iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

World premiere of Fiona Ryan's In Her Hands Nov 6-8, 2026 essentialopera.com for ticket info incl livestream & accessibility details. In-person @ Sanctuary Arts Centre in Dartmouth, NS. One-night-only livestream Nov 6. @maureenbattsoprano.bsky.social @erinsopran.bsky.social @mjhfx.bsky.social

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Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Maritime opera/theatre ppl, we want to e-meet you! Introduce or re-introduce yourself! Singers Stage managers Designers Directors Film makers Arts admin/PR We have projects in F’ton/Hfx. Beyond 2026, we anticipate projects around the Maritimes. Read more: www.essentialopera.com/get-involved

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Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Album launch and 15th anniversary party in Halifax! May 29, 7-10pm The Carleton, Halifax, NS FREE! RSVP: www.ticketscene.ca/events/60886/ CC: @maureenbattsoprano.bsky.social @erinsopran.bsky.social

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Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

This International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting some of the women on our album Some of my Stories: The Operas of Monica Pearce Album art by Kirsten Stackhouse #IWD #IWD2026 #WomenInOpera #opera #newmusic #WomenInMusic #ClassicalSky

Collage of photos, scattered on an olive green surface
L-R, top-bottom: Dorothy Parker, Helen Creighton, Monica Pearce, Nancy Astor Emily Post
And finally our album art, a shelf of seemingly unrelated objects bouncing all higgledy-piggledy: microphone, bike bell, martini, engagement ring, cake on a stand.

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Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

Rehearsal pics for recording Canadian-American PEI-born composer Monica Pearce's "April" over the last several days! Gorgeous multilayered short opera.

Screenshot of an instagram collaborative post. 7 people rehearsing in a large room with heinous flourescent light. It's a mix of genders, masks/not masks, paper and electronic scores. If you look carefully you can see three singers, a violinist, a clarinetist, a pianist, a conductor. Invisible: flawless air quality, CO2 around 455-485 ppm for several hours!

Screenshot from instagram collaborative post. Text reads "Monica joins us for notes!" It's the same bad-lighting great-air-quality rehearsal room, but now you can see a phone on a tripod, and you can just barely make out the composer herself on a video call.

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Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Stickers? STICKERS! Making these was a very silly process and helped alleviate various types of horrors for a while. We'll have them with us at the East Coast Music Awards in St. John's NL this week!

Strip of circular stickers. Graphic design is our passion; there are many typefaces and layers of clip art here.

Text reads: THE HORRORS*
*caffeine and emails
are worth it for
Music
Essential Opera

Text is surrounded by a spattery background circle. "THE HORRORS" is in a B-horror-movie-poster type and "Music" is in a very fancy elegant script.

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Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

We're heading to the Rock this week for the East Coast Music Awards & conference. Hit us up for stickers. Showcase 3pm Saturday May 10 at Memorial!

Collage on backgrounds of coral, pink, lilac, blue, and beige.
Text: Heading to the rock this week for the ECMAs! Who's going to be there??!

2025 ECMA Classical Showcase
co-presented by Canadian Music Centre and Debut Atlantic

May 10, 2025

Performances by
Ben Diamond
Blackwood
India Gailey
Essential Opera
Jennifer King

Logos from Debut Atlantic, ECMA, CMC

DF Cook Recital Hall, Memorial University
Doors open 2:30
Free Event

There are a few translucent Instagram handles near names of people and organizations.

Photo of Erin and Maureen, co-founders of Essential Opera, posed like frenemies in a sitcom, wearing sequined dresses. Erin (L) is a white woman in black with brown hair and glasses, Maureen (R) is a white woman in gold with red hair.

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Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 24/08/2024

Save-the-date! In Her Hands: The Tragedy of Lady Macbeth A brand-new opera By Fiona M. Ryan Workshop production Sunday, September 22, 7:30pm Motyer-Fancy Theatre in Sackville, NB Cast and creative team announcements and ticket link coming soon!!

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Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 27/06/2024

#AUDITIONCALL Essential Opera is casting for a workshop performance of a new opera by Fiona Ryan, “In Her Hands: The Tragedy of Lady Macbeth”. Submit by/before: July 15 Essentialopera.com for details: roles, submission suggestions, company & accessibility info #NewMusic #CanadianOpera #Auditions

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Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 23/03/2024

We're on at the JUNOfest classical showcase tomorrow! Halifax, St Matthew's United on Barrington. 1pm, $10 cash at the door. We're singing an opera live along with the movie we made of it?! #junos #opera #newmusic

JUNOfest presented by CBCmusic
An image of two white women. Maureen is on the left with red hair and a white blazer. Erin is on the right with dark hair and a black striped dress.
Saturday March 23
ESSENTIAL OPERA

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Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 07/02/2024

A few selections from the etsy shop for our fundraiser essentialopera.etsy.com So far songs have been sent to: -lovers -friends -siblings -pets -political enemies Who will you send a song to?

Screenshot of digital downloads available in Essential Opera's etsy store, such as: Flower Duet, Custom e-card, Custom video greeting, One and Only, Opera Overture Medley, F*ck You.

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Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 07/02/2024

Fundraiser we've got going on right now to workshop a super cool semi-improvisatory all-upper-voices feminist genderqueer Shakespeare opera by Fiona Ryan. Portion of proceeds also goes to The Youth Project for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth in Nova Scotia. Send a song to a loved one or enemy or just share!

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Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 29/12/2023

We’re re-releasing your favourite queer holiday opera, December! Stream on demand til Dec 31, 2023. This is a fundraiser for an upcoming workshop of a new* opera by Fiona Ryan. *also queer, also seasonal (just not this one) Tix $15-35 or PWYC BUY ONLINE: www.tickethalifax.com/events/14728...

Multi-coloured poster that reads Essential Opera presents December a new opera by Monica Pearce. Cast: Erin Bardua, Maureen Batt, Danielle Buonaiuto. Directed by Halley Davies. Conducted by Tara Scott. Www.essentialopera.com. Logos for SOCAN Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts, Arts Nova Scotia.

There’s a house in the middle with two figures in the walkway leading to the house. There are trees and reindeer in the background. And a rainbow is inside the letter M.

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Essential Opera @essentialopera.bsky.social · 09/10/2023

Work with us! We have multiple positions through Venture for Canada for upcoming projects this fall. Head to ventureforcanada.ca and select menu, then students, then intrapraneurship for more info. Apply now! Start date for the next cohort is November 6.

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