Classical Showcase at JUNOfest Saturday, March 23, 1pm St. Matthew’s United Church Barrington St., Halifax, NS Tickets $10 at the door or Buy a wristband to the entire festival at junoawards.ca/events/junofest Essential Opera is performing “Etiquette” LIVE at JUNOfest presented by CBC Music in Halifax. Etiquette composed by Monica Pearce with libretto by John Terauds;…
Essential Opera and Leaf Music Present Etiquette (Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Composer Monica Pearce’s one-act opera Etiquette is being released by Leaf Music and Essential Opera. Etiquette: A Glimpse of 1920s Icons presents a unique musical portrayal of three influential women from the 1920s: author, critic, and satirist Dorothy Parker (known for her wit and wisecracks), author and…
Hi folks, I often get asked about choosing and finding repertoire that’s outside of the Western European classical canon, and/or that’s by contemporary composers. Throughout music school I had a special interest in programming contemporary works (including some commissions even early on), but it wasn’t until I was finished my master’s that I could…
It’s the 35th ECMAs!!! Grej is nominated for Classical Composer of the Year for Lighthouse again this year and we’re pumped! On Saturday, May 6, at the Halifax Public Library an excerpts of our Lighthouse: Live at the Playhouse concert film will be shown. The classical showcase is produced by the Canadian Music…
Concert Film of “Lighthouse: Live at the Playhouse” Grej ⎮ Maureen Batt ⎮ Michael Doherty ⎮ Tania Breen Watch the virtual screening of the première performance of Lighthouse. Join us after the concert film for a live YouTube chat with the artists, hosted by Maria Murphy. Tickets for the…
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”6″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] Crossing Borders: Shifting the Lens Wednesday, December 8, 2021, 8pm AT/ 7pm ET (48-hour replay available, purchase tickets and watch anytime until Friday @ 8pmAT) ~~~~PROGRAM, TEXTS, TRANSLATIONS HERE~~~~ Crossing Borders Shifting the Lens Program Dec 8, 2021 Fabián Arciniegas, tenor Claire Harris, piano Maureen Batt, soprano Tara…
Essential Opera is TEN YEARS OLD. Yes, you read that correctly. Erin Bardua and I have been producing opera for a decade. To celebrate, this weekend we are putting the finishing touches on our latest production, a mini-opera by Anna Pidgorna based on the story of Snow White. And we’d love for you to be online…
The debut album of composer Saman Shahi is here! This has been in the works for years and I’m elated that it is out! Story time… In 2015, I put out a call for scores for my Crossing Borders recital series. Among the submissions, was a song called “Fevered Ashes” by Saman Shahi. I…
This International Women’s Day feels different than the ones before it. I hope, for those who haven’t already, today is a chance to reflect on issues concerning gender parity, diversity and inclusivity, intersectionality, and equal pay. There is a lot of darkness and it’s very heavy. Let’s keep working together to LIFT UP and…
UPDATE (April 2, 2019): We have curated our program for our Nov. 2019 tour. Composers will be contacted shortly re: music purchasing and/or other permissions and details. Thank you for your submissions and for your interest in my recital series, Crossing Borders. We are still interested in looking at tenor/soprano duets (see instrumentation and call…