Category: Single Release

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World Premiere: His Gabbah is Turquoise by Parisa Sabet

(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Leaf Music, along with double bassist Ali Kian Yazdanfar and pianist Brigitte Poulin, announces the release of His Gabbah is Turquoise (LM2051), a new work by composer Parisa Sabet. The single will be available on all digital platforms on July 11, 2025, marking the first release from their upcoming album, Sayeh-Roshan (Persian for “chiaroscuro”), set for release on November 21, 2025. 

Commissioned especially for Yazdanfar and Poulin, His Gabbah is Turquoise draws inspiration from the bold textures and asymmetrical designs of gabbah—traditional Persian rugs known for their raw beauty. The title reflects the spiritual and cultural significance of the colour turquoise, long associated with wisdom, healing, and hope. The piece is also deeply personal, serving as a tribute to the artists’ fathers and a reflection on their shared Iranian heritage. “It’s an homage to the fathers,” says Sabet, “woven with memory and tradition.” 

Known for her distinctive blend of Iranian influences and Western contemporary styles, Parisa Sabet has created works addressing themes of identity, justice, and diaspora. Her past projects include Silent, an interdisciplinary response to the Black Lives Matter movement, and a collaboration based on Forugh Farrokhzad’s seminal poem The Wind-Up Doll. Sabet holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Toronto, where her research focuses on Persian musical idioms and intercultural synthesis. 

Ali Kian Yazdanfar, principal double bass of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, has built a vibrant international career as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. He continues to champion contemporary works, including the 2018 premiere of a bass concerto by Behzad Ranjbaran and his acclaimed 2023 album Iridescence (Leaf Music). 

Brigitte Poulin, a Montreal-based pianist, is celebrated for her eclectic artistry and wide-ranging collaborations. A founding member of Ensemble Transmission and Trio Phoenix, she is a devoted teacher and regular performer at Orford Musique, McGill University, and the Université de Montréal. 

Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Nashville, Tennessee, making and distributing high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers from across North America. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. Leaf is also a provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services, and integrated music marketing and distribution in North America. 

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MEDIA CONTACT: 

For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Peggy Walt,   peggy@leaf-music.ca 

(902) 422-5403 (office) or (902) 476-1096 (cell).

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Leaf Music and Bela String Quartet present their latest EP 

(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Leaf Music and Bela String Quartet announce the March 28 release of their new EP (LM2047). 

Sharing with its release title, Bela String Quartet presents a collection of Nordic folk melodies reimagined through the lens of classical and folk traditions. Inspired by the Danish String Quartet’s celebrated collections Wood Works and Last Leaf, this EP captures the joy, camaraderie, and timeless beauty of traditional Nordic tunes. They recorded three beloved arrangements by the Danish String Quartet: Waltz after Lasse in Lyby, Stædelil, and Sønderho Bridal Trilogy, Pt. 2 at the St. George’s Round Church, a National Historic Site built in 1812.

From left to right: Catherine Little (cello), Anna Wedlock (violin), Carrie VanSlyke (viola), Anthony Rissesco (violin) 

For over a decade, the Bela String Quartet has delighted audiences across Canada’s East Coast. They blend their diverse musical backgrounds to create heartfelt and refined performances. 

Anna Wedlock is a fiddler and violinist. She’s collaborated with many pop and folk artists, including India Gailey, Cassie Josephine, and The Big Country Ramblers. As the leader of the Bela String Quartet, Anna has arranged and performed work with Terra Spencer, Jenn Grant, and Gianna Lauren. She lives in Halifax with her partner and dog.  

Anthony Rissesco is a versatile violin player and teacher who tours regularly with award-winning singer-songwriter Lennie Gallant and with roots-rock band Pogey. As a member of the neo-traditional trio Papilio, Anthony has garnered ECMA and Nova Scotia Music Awards nominations. He is also a member of the popular Halifax band The Gig Dogs. Anthony has played with Symphony Nova Scotia, Anne Murray, and Peggy Seeger. 

