Maureen Batt

Maureen Batt (she/her) is celebrated for her “rich, warm sound and masterful acting” (Opera Canada). She is a singer, artistic director, producer, recording artist, and educator. In performance and curation, Maureen focuses on celebrating contemporary repertoire by collaborating with composers to commission, première, and re-perform their works. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Music Centre and the chair of CMC Atlantic regional council.

Her discography with her label Leaf Music includes 2-time ECMA-winning Lighthouse (with Grej), a journey of grief told through a love story, fusing classical and electronic genres; JUNO-nominated Breathing in the Shadows featuring works by Saman Shahi, with Tara Scott, piano; Aunt Helen, a one-act opera by Monica Pearce about Dr. Helen Creighton, with Simon Docking, piano; Mirror, Mirror, a one-act opera by Anna Pidgorna about the Grimm fairy tale Snow White, with Erin Bardua, soprano; and Lady of the Lake with song cycles by Franz Schubert and Fiona Ryan based on Sir Walter Scott’s texts, with Simon Docking, piano; Durme, Durme: Four Ladino Folk Songs, a song cycle by Elisha Denburg, with Tara Scott, piano. Two recent EP releases with Essential Opera include two operas by Monica Pearce: Etiquette, about Dorothy Parker’s 1927 review of Emily Post’s book Etiquette, and December, a queer holiday romcom. Her most recent release is Essential Opera’s debut full-length album Some of My Stories: The Operas of Monica Pearce.

Maureen is the co-artistic director of Essential Opera – Founded in 2010 with Erin Bardua. Essential Opera’s mission includes presenting opera from the tried and tested, to the brand new. Essential Opera’s history includes 5 commissions, digital broadcasts, EPs, and short opera films. 

In 2015, Maureen founded Crossing Borders, a contemporary Western art music series which has toured the United States, Canada, and Colombia. Art song is a featured genre on this recital series, but programs also often include opera, musical theatre, and electronics. To date, Crossing Borders has produced 18 world premières.

Maureen has created many Canadian opera roles, including Caroline (Caroline’s Sweeper) and Lucile (Memories Beyond the Grave) by Michael Donovan; Helen (Aunt Helen), Dorothy Parker (Etiquette), Bride (Cake), and Top Priority Air Customer Service representative and security guard (December) by Monica Pearce; Anna (Regina) and Keri Ferrell (Hipster Grifter) by Elisha Denburg; Cindy (Heather: Cindy + Mindy =BFFS 4EVER) and Hannah (Hannah & Paige and the Zombie Pirates) by Christopher Thornborrow; Sister Mary Francis (Time of Trouble) by Elizabeth Raum, and Lorelie Henderson (Stockholm Syndrome) by Fiona Ryan.

She has been engaged by the Open Waters Festival, Vocalypse Productions, Orchestra Toronto, Classics by the Bay, Windsor Symphony Orchestra, VoiceBox, Toronto Operetta Theatre, Maritime Concert Opera, Opera Nova Scotia, New Hamburg Live!, Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound, Whale Song Theatre, The Toy Piano Composers, performed as part of Neptune Theatre’s bonus features with her trio Diva Station, and has performed throughout Canada, and in the United States, Italy, and Colombia. 

As an educator, Maureen invites people to explore their singing through the lens of wholeness, embodied play, curiosity, and compassion. Maureen was a regular on faculty at the Halifax Summer Opera Festival as voice coach. Maureen teaches voice, offers voice and movement workshops (playshops) online and in Nova Scotia, and is a frequent music festival adjudicator and guest clinician. 

In her various leadership positions, she is an advocate of accessibility and inclusion.

For more information and to listen to Maureen’s music visit maureenbatt.com and @maureenbattsoprano

Maureenbatt.com • FB: /maureenbattsoprano • Twitter: @operaredhead • Insta: @Maureenbattsoprano