Her voice has been described as luminous and her acting witty and feisty - Shannon Mercer has been hailed as "one of Canada's most promising young sopranos" and a "Leader of Tomorrow (Maclean's)."

Her 2008-2009 season features multiple productions of The Magic Flute in Hamilton, Toronto, Victoria, and London (Ontario). Season highlights include concerts with the OffCentre Series in Toronto, the Vancouver Chamber Choir, Symphony Nova Scotia, and performances of Charpentier’s Messe de Nuit with Les Violons du Roy in Montreal and Quebec City.

Recent engagements include performances of Eric Idle's popular Not the Messiah in Toronto, Los Angeles, Houston, Washington, and at New York's Caramoor Festival.

Two of Shannon's critically acclaimed recordings on the Analekta label, Bach and the Liturgical Year and Gloria!: Vivaldi’s Angels, are nominated for 2009 JUNO Awards. Other CDs include her much-lauded French debut in the title role of Marin Marais's Sémélé on Glossa and Anelekta releases, Mondonville and English Fancy. She also starred in Alexina Louie's Gemini-nominated comic opera Burnt Toast, now on DVD. Her latest release, Wales ~ The Land of Song with the Skye Consort (Analekta) features traditional Welsh songs in new arrangements.

An alumnus of San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Merola Opera Summer Program, Shannon began her operatic career as a member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio Program. She has since gone on to perform major roles with the COC (Sesto in Sartorio’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto, a Madrigalist in Henze’s Venus and Adonis, Xenia in Boris Godunov, Oscar in Un ballo in maschera and Elvira in L’italiana in Algeri), l'Opéra du Québec, Opera Lyra Ottawa (Nanetta in Falstaff, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia special school performance), Opera Ontario, Opera Atelier (Médée) and the Toronto Operetta Theatre. In July 2006 Shannon made her London debut under the auspices of the ROH Covent Garden in The Midnight Court with Toronto's Queen of Puddings Music Theatre.

For more information, visit Shannon Mercer online.