Brampton, Ontario born Edward Franko has distinguished himself as one of Canada's most energetic and experienced stage directors. His career has also included stints as producer, artistic director, educator, actor and lyric tenor. Mr. Franko has been hailed for his vivid imagination and his unique interpretations of theatre, traditional and contemporary opera and musical theatre. He has developed a large operatic directing repertoire while working with Opera Anonymous, TrypTych, Opera York, Opera Mississauga, and many others. His innovative stagings have included successful productions of Menotti's The Consul, Menotti's The Medium, Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress; Puccini's Il Tabarro, Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte and Puccini's La Boheme.
 
Mr. Franko has been instrumental in the formation and development of such groups as Songstar Productions, Opera Anonymous (where he acted as chairman of the board, managing director and production director) and TrypTych, a group he co-founded along with William Shookhoff and Lenard Whiting. With TrypTych, he has directed Poulenc's La Voix Humaine, Mihalovici's operatic version of Krapp's Last Tape, and Weisgall's operatic version of The Stranger. As well, he has directed the play Krapp Last's Tape by Samuel Beckett and the play The Stranger by August Strindberg. Mr. Franko directed and performed in Mahagonny Songspiel for Tryptych. He also acted as staging consultant for Beethoven’s Fidelio and the Canadian premiere of Hugo Wolf’s only opera, Der Corregidor. He directed many Orion House productions including Golden Moments in Opera and Music for the Soul. Mr. Franko also directed Opera Anonymous' English language world premiere of Joseph Quesnel's Lucas et Cecile at the Glenn Gould Studio which garnered rave reviews. Most recently, he has directed the Canadian Premiere of Frid's The Diary of Anne Frank to critical acclaim.

Most recently, he made his successful European directorial debut with his original production of Frid's The Diary of Anne Frank at the Three Rings Festival in Prague, Czech Republic. As well, he stage directed Britten's The Beggar's Opera as part of the inaugural Summer Opera School in Chichester, Great Britain.

One of Mr. Franko's latest projects has been the Toronto International Chamber Music Festival, which made its debut in the summer of 2003, returned in 2004 and 2006.. As producer, director and performer, he, along with his partners Lenard Whiting and William Shookhoff, have laid the groundwork for an annual music event of international stature.
 
Active as an opera educator, Mr. Franko has worked with The Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto (Rodelinda, Magic Flute); Creative Artist's Productions (Cosi Fan Tutte, The Impresario, Orpheus in the Underworld, Old Maid and the Thief ); Opera Anonymous (Abduction from the Seraglio) and JHS Opera (Il Trittico, Lucia di Lamermoor). Until recently he was on staff with Pro Voce Vocal Studio's opera workshop where he directed Gianni Schicchi, In a Garden, Hin und Zuruck, Old Maid and the Thief, Suor Angelica and The Medium.

He regularly acts as stage director for Yoriko and Her Shooting Stars in Ottawa, a programme aimed at educating youth about opera, and that has featured the esteemed Stuart Hamilton as narrator. As well, he he has acted as the original Artistic Director of Bytown Opera Works (Ottawa, Ontario). With TrypTych, he has helped develop it's workshop division and has stage directed Rigoletto, The Tales of Hoffman, The Most Happy Fella, The Boys from Syracuse, A Kurt Weill Kabaret, Send in the Sondheim, Little Women and many others.

As a professional tenor, Mr. Franko has many oratorio and opera roles to his credit. In oratorio, he has been heard in Messiah, Mozart's Requiem, Elgar's Coronation Ode, Haydn's St. Cecilia Mass and many others. His operatic roles include Lensky in Eugene Onegin, Charles Darwin in The Leviathan Hook, Charlie in Weill's Mahagonny Songspiel and the lead fowl in Doolittle's Charlie the Chicken. He has made many cabaret appearances in shows including Another Opening, Another Show, Life is a Cabaret, Heart Songs, Heart and Soulstice, Brush up Your Tenor, Holly Jolly Christmas Cabaret and many others. He has performed with the Canadian Opera Company, Opera Ontario, Opera York, Opera Anonymous, Maritime Concert Opera and many others. He is also a founding member of Quartetto di Voce, a vocal ensemble dedicated to the art of the small vocal ensemble. He also sings regulary at Church of the Holy Family in Toronto, as part of a professional quartet that specializes in Gregorian Chant and Renaissance Polyphony.