Introducing St. John's New Church Musician!

Branden Olsen is a rising Canadian baritone of special promise. Born in Quispamsis, New Brunswick, Olsen has performed on piano and voice and as a choral director for the last decade, and earned a degree from Mount Allison University, winning awards and prizes for both piano and vocal performance. He has performed in Canada and Europe in operatic roles as diverse as Garibaldo in Handel's Rodelinda to Barrigoule in Viardot's Cendrillion. Recently he performed as Dulcamara in L'Elisir d'amore in Italy and as Escamillo in Carmen. Comfortable in both early music and contemporary repertoire, Olsen will tour the US next year performing works written specially for him by New Hampshire composer Rob Haskins. Hailed as a "Tour de Force" by the Dutch National Opera coach, Natalie Doucet, and as a "Natural conductor" by Mount Allison professors Dr. Gary Tucker and Dr. Greg Burton, Olsen is excited to take the reins at St. John's United and looks forward to the journey of growth that both he and the congregation will undertake. Branden also teaches private piano and voice lessons and is a registered clinical hypnotist with the National Guild of Hypnotists.