Carrie VanSlyke is a classical violist who has performed worldwide, from the Sydney Opera House to Aspen and Banff Music Festivals. A regular with Symphony Nova Scotia since 2014, she has collaborated with Rod Stewart, Nelly Furtado, and Weezer. She relocated to Nashville after over a decade in Nova Scotia. Carrie holds Viola Performance degrees from the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati and McGill University. 

Nova Scotia-born cellist Catherine Little is dedicated to bridging classical music with diverse audiences. She has performed with Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Symphony Nova Scotia, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia. As part of Trio KLM, she engages her audiences by performing arrangements of classical greats, as well as well-loved pop and rock. Catherine’s discography includes two albums with pianist Gregory Myra – the 2022 Nova Scotia Music Award-winning “Taking Five” (2021) and “Light & Dark” (2024). Catherine holds an Honours Bachelor of Music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University (2007) and a Master’s in Music Performance from the Université de Montréal (2010). 

Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Nashville, Tennessee, making and distributing high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers across North America. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. Leaf is also a provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services and integrated music marketing and distribution in Canada. 

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MEDIA CONTACT: 

For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Peggy Walt,   

peggy@leaf-music.ca 

(902) 422-5403 (office) or (902) 476-1096 (cell). 

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Leaf Music and Allison Ernst present Ravel: Sonatine

(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Leaf Music and Allison Ernst announce the March 7 release of her new EP, Ravel: Sonatine (LM2048), a technically demanding three-movement piano work just twelve minutes long.

Dr. Allison Ernst is a dedicated and passionate performer and teacher. Her work as a pianist has taken her all over the United States, performing solo, chamber, and concerto works. She has also competed in the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition and the Bay Area Piano Competition. An avid leader within music education, she serves as the Newsletter Editor for Tennessee Music Teachers Association, Treasurer for the Nashville Area Music Teachers Association, and as an adjudicator for piano festivals around Nashville. She is the owner and founder of Dr. Allison’s Piano Studio, previously known as Aunt Ali’s Music Studio. She also held a position as Adjunct Professor of Music for three academic years at Volunteer State Community College in Tennessee. 

Allison’s commitment to serving the community through musical performances has inspired her to create two projects, which include The Riverside Arts Walk Concert Series and The Mission Inn Concert Series. She continues to perform free events through her newest community outreach program, The Music City House Concert Series. Creating a greater sense of community through the power of music remains central to her ideals in all the roles that she plays. As a scholar, she plans to publish her latest research entitled, “Playing with Time: Understanding and Notating Tempo Rubato,” in the next issue of the academic journal Historical Performance Practices.

Originally from Kalispell, Montana, Allison received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Historical Performance Practices from Claremont Graduate University, a Master of Music in Piano Performance from California Baptist University, and a Bachelor of Arts-Music from Seattle University. Her primary teachers include Jenny Soonjin Kim, Tina Kouratachvili, and Kay Lund.  When not practicing or teaching piano, Allison loves to travel, swim, and cook new recipes with her husband.

Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, making and distributing high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers from across Canada. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. Leaf is also a provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services and integrated music marketing and distribution in Canada.

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MEDIA CONTACT: 

For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Peggy Walt,  peggy@leaf-music.ca 

(902) 422-5403 (office) or (902) 476-1096 (cell).

About Allison
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New Single from Caitlin Broms-Jacobs and Madeline Hildebrand

(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Leaf Music releases a new single by oboist Caitlin Broms-Jacobs and pianist Madeline Hildebrand, titled 6 Pieces for Flute and Piano: VI. Nocturne (Version for Oboe & Piano) by Fikret Amirov.  

Like Armirov’s other compositions, the Nocturne is imbued with traditional Azeri elements: melodies, harmonies, and ornamentations, but its magic defies categorization. Although Amirov’s name is nearly unknown in the West, he was one of Azerbaijan’s most esteemed cultural figures. He was a prolific and highly significant composer who wrote numerous large-scale symphonic works, operas, ballets, and chamber music.  

The duo, Fierbois, takes after the name of the sword of Joan of Arc. An iconic strong woman, she never used the sword to inflict harm, only to inspire. Fierbois means “proud wood” in Old French. 

