About Maya Barsacq

Maya Barsacq is a passionate and dynamic artist. She is an ardent and dedicated advocate of opera, classical music and especially contemporary classical music. Barsacq dedicates her time to performing, composing and teaching. 

Barsacq is the founder and conductor of Cadenza and the interdisciplinary art project, Nu. She also works as a freelance music director, conducting opera, and musical theater pieces in the United States and in Europe. With Nu, Barsacq is the ensemble conductor, as well as artistic director and curator. She oversees performances in diverse locations throughout Europe that will later expand globally.

In 2023, Barsacq made her company debut at the Opera de Tenerife conducing the Little Sweep of Benjamin Britten directed by Stefano Monti.

Prior conducting and assisting conducting engagments aside from Cadenza and Nu, have included: Midsummer Mozart Festival, New Frequencies Festival, Opera Idaho, West Bay Opera, Distinguished Artist Series, Classical Revolution Orchestra, and Lamplighter Theater.

Maya Barsacq received her conducting training from esteemed conductors: George CleveNicole Paiement, Barbara Day Turner, and Michel Singher.

Barsacq has collaborated with internationally renown singers, directors, instrumentalists from around the world. 

Barsacq is a strong advocate of music education and appreciation in and out of the classroom. She frequently is invited to teach master workshops in conservatories and universities around the world, and also enjoys working with young children in the classroom. Currently, Barsacq serves as  resident coach at Cosi7 and SoftlyLoud Consulting,  working with opera singers from around the world.

In 2021, Barsacq founded the Zenith Opera Competition –  ZOC is an international vocal competition of the highest professional level.  In its first three editions, an international panel of judges from many major opera houses (NY Metropolitan, Dallas Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Portland Opera, Staatsoper Stuttgart,  Oper Liepzig, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro Real, Gran Teatro del Liceu, etc…) have been able to discover the future generation of opera stars. Now preparing for its 4th edition with co-director soprano Rebecca Davis.

Barsacq also dedicates time to composing. Upcoming in the fall of 2023, Barsacq will be part of the Theater in Palm residency – an international and intercultural creative platform where she will compose a piece for an upcoming performance in Lisbon. 

She is also working on a new experimental, immersive and interactive performance piece, that will premiere in Berlin and Paris in 2024. Recent engagements have included works performed at the Home Stretch festival in Madison Wisconsin, the Loop Barcelona, and at the National Art Center in Tokyo, Japan. She is currently composing a new song cycle for soprano/tenor and piano entitled: Moment(s). In  2024, her new solo cello composition Split Space will be premiered by cellist Kathleen Balfe.

Her curiosity and drive to learn about living composers´works and lives are showcased monthly in her podcast the Aeolian Impromptu