Deanne attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where she was a student of Marilyn Costello and Judy Loman. She completed her M.Mus. as a student of Sarah Bullen at Roosevelt University in Chicago. She has performed extensively throughout North America, Europe and her native South Africa, as a soloist and chamber musician. Deanne has performed at two World Harp Congresses and has made recordings of chamber music and solo repertoire. Deanne has been actively involved in performing music of contemporary composers and has given premieres of several new works for harp, both in concerts and on recordings. As harpist with the Curtis Institute of Music Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago she performed with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, John Adams, Marin Alsop and Yuri Temirkanov. She was the principal harpist of the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami under Michael Tilson Thomas.

Dr. Deanne van Rooyen is an Associate Professor and Assistant Department Head of Geology at Acadia University. She has a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from Carleton University. She has research projects in Cape Breton, mainland Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nunavik and Nunatsiavut. Her major area of focus is the northern Appalachian system, but she also works in the Proterozoic New Quebec Orogen, and the adjacent Archean Core Zone.

Mezzo-soprano Christianne Rushton has delighted audiences with her engaging presence and versatility on both the operatic and concert stages. Highlights from recent seasons include a return engagement with both Symphony Nova Scotia and the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra in performances of Bach’s B Minor Mass, Mozart’s Requiem, and Handel’s Messiah. She also made a recent guest appearance, recording, and tour with the Canadian Chamber Choir as soloist in their world premiere of Jeff Enns’ At Sunset. Highlights of Christianne’s numerous operatic roles have included, Orpheus in Orpheus ed Euridice (Opera Nova Scotia), the title role in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (Juilliard Opera Center), Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera North), and Filotete in the North American premiere and Italian revival (Spoleto) of Handel’s Oreste (Juilliard Opera Center).
 

Christianne is a past first prize winner of the Canadian Music Festival, a second prize winner of the prestigious Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition, a two-time grant recipient from the Canada Council for the Performing Arts, and a winner of the Canada Council’s Bernard Diamant Prize in Voice. In recital, she has performed as guest artist for the Royal Society of Canada, toured with Debut Atlantic, sung at the Indian River Festival, and performed at New York’s Alice Tully Hall.
 

Christianne is Associate Professor at Acadia University where she is head of vocal studies. At Acadia, she has performed with the University Chorus in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, with the Shattering the Silence music festival, and with the annual Tom Regan Memorial Concert. Christianne recently completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from SUNY Stony Brook.