Caitlin and Madeline’s upcoming album debut, Sing to Me Again, will be released on January 10. The album explores and reimagines music from Eastern European countries for oboe and piano. It results from a decade of discovery, growth, and artistic partnership between the two musicians. 

The debut album gets its launch in Winnipeg at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on Friday, January 10, 2025, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM CST. Click here for tickets and more information. 

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MEDIA CONTACT: 

For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Peggy Walt

peggy@leaf-music.ca (902) 422-5403 (office) or (902) 476-1096 (cell).

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Kristan Toczko (HarpistKT) Presents Beauty and the Beast

(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Kristan Toczko (HarpistKT) presents her second single of the year, a rendition of the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast’s Prologue. Her harp performance offers a fresh take on this beloved piece. Interestingly, it is rumored that the film director used Saint-Saëns’s Aquarium as temporary music during the film’s editing phase to guide the mood while Alan Menken was still composing the score, resulting in notable similarities between the two pieces. 

Listen to Beauty and the Beast’s Prologue wherever you stream your music: https://leaf-music.lnk.to/lm2044

Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, making and distributing high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers from across Canada. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. Leaf is also a provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services and integrated music marketing and distribution in Canada.

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MEDIA CONTACT: 

For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Peggy Walt,  peggy@leaf-music.ca (902) 422-5403 (office) or (902) 476-1096 (cell).

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Kristan Toczko (HarpistKT) Present The Legend of Zelda’s Great Fairy Fountain

(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Kristan Toczko (HarpistKT) presents her latest single, Great Fairy Fountain, from The Legend of Zelda. This is a frequent request and fan favourite on HarpistKT’s social media channels: TikTok (where she has 2.5 million followers), Facebook (299K), YouTube (380K), and Instagram (508K). Join her at @harpistkt. 

Great Fairy Fountain opens with the iconic and deeply nostalgic arpeggios of the Zelda series, where Koji Kondo referred to it as a “hook,” the hallmark of his compositional style. 

Listen to Great Fairy Fountain wherever you stream your music: https://leaf-music.lnk.to/lm2045

Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, making and distributing high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers from across Canada. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. Leaf is also a provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services and integrated music marketing and distribution in Canada.

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MEDIA CONTACT: 

For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Peggy Walt,  peggy@leaf-music.ca (902) 422-5403 (office) or (902) 476-1096 (cell).

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Leaf Music & Essential Opera Present: “Etiquette”

(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Composer Monica Pearce’s one-act opera Etiquette is being released by Leaf Music and Essential Opera. The twenty-one minute work features three influential 1920s women: author, critic and satirist Dorothy Parker (known for her wit and wisecracks), author and socialite Emily Post, and American-born British politician Nancy Astor. Etiquette in Society, in Business, in politics, and At Home (the book by Emily Post) was published in 1922, noting the importance of etiquette in all aspects of life: “Consideration for the rights and feelings of others is not merely a rule for behavior in public but the very foundation upon which social life is built.” When reviewing the work, however, Parker observed that, “Those who have mastered etiquette seem to arrive at exquisite dullness.” 

Commissioned by Essential Opera, this world-premiere recording was made possible with support from the Canada Council for the Arts and Arts Nova Scotia. The album was recorded at St. Andrew’s United Church in Halifax. A stylish short film is also being released in the coming months.  

Monica Pearce composed the music, and the librettist is John Terauds. The recording features sopranos Maureen Batt and Erin Bardua, Mezzo-soprano Lucy Hayes Davis, pianist Tara Scott, and clarinetist Brad Reid. 

Essential Opera’s recent productions include short opera films by Canadian women composers. Founded in 2010 in Toronto by Erin Bardua and Maureen Batt, the company has commissioned many new works, receiving support from SOCAN, Ontario Arts Council, Arts Nova Scotia, and The Canada Council for the Arts. Their mission is to give audiences opportunities to experience opera at its most essential, with a dynamic and evolving definition of what is essential. 

