WORLD PREMIERE In Her Hands: The Tragedy of Lady Macbeth November 6-8, 2026 (3 shows) Sanctuary Arts Centre 100 Ochterloney St., Dartmouth, NS Livestream opening night – November 6 @ 7:30pm Atlantic Time TICKETS Essential Opera and Nova Scotia composer/librettist Fiona M. Ryan bring you a spellbinding performance inspired by Macbeth. We reimagine the classic…
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…
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…
CALL FOR WORKS (Duets) – Deadline for submission: Dec. 15, 2022 (and ongoing) There is no age, gender, or nationality restriction on this call. Shorter works are sometimes preferred. The genre of music is open to Western classical art song, crossover pop, musical theatre, cabaret, electronics, opera, and other genres about which I might…
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…
Best of Halifax final round again! MUSIC > BEST CLASSICAL ARTIST/GROUP Wowie! I’ve made it to the final round of The Coast’s Best of Halifax 2019 and I’m in some incredible company! Last year all you lovely people helped me get a Bronze in this music category which felt amazing because I was and…
This time last year we released Lady of the Lake! To celebrate its anniversary, we are launching a music video of Ave Maria! Video directed by Tom Belding. Ave Maria by Franz Schubert Listen to the Lady of the Lake album: https://leaf-music.lnk.to/lm213WE Maureen Batt, soprano Simon Docking, piano Emiliia Zadorozhna, actor Video directed by Tom…
I have just returned from a delightfully fun performance of Gianni Schicchi with Essential Opera and Orchestra Toronto. I resurrected the role of Lauretta from EO’s 2013 production. We had a wonderful time and I encourage you to check out some photos on our Facebook page. Next up: ECMAs in Halifax, a performance in…
I am very excited to share that I have been nominated as “Best Classical Artist/Group” in The Coast’s Best of Halifax 2017 contest. Voting ends on September 15! Any anyone with an email address can vote! Here’s how to vote: http://thecoast.secondstreetapp.com/l/Best-of-Halifax-2017/Ballot/Music -click the link above -scroll down to “Best Classical Artist/Group” and click -click on…