Please note that the titles and descriptions that accompany each Trailblazers photograph are dated to the launch of the exhibit, March 2006, and will not be updated.
"The two career paths I chose - first law and then opera - have worked remarkably well together. I loved the performing world and all that it entailed, but having a law background has provided a wonderful combination for what I do now."
Janet Stubbs '69
Director,Ontario Arts Foundation
Glamorous and statuesque, with a lilting and melodious voice, Janet Stubbs is still very much the mezzo-soprano who graced the operatic stage for nearly 17 years. Following her graduation and call to the bar, she spent just six months practising law before being persuaded by a teacher to audition for the Opera School at U of T's Faculty of Music. A scholarship and place in the Canadian Opera Company chorus were just the beginning. Janet spent the next two decades travelling across Canada and the United States, sought after for coveted parts in operas, including leading roles in Carmen, Cinderella and The Barber of Seville, and solo concert performances with major Canadian orchestras. One of Canada's top operatic talents, she recalls the thrill and glamour of the stage, wonderful camaraderie with fellow singers, as well as pre-performance jitters and closing night letdown. Today, as Director of the Ontario Arts Foundation, Janet oversees endowments that support music, theatre, dance, literature and visual arts organizations, and, fittingly, recognize outstanding Canadian artists.
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