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 has premiered with Cadenza, works of Vasks, Milhaud, Poulenc, Shariff, Auric, and Jeanrenaud. 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 makes her company debut at the Opera de Tenerife conducing the Little Sweep of Benjamin Britten.
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 Cleve, Nicole Paiement, Barbara Day Turner, and Michel Singher.
Barsacq has collaborated with singers, directors, instrumentalists from around the globe. She has worked with talented singers including: Rochelle Bard, Rebecca Davis, Betany Coffland, Olga Chernisheva, Percy Martinez, Gabriel Manro, Josefine Andersson, Anna Yelizarova, Marina Harris, Alex Boyer, Gregory Gerbrandt, Zanda Svede, Elizabeth Russ, Christopher Bengocheoa, Sandra Bengocheoa, Jason Detwiler, Michelle Detwiler, Elliott Franks, Mark Kratz, Adriana de Leon, Cesar Cortez, Ramiro Maturana, Igor Viera, Amy Foote, Sanford Smith, Laurel Duncan-Anderson, Richard Mix, Joseph Raymond Meyers, Krista Wigle, Kathleen Nitz Kasdorf, Mary Elizabeth Enman, Maya Kherani, Lori Rivera, Maria de los Angeles Gomez, Serena Perez, North Bay Community Gospel Choir, Saint Columba Gospel Choir, and Ariose Singers.
She has synergized with instrumentalists: Seymour Lipkin, Chetan Tierra, Brenda Vahur, Mayuko Kamio, Lana Gruen, Joan Jeanrenaud, William Winant, Seth Asarnow, Kelley Maulbetsch, Mesut Ozgen, Patricia Mitchell, Dale Wolford, Anthony Doheny, Dan Levitan, Kathleen Balfe, Roxan Jurkevich and Rebecca Jackson. Barsacq has also worked with, directors, choreographers and artists: Daniel Helfgot, Carlus Padrissa, Stefano Monti, Barbara Heroux, Dmitry Troyanovsky, Cid Pearlman, Savina Tarsitano, Deepika Shrestha Ross, Luciano Chessa, and Jean Francois Revon.
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. Since 2020, Barsacq has been a resident coach for 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 two 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 3rd edition with co-director soprano Rebecca Davis.
Barsacq also dedicates time to composing. Currently she is 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 the home Stretch festival in Madison Wisconsin, at the Loop Barcelona and at the National Art Center in Tokyo, Japan; for a collaboration with artist Savina Tarsitano. Upcoming projects in the works are a a new commision and collaboration with Fluxus artist Susan Harby, as well as a collaboration with performer artist and composer Luciano Chessa. Her curiosity and drive to learn about living composers´works and lives are showcased monthly in her podcast the Aeolian Impromptu