News
Upcoming Events
November 23, 2022, 3:30pm. Surely I know the spring that swiftly flows (text by St John of the Cross) for Baritone voice and string quartet will be performed by bipoc voices curated by Rich Coburn. During Indiefest 2022 at Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton St, Vancouver, BC)
Titled “Imaginarium IV: BIPOC Voices” this is “A musical sampling platter of vocal chamber music by nine exciting BIPOC composers.” For more information and for tickets click here. This is part of IndieFest | re:Naissance Opera. More information about this event can be found here. (https://reopera.ca/indiefest/)
January 15, 2023, 3pm. Perichoresis (for flute, oboe and cello) to be performed during Virtuosi’s Roots and Branches the mentorship concert project at St. Andrew’s River heights church
For more information and to book tickets visit Virtuosi’s website. Tickets can be purchased here.
January 20, 2023, 8pm. Never to return (for string orchestra) to be performed by Sinfonia toronto at Jane Mallet theatre, 27 front street east, Toronto, ON.
For more information and to book tickets visit Sinfonia Toronto’s website.
March 2, 2023, 7:30pm. Never to Return (For String Orchestra) to be performed by the manitoba chamber orchestra at westminster uninte church, 745 westminster @ maryland, Winnipeg, MB.
For more information and to book tickets visit MCO’s website here.
March 2, 2023, 7:30pm. Born by the River (for string orchestra) to be performed by Symphony Nova Scotia at Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, on the campus of Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS.
For more information and to book tickets visit Symphony Nova Scotia’s website here.
March 5, 2023, 3:30pm. Never to return (for string orchestra) to be performed by the Ottawa symphony orchestra at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers centre, Ottawa, On.
For more information and to book tickets visit Ottawa Symphony Orchestra’s website here.
April 14, 2023, 8pm. Born by the River (For string orchestra) to be performed by Sinfonia Toronto at Trinity st-paul’s centre, 427 bloor street west, toronto, on.
For more information and to book tickets visit Sinfornia Toronto’s website here.
Recent Projects and Events
On September 23, 2022, Karen Sunabacka’s album Curlicue, with pianist Darryl Friesen, was released.
You can find the program notes as well as links for downloading and purchasing here at Ravello Records. (https://www.ravellorecords.com/catalog/rr8074/) Darry Friesen’s website can be found here. (https://darrylfriesen.com/)
August 1, 2022 - Music mondays Toronto, church of the holy trinity - Karen Sunabacka performed with the Andromeda Trio her newest work (commissioned by the Andromeda trio) The Place Where the creator rests.
The concert also included Karen’s first Trio - The Duke’s Arch (1999). The concert was recorded for a future broadcast on CBC.
July 2022 - Karen Sunabacka and her MoM, joyce clouston, were at a residence in Eastend, SK where they worked on a number of collaborative projects.
May 14, 2022 - Premiere of The Place where the creator rests. Commissioned and premiered by the andromeda trio.
March 2021 - premiere of …our inner lives were entwined…embroidered by the same pattern… for solo piano. commissioned by virtuosi concerts and naomi woo and premiered in an online concert by naomi woo.
5 MARCH 2020 - Music by Women Festival. Columbus, Mississippi.
Karen Sunabacka co-presented with Ames Asbell and Karla Hamelin: “Ripples: The Collaborative Process between composer and performers.” Conference dates: March 5-7 (conference ended just before everything shut down because of Covid 19).
23 February 2020 – PREMIERE OF Winnipeg Missa Brevis by Winnipeg Singers. Winnipeg, Manitoba
The Winnipeg Singers commissioned Karen Sunabacka to write the Gloria for a collaboratively composed Missa Brevis, premiered in February 2020.
13 NOVEMBER 2019 – 12:00. Park Sounds at Conrad Grebel University College. Waterloo, Ontario
Park Sounds performed I Wasn’t Meant for This, Karen Sunabacka’s new work for viola d’amore and percussion at Conrad Grebel University College for a noon hour concert on November 13th.
10 OCTOBER 2019 – 19:30. Premiere of Concerto for English Horn by ORCHESTRE MéTROPOLITAiN. Montreal, Canada
L’Orchestre Métopolitain has commissioned Karen Sunabacka to write an English horn concerto for their 2019 – 2020 season. The premiere performance in the Maison symphonique de Montréal will feature Mélanie Harel on the English horn and be conducted by Alondra de la Parra.
6 OCTOBER 2019 – Premiere of I Wasn’t Meant for This by Park Sounds. Winnipeg, Manitoba
Park Sounds, a duo comprised of percussionist Ben Reimer and violist Jennifer Thiessen, commissioned Karen Sunabacka to compose I Wasn’t Meant for This. The piece premiered at Park Sound’s debut concert, Root Systems that was produced by GroundSwell in Winnipeg.
23 May 2019 – 11:00. NORA Conference 2019. Reykjavik, Iceland
Karen Sunabacka attended the 2019 NORA Conference at the University of Iceland and presented her paper: Reclaiming the Voices of Métis Women in Mama’s Painting: Louis Riel’s ‘Dream’
8 May 2018 - 20:00. Groundswell. Winnipeg Art Gallery
A performance of Mama's Painting: Louis Riel's Dream.
28 February 2018 - 12:30. Conrad Grebel University College. Waterloo, Ontario.
Mama's Painting: Louis Riel's Dream was performed during a noon hour concert in the Grebel Chapel. Local musicians, and Karen Sunabacka herself were part of the performance.
27 January - 2 February 2018 - Mentor Composer at WNMF Composers Institute. Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Karen Sunabacka was a mentor composer for the WNMF Composers Institute.
31 January 2018 - 19:30. Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Centennial Concert Hall. Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Premiere of #DryColdCoversations by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The WSO commissioned Karen Sunabacka to write the piece for the 2018 New Music Festival. The piece explores new and seasoned Manitoban's experiences of Winter.
22 and 24 of February 2017- 19:30. Premiere of De natura sonorum by ORCHESTRE MéTROPOLITAiN. Montreal, Canada
De natura sonorum was composed by Hartery/David/Ware/Sunabacka/É. Champagne. This was a collaborative project where each composer wrote one movement about their region of Canada. Karen Sunabacka wrote the slow movement about the Canadian Prairies.