Grammy-Winner Amanda Forsythe Returns to Tafelmusik for HEARING HER VOICE
The soprano performs works by Strozzi and de la Guerre alongside a new commission by Karen Sunabacka at Jeanne Lamon Hall.
Tafelmusik's Hearing Her Voice brings together two powerful forces: the return of GRAMMY Award–winning soprano Amanda Forsythe and the world premiere of a new intergenerational work by Métis composer Karen Sunabacka and writer Joyce Clouston. Spanning centuries, the program places women, long underrepresented in classical history, firmly at centre stage.
Running April 30 to May 3 at Jeanne Lamon Hall, the program moves between dramatic Baroque storytelling and rarely heard works by women composers while bringing to life vivid, character-driven performances.
In her eagerly anticipated return soprano Amanda Forsythe, fresh off her 2026 GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album, illuminates the brilliance of pioneering composers including:
- Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre
- Barbara Strozzi
- Mlle Duval
- Wilhelmine von Bayreuth
- Maria Teresa Agnesi
- Maria Margherita Grimani
- Marianna Martines
- the enigmatic Mrs. Philarmonica
“What's so powerful about this program is the dialogue it creates across time, bringing forward extraordinary music by women of the past alongside a new work that speaks from the present,” says Cristina Zacharias, Artistic Co-Director of Tafelmusik. “It reveals a lineage of creativity that has always existed, even if it hasn't always been heard.”
Hearing Her Voice extends into the 21st century with the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by Karen Sunabacka, set to text by her mother, Joyce Clouston. Rooted in Métis storytelling and intergenerational collaboration, the work brings a vital contemporary voice into dialogue with centuries of overlooked artists.
Program Details
Jeanne Lamon Hall at Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, Toronto:
- Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 7:30pm
- Friday, May 1, 2026 at 8pm
- Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 8pm
- Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 3pm
Featuring:
- Amanda Forsythe, soprano
- Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra
- Premiering a newly commissioned work by Karen Sunabacka, Métis composer
- Joyce Clouston, Métis writer
- Charlotte Nediger, harpsichord soloist
- Directed by Patricia Ahern, Johanna Novom, Julia Wedman & Cristina Zacharias
Program:
- Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre: Suite from Céphale et Procis & Semelé
- Mademoiselle Duval: Suite from Les Génies, ou les Caractères de l'Amour
- Wilhelmine von Bayreuth: Arias from Argenore & Concerto for harpsichord
- Maria Teresa Agnesi: Aria “Deh temprate” from Ulisse in Campagnia & music from L'insubria consolata
- Barbara Strozzi: Che si puo fare
- Maria Margherita Grimani: Aria “Sol fia pago” from La visitazione di Santa Elisabetta
- Mrs Philarmonica: Sonata quinta
- Marianna Martines: Aria “Sol che un istante” from Il primo amore
- Karen Sunabacka: nitatisipwētānān/We are leaving (world premiere)
Run time: 120 minutes
Style: Baroque vocal, orchestral
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