Meet Maureen
Maureen (she/her) focuses on celebrating new music by collaborating with composers to commission, première, and re-perform their works. Her discography includes JUNO-nominated Breathing in the Shadows; ECMA-nominated albums Lighthouse (with Grej), Aunt Helen, and Lady of the Lake; and Mirror, Mirror. Lighthouse is her most recent release.
Applauded for her “rich, warm sound and masterful acting” (Opera Canada), Maureen has created many Canadian opera roles. She is the co-artistic director of Essential Opera (founded in 2010). In 2015, Maureen founded Crossing Borders, a contemporary Western art music recital series which has toured the United States, Canada, and Colombia.
Maureen is a regular on faculty at the Halifax Summer Opera Festival as voice coach. Maureen teaches voice, offers voice and movement workshops (playshops) online, and is a frequent music festival adjudicator. As an educator, Maureen invites her students to explore their singing through the lens of wholeness, embodied play, curiosity, and compassion. Head here to read more about working with Maureen when she’s not on stage.
Her projects have received support from the SOCAN Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, SSHRC, FACTOR, Music Nova Scotia, and Arts Nova Scotia. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Music Centre. Maureen has an MMus from the University of Toronto, a BMus from Dalhousie University, and a BA from St. Thomas University.