Joel Katz is an internationally recognized performer and pedagogue.  He has assisted artists in preparation for roles at the Bayreuth Festival, the Metropolitan Opera, the Staatsoper in Berlin, La Scala and the Wiener Staatsoper. Praised by William Littler and others for his “sonorously deep voice”  (Toronto Star), he recently sang the role of the Devil in Alexina Louie’s “Brian Mulroney the Opera” for Rhombus Media, broadcast nation-wide as part of the Met in HD series at Cineplex Odeon theatres.  In the 2007-8 season, he performed Sacristan and Jailer in Puccini’s Tosca for Opera Ontario, and the role of the Ancien Evreu in Samson et Dalila.  His performance was acclaimed as "distinguished" by the Hamilton Spectator.  In April 2008 he sang the role of Bartolo in the RCM's "Le Nozze di Figaro", under maestro Mario Bernardi. Joel sang the roles of Padre Guardiano in La Foirza del Destino and Arkel in Pelléas et Mélisande in the 2011 season for Bill Shookoff's Opera by Request. His performance as Arkel was praised by critic Leslie Barcza as "showing a lovely gravitas". Joel is a past winner of the Munich International Voice Competition.