Garnet Brooks

Garnet Brooks (September 4, 1936 – July 21, 2009) was a Canadian tenor and vocal pedagogue who performed with opera companies and orchestras across North America and Europe.

Early life and education Garnet Brooks was born September 4, 1937, in London, Ontario, to parents James (an auto mechanic) and Sylvia Brooks. As a teenager, while working at his father's gas station, Brooks studied music privately. After two years he received a scholarship to attend The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) in Toronto from 1960-1964, where his teachers included Mary Raze, Dorothy Allan Park, John Coveart, and Douglas Bodle.

Professional career

Performing While still a student at the RCM, Brooks sang professionally. Early performances included roles with the Stratford Festival (in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro), and the Canadian Opera Company (including his 1963 debut in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier).

In addition to his career as an opera singer, Brooks performed in solo recitals, oratorios, TV programs, and in concert with every major Canadian symphony orchestra.