Bil Antoniou
Bil Antoniou is a Toronto-born actor and writer who recently had a staged reading performed of his play The Best Men. He is also working on completing his Specialist Degree in English at the University of Toronto. Recent roles include Ram Alley (PLS), 350 Days/350 Plays and Jeffrey (both with Theatre Best Before).
Marc Betsworth
Over the last ten years, Marc fronted a variety of indie bands; the most recent of which was the Toronto-based alt/rock band, Focuspuller. Throughout these various incarnations, his persistence toward realizing his artistic goals has remained unwavering. Today, Marc Betsworth is making the transition to solo artist/songwriter. He is currently writing and demo-ing tracks with his long-time producer/collaborator, Chris Zigrovic.
> Marc's website
> Marc's website
Nicole Blain
Originally from Montreal, Nicole Blain studied piano and flute at the École de musique Vincent-d'Indy. Since moving to Toronto over 10 years ago to work at the CBC Music Library, she has focused her artistic talents on singing. Nicole sang with l'Ensemble vocal les Voix du coeur from 1999-2006, and has participated in many of the Singing Strong: Cabarets for a Cause.
Daniel Donovan
Modern and historical oboist Daniel Donovan is an active chamber and orchestral musician in the Toronto area, and has performed with such groups as the Talisker Players, Nota Bene Period Orchestra, and the Toronto Classical Consort, as well as further afield with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Aguascalientes of Mexico and numerous chamber groups abroad. But whatever: tonight he's just singing. When not performing, Daniel may be found diligently working away at his doctoral studies at the Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto. He studies Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic poetry.
Lindsay Isaac
Lindsay is delighted to be a part of Singing Strong. After starting voice lessons at age six, she has pursued her passion to receive her Master’s of Music in Voice Performance and Pedogogy. As a voice teacher, Lindsay has an interest in the healthy singing voice, and works with students to reduce muscular tension while singing. Lindsay performs in operas and concerts around the city, including Gilbert & Sullivan shows with St. Anne’s Music & Drama Society.
Ylber Kusari
A newcomer to Singing Strong and cabaret music, Ylber is an avid amateur performer. Hailing all the way from Kosovo, the newest country in the world, Ylber was an active member of a local theatre group as singer/actor/dancer in a number of productions for over five years. After a long break, he got his groove back in Toronto, joining an on campus a cappella group at U of T while doing his masters, and is now super excited to dip his toes in the world of cabaret. Ylber thanks the Singing Strong team for giving him the opportunity to be a part of such an awesome cast!
Diana Pugliese
Toronto native, Diana Pugliese began her career in the limelight at a young age. She was only 13 years old when she landed the lead in Deans Dream (that’s right, she played a boy and really upset the boys in her class). Since then, Diana went on the pursue studies in Marketing and Communications while pursuing theatre. She became a branding expert and has worked with various companies and individuals on communicating their ideas to broad audiences by day and a stage performer by night. With over 12 years of branding and management expertise, Diana is now concentrating her efforts on bringing music into corporate environments to encourage collaborative working environments via workshops, consultations and performance.
Lionel Tona
Lionel has been involved in many theatre productions, musicals and choirs over the last 12 years as singer, actor, production assistant, designer, web guru. He is the producer of the Cabarets for a Cause. He is originally from Lyon, France, which explains his other passion: fine food. He was a food columnist for the French CBC for several years.