Soprano Cassandra Extavour began her vocal career with the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir in her native Toronto, Canada. She then moved to Europe to study, living in Spain, Greece, and England, studying voice under Carlos Mena (Madrid, Spain), David Mason (Madrid, Spain) and Richard Levitt (Schola Cantorum Basilensis, Basel, Switzerland).
She has soloed in oratorio and chamber opera with numerous European and American ensembles, including Alia Musica (Madrid, Spain), Capella de Ministrers (Valencia, Spain), La Capilla Real de Madrid (Madrid, Spain), The Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus (Cambridge, USA), Emmanuel Music (Boston, USA) and Boston Landmark Orchestra (Boston, USA).
Since relocating to Boston, USA she studies with Jane Olian (Juilliard Evening Division, Manhattan School of Music), does regular solo, recital and chamber work, and performs with multiple professional ensembles, including Emmanuel Music (dir. Ryan Turner) the Handel and Haydn Society (dir. Harry Christophers), Boston Baroque (dir. Martin Pearlman), and Lorelei Ensemble (dir. Beth Willer).
Cassandra is also Timken Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University (www.extavourlab.com), and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.