Monica Pearce is a Canadian composer specializing in opera, chamber music and everything toy-piano-related. After completing her Bachelor of Music at Mount Allison University with a focus on piano and composition, Monica has a Master of Music in Composition from the University of Toronto and co-founded emerging composer collective, the Toy Piano Composers, with Chris Thornborrow. Her compositions have been performed and commissioned by many leading ensembles. She won the Harry Freedman Award for her harpsichord work toile de jouy and was nominated for Classical Composer of the Year by the 2022 East Coast Music Awards for Maureen Batt’s recording of Aunt Helen. In 2022 she released her debut album Textile Fantasies, a multi-work piece including eight works inspired by textiles and patterns. Called “vivid,” “pleasantly intricate,” “imaginative and meaningful,” by reviewers, this recording features performances by keyboardists Cheryl Duvall, Wesley Chen, Barbara Pritchard, and Joseph Ferretti, tabla player Shawn Mativetsky, and renowned ensembles TorQ Percussion and SHHH!! Ensemble. Monica is active as a librettist and worked with composer Cecilia Livingston on the Dora-nominated opera on the life of Anne Frank entitled Singing Only Softly.  

essentialopera.com 

MEDIA CONTACT:  

For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Peggy Walt,  peggy@leaf-music.ca (902) 422-5403 (office) or (902) 476-1096 (cell).

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Leaf Music & Christina Haldane Release First Single: “Partons, la mer est belle”

Leaf Music and Christina Haldane present Partons, la mer est belle, the first and only single from the forthcoming album, Tu Me Voyais, set to be released through Leaf Music on October 21, 2022. Carl Philippe Gionet’s arrangement of the evocative Acadian folk song Partons, la mer est belle is reimagined from a long lineage of interpretations from folk singers dating back to the 1800s.  

This traditional Acadian folk song reflects on the cyclical nature of life and the hardships of living and working on the ocean. The song stems from the aural tradition, where music and lyrics are passed down through generations without the use of notation or text, resulting in each new generation sculpting its own interpretation.   

Gionet’s arrangement focuses on achieving a balance between remaining faithful to the aural renditions he received in childhood and allowing Haldane’s tenor and inflection to drape a new interpretation over the music. Gionet’s arrangement is inspired by the 19th century Lieder style, in which the voice and piano share solo responsibilities and the spotlight equally. New harmonic colours provide depth to the musical landscape and expand the sonic palette of the piece. Certain liberties have been taken with the traditional text, including adding reprises to enhance the dramatic arc of the storytelling.   

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Christina Haldane’s career spans the UK, Europe, Asia and North America, and she is currently based in Canada’s Atlantic provinces. She has interpreted many lead opera roles, having performed for opera houses such as The Finnish National Opera, The Royal Opera Covent Garden, Scottish Opera and Musica Viva Hong Kong. Her specialty is performing Handel’s Heroines, Comedic Bel Canto roles and Contemporary opera. Christina enjoys performing and curating recital and chamber music concerts, and she is often invited to perform with leading orchestras. Her exploration of contemporary music has led to many collaborations with composers, and she continues to bring their vocal works to life. Christina is a bilingual English and French speaker with Acadian heritage, and she is proud to be a citizen of Canada and Great Britain. 

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Christina Haldane – Partons, la mer est belle 

Release Date: September 2, 2022 

christinahaldane.com 

leaf-music.ca 

MEDIA CONTACT: Andrew Brown | andrew@leaf-music.ca 

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Infusion Baroque releases New Single: “Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17”

Halifax, NS – Leaf Music announces the release of Infusion Baroque’s new single
Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 17 on May 13, 2022. Infusion Baroque’s new single release from
the album “Virtuosa” arrives today. Infusion Baroque offers their interpretation of one of
Clara Schumann’s masterpieces, Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 17. Schumann’s
compositional skill is accentuated by Infusion Baroque’s deft treatment of the intricacies
and nuances of the composition.


The four-movement piece Piano Trio in G minor marks the sixth and final single of a
series of releases for Infusion Baroque’s album Virtuosa, to be released June 24, 2022. The
2-disc recording encompasses 15 works that were either composed or performed by women,
with all of the pieces recorded on historical instruments.


About Infusion Baroque
Infusion Baroque draws new audiences to early music through a truly captivating concert
experience, deftly combining seasoned musicianship with theatrical elements. Playing music
of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries on historical instruments, the four women of
Infusion Baroque enthrall audiences across North America with their creative and interactive
programming.



