan University. (formerly Ryerson)
ARCT Singing Diploma, Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM)
Kodaly Pedagogy Certificate, RCM
Early Childhood Music Education, RCM/Ryerson
Bachelor of Science, University of Toronto, Trinity College
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Talia Frances, BA
Music Theatre, Contemporary Commercial Music
Talia Frances (she/her) is an academic award-winning emerging director, and performing artist from Nanaimo, BC. Talia is a recent honours grad of Sheridan College’s ‘Musical Theatre Performance’ degree, and a not-so-recent grad with distinction of the ‘Theatre Arts’ diploma at MacEwan University.
Her vocal training started in a classical direction throughout her teenage years, which encouraged her to perform in vocal festivals throughout BC, and acquire her RCM Practical Voice certificates up to Grade 8. Throughout her post-grad training, she kept much classical or inspired rep in her book, but shifted gears to focus on contemporary styles of singing, such as belting, mixing, and vocal stylisms that can be found in modern musical theatre, pop/rock, folk, and so on. Her vocal flexibility has made her a versatile artist, who can understand the joys and frustrations of unlocking new areas of your voice.
Talia was in the ‘Artistic Teams’ stream at Sheridan, focusing on directing for stage. In 2025, she was a recipient of the ‘The Michael Young Achievement in Elective Stream: Artistic Team Inclusive Leadership Award’ for her work on an excerpt of Spring Awakening. Talia made her directing debuts on Toronto stages in 2025, as follows: an excerpt of Potato Potato by Emma Golden, performed at Factory Theatre for the Theatre Sheridan’s Writers’ Showcase; act one of Potato Potato, a 90-minute fully staged production as part of the ‘Alliance for Canadian Musicals’ for Toronto Fringe at Theatre Passe Murailles.
In summer 2026, she directed and assistant produced The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, as well as taught acting classes for the teen musical theatre intensive at No Strings Theatre, produced by Artist Director Denise Williams.
Talia has recently joined No Strings Theatre and Generations Performing Arts as a musical theatre instructor. She is delighted to join the voice/drama faculty at Voices of Colour. She currently has spots available in solo and group lessons in voice, acting, and acting through song!
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