ESSENTIAL OPERA - Key Persons
Co-artistic director Erin Bardua (she/her) is based in Sackville, NB, and performs, teaches, and directs there and elsewhere. She has been on faculty at Mount Allison University teaching lyric diction and applied voice, and has provided stage direction for the opera workshop and with the drama department. She has also been a stage director and acting coach for Halifax Summer Opera Festival, COSA, and other programs for emerging artists. Erin has also explored composition and songwriting. She maintains a busy teaching studio in Sackville and online, and is a frequent festival and competition adjudicator. http://www.erinbardua.com
Co-artistic director Maureen Batt (she/her) focuses on celebrating new music by collaborating with composers to commission, première, and re-perform their works. Her discography includes Lighthouse (with Grej); Aunt Helen; Mirror, Mirror; Breathing in the Shadows; and Lady of the Lake (Leaf Music). Celebrated for her "rich, warm sound and masterful acting" (Opera Canada), Maureen has created many Canadian opera roles. In 2015, Maureen founded Crossing Borders, a contemporary Western art music recital series which has toured the United States, Canada, and Colombia. As a pedagogue, Maureen has been a regular vocal coach on faculty at the Halifax Summer Opera Festival, is a frequent festival adjudicator, and offers masterclasses and workshops on voice play. She is a Wholeness in Motion practitioner and does ongoing professional development with Dr. Shannon Coates and Babette Lightner. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Music Centre. Maureen is based in Halifax, NS. https://www.maureenbatt.com