Praised by Opera Canada for her “shimmering vocals with pitch-perfect intonation” and “ringing high notes,” Christina Thanisch-Smith is swiftly establishing herself as a vibrant presence on the Canadian music scene. She recently made her Carmina Burana debut to a sold out audience with the Calgary Civic Symphony and will be performing Scarlatti’s “Su le sponde del Tebro” with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as a soloist in 2026. A recent graduate of the McPhee Artist Development Program at Calgary Opera, she made several mainstage debuts, inluding Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore and charmed audiences as Beauty in Giannini’s Beauty and the Beast (a role that prompted her feature debut with Opera Canada Magazine as “Artist of the Week”). In her final season as a McPhee, she appeared on the Jubilee Auditorium stage as Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, a performance that further underscored her artistry and promise as an artist to watch.

Equally at home in recital and chamber music, Christina delights in exploring the intimate worlds of song, with a special affinity for Lieder, inspired by her German heritage. She has honed her craft in collaboration with many of today’s foremost interpreters of concert work, including Elly Ameling, Dame Sarah Connolly, Joseph Middleton, Helmut Deutsch, and Benjamin Appl. This past summer, she debuted Schoenberg’s String Quartet No. 2 as a guest artist with the Toronto Summer Music Festival. Other notable concert credits include Handel’s Messiah with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Mahler’s Symphony no. 4 with the McGill Symphony Orchestra.

A native of Fredericton and raised in Winnipeg, Christina is an alumna of McGill University (G.D.P., M.Mus.) and the University of Manitoba (B.Mus.). She has also participated in esteemed residencies such as the Toronto Summer Music Festival Fellowship, Franz-Schubert-Institut (Baden bei Wein), Stratford Summer Music Festival Academy, and Opera NUOVA. Her artistic development has been generously supported by the Manitoba Arts Council, the Art Song Foundation of Canada, and the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation.

While completing her graduate studies at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music in 2023, Christina performed the title roles in Poulenc’s Les mamelles de Tirésias and Handel’s Partenope, respectively. As a frequent singer for the internationally renowned McGill-Université de Montréal Piano-Vocal Accompaniment Residency, she has sung for renowned pianists and singers such as James Vaughn (La Scala), Graham Johnson, Jeff Cohen, and Francois Le Roux.

Christina was a member of Les Jeunes Ambasadeurs Lyriques for the 2022-23 season, was selected for the Opéra de Montréal Talent Gala, and bowed as Eurydice in Manitoba Underground Opera’s production of Orphée et Eurydice, all while embarking on trips to the United States, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

When not singing, Christina prides herself on wearing many hats. She enjoys exploring Manitoba with her geologist-father as a licensed prospector. With a newly developed passion for aviation, she flew co-pilot for the first time in a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver plane last year. Christina has also acquired a taste for the art of wine, and recently completed her WSET Level 2 certification.