Infusion Baroque: Piano Trio In G Minor, Op 17
Release date: May 27, 2022

Infusionbaroque.com


MEDIA CONTACT: Andrew Brown | andrew@leaf-music.ca |

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New Release by Infusion Baroque | Anna Bon di Venezia

For immediate release (Halifax)…March 18, 2022. Leaf Music is thrilled to announce Infusion Baroque’s newest single: “Divertimento No. 3 in D minor, Op. 3” composed by Anna Bon. 

Anna Bon di Venezia was an accomplished 18th-century singer, harpsichordist and composer, who spent a lifetime in good musical company. She studied music at the famed Ospedale della pietá, was supported by Wilhelmine von Bayreuth in becoming chamber music virtuoso at the Prussian court, and worked with Haydn at the Esterházy court. The style of her compositions reflect a time of transition from the Baroque to Classical, and include Six Divertimenti for two flutes & basso continuo, Six Harpsichord Sonatas, and Six Chamber sonatas for flute & harpsichord.

(Illustration – Parissa Mohit)

“Divertimento No. 3 in D minor, Op. 3” marks the fourth single of a series of releases for Infusion Baroque’s album Virtuosa, to be released June 10, 2021. The 2-disc recording encompasses 15 works that were either composed or performed by women, and recorded on historical instruments. 

Since 2017, one of Infusion Baroque’s primary initiatives has been The Virtuosa Project, a series of concerts, lectures, and web videos dedicated to women musicians of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. This project, which highlights over a dozen relatively unknown women who made substantial contributions to Western classical music, has generated a great amount of interest at a local and international level, resulting in requests from international presenters for the ensemble to tour the Virtuosa program in the United States, France and the U.K.  

The CD will include a comprehensive booklet and companion website which will include stories, images, and archival material pertaining to the women featured on the recording. The objective is to provide cultural and socio-economic context for the women’s lives as well as for their music, and to highlight their accomplishments in the face of adversity. Many of the featured women were pioneers in their field.

Infusion Baroque draws new audiences to early music through a truly captivating concert experience, deftly combining seasoned musicianship with theatrical elements. Playing music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries on historical instruments, the four women of Infusion Baroque enthrall audiences across North America with their creative and interactive programming.

Infusion Baroque’s performances have been described as “dynamic and alive” (Early Music America) with “polish, energy, and finely-honed style… merrily breaking established traditions” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Winners of the Grand Prize and Audience Prize at the 2014 Early Music America Baroque Performance Competition, the ensemble charms audiences with its dynamic programs such as “Who Killed Leclair?” (an interactive murder mystery soirée based on the unsolved murder of the famous musician); “Rebels and Rivalries” (featuring scandalous stories from the lives of great composers); and “Son of a Bach!” (narrating the multigenerational saga of the famous musical family).

Infusion Baroque has released two recordings with the Canadian label Leaf Music to critical acclaim. The ensemble’s latest album, a world-premiere recording of quintets by Georg Anton Kreüsser, was nominated for an Opus Prize by the Conseil Québecois de la musique.  According to Fanfare, “the playing of these musicians … is superb. They play with a liveliness and unforced energy that seems to grow naturally out of the music… combining spontaneity and abandon with technical perfection.” The ensemble’s debut recording of trio sonatas by C.P.E. Bach was described as “real baroque … gripping and full of character” (Radio-Canada).Since 2017, Infusion Baroque has been exploring the lives of historical women performers through The Virtuosa Project. Fascinated by the great number of women who made their mark as musical performers despite considerable barriers and stigma, Infusion Baroque devoted an entire concert season in 2018-19 to exploring their lives and music. The ensemble also produced a web series which tells the story of four female musicians of the past, and is looking forward to producing a CD recording and documentary on this exciting topic to be released in 2021. (photo – Danylo Bobyk)

Infusion Baroque: “Divertimento No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 3”
Release date: March 18, 2022
Digital Release
Stream/Download HERE
For MEDIA ONLY – Download
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infusionbaroque.com

MEDIA CONTACT: Catherine Little | catherine@leaf-music.ca | leaf-music.ca