Essential Opera is an opera company based in Atlantic Canada, founded in 2010 by co-artistic directors Erin Bardua and Maureen Batt. Essential Opera’s EP of “Etiquette” by Monica Pearce was released September 29, 2023 on Leaf Music. Other recent projects include recordings and short films of operas by Canadian women composers. Essential Opera’s first commercial release was an EP of Anna Pidgorna’s “Mirror, Mirror” (March 2021). Upcoming projects include “In Her Hands”, a full-length operatic reimagining of “Macbeth” by Fiona Ryan. In past seasons, Essential Opera has commissioned and presented world premières of new works by Canadian composers, and rare outings of beautiful classical pieces. Our projects and commissions have been supported by SOCAN, Arts Nova Scotia, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts. Essential Opera’s mission includes presenting opera from the tried and tested, to the brand new. Opera is a living art form; what we do and how we do it is a response to the world in which we live.