Explore significant moments throughout SHHH!!’s journey!!
📅 November 5-18, 2017
📍 Banff, AB
‼️ SHHH!! Ensemble is born! Zac and Edana attend the Banff Centre’s Banff Musicians in Residence (BMiR) program as independent artists and leave, inspired, as a duo with some big plans!!
📅 July 9, 2018
📍Ottawa, ON
‼️ At the Music and Beyond festival SHHH!! Ensemble give the world premiere of John Beckwith’s Meanwhile, the first piece commissioned by and written for SHHH!!. This performance was also the debut of SHHH!! Ensemble.
📅 November 7, 2019
📍Ottawa, ON
‼️ SHHH!! Ensemble receives an ARTicipate Grant that gives the duo time and space at the Shenkman Arts Centre to develop new repertoire. Their ongoing SHHHuffle outreach program and philosophy of inclusive avant-accessible curation is created at this time.
📅 January 27-March 13, 2020
📍Various locations across Canada
‼️ Beginning with a residency at the Canadian Music Centre in Toronto, SHHH!! puts the finishing touches on their Spirits recital. The program featured new music written for Edana and Zac by John Gordon Armstrong and Kevin Hanlon, alongside previously existing works by Micheline Roi, Andy Akiho, and J.S. Bach. SHHH!! snuck in a big tour just before a certain virus put a temporary end to all such activities!
📰 “Truly virtuosic and intense.” – Confluence Concerts
📅 April 20, 2020
📍Virtual
SHHH!! invited to perform a National Arts Centre #CanadaPerforms recital.
📅 August 18, 2020
📍St. John’s, NL
‼️ SHHH!! perform the world premiere of Jocelyn Morlock’s Spirit Gradient at the Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival.
📅 November 2, 2020
📍Toronto, ON
‼️ SHHH!! perform for the Music Mondays series in Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity. The performance is recorded live and broadcast on CBC’s In Concert.
📅 January 1, 2021
📍Ottawa, ON
‼️ SHHH!! become the new Artistic Directors of the Ottawa New Music Creators.
📅 March 27, 2021
📍Virtual
‼️ Zac and Edana give the world premiere of Monica Pearce’s leather, marking the beginning of a years long collaboration and friendship with the composer.
📅 May 10-22 & August 2-14, 2021
📍Luskville, QC & Banff, AB
‼️ SHHH!! participates in the prestigious Evolution: Classical Career Development Residency through the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and lead by the Gryphon Trio and a host of other incredible artists. Transformative to say the least.
📅 October 7, 2022
‼️ SHHH!!’s debut album, Meanwhile, is released on the Analekta label.
📰 “Performed with complete assurance and mastery.” – The WholeNote
📅 October 14, 2022
‼️ Monica Pearce’s debut album of percussion-centred chamber works is released on the Centrediscs label. SHHH!! Ensemble is featured on the track leather.
📅 October 18, 2023-April 23, 2024
📍 Mountain Grove, ON
‼️ SHHH!! Ensemble begin collaborating with Frank Horvat on an epic 60-minute work titled An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene. The duo and Frank spend 6-weeks in residence at Port William Sound developing the project, eventually recording the work as SHHH!!’s second album.
📅 February 1, 2023
📍Winnipeg, MB
‼️ SHHH!! give the world premiere of Kelly-Marie Murphy’s double concerto Machines, Mannequins, and Monsters with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. The duo followed up the premiere with a second performance with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra.
📰 “A beautiful discovery” – Société de musique contemporaine du Québec
📅 October 20, 2023
‼️ SHHH!!’s sophomore album, An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene, is released on the Leaf Music label garnering a 5-star review in La Scena Musicale.
📅 October 20, 2023
📍 Kitchener-Waterloo, ON
‼️ World premiere of Harry Stafylakis’ two-movement work Light Symbolic at the NUMUS series.
📅 September 2-14, 2024
📍Boscawen, NH
‼️ SHHH!! Ensemble are Artists in Residence at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute in Boscawen, New Hampshire for an unforgettable and inspiring two weeks.
📰 “This duo performed with clarity and cohesion.” – Ludwig Van Toronto
📅 May 7-11, 2025
📍St. John’s, NL
‼️ An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene is nominated for two East Coast Music Awards: Classical Release of the Year and Electronic Release of the Year
📅 May 26-June 1, 2025
📍Halifax, NS
‼️ SHHH!! Ensemble are guest artists at the Scotia Festival of Music, performing numerous concerts and giving masterclasses.
📅 October 5, 2025
📍Ottawa, ON
‼️ SHHH!! perform Kelly-Marie Murphy’s double concerto Machines, Mannequins, and Monsters with their hometown orchestra, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra.
📅 November 24-26, 2025
📍Ottawa, ON
‼️ SHHH!! Ensemble record their third album, titled Starry Night. This release features new music written especially for SHHH!! by Monica Pearce, Harry Stafylakis, Paolo Griffin, and Mari Alice Conrad, alongside previously existing works by Vincent Ho and Jocelyn Morlock.
📅 April 12, 2026
📍 Ottawa, ON
‼️ World premiere performance of Rémi St-Jacques’ Chasse-Galerie for SHHH!! Ensemble and chorus, a concert-length work co-commissioned by five Francophone choirs from across Canada.
📅 July 26, 2026
📍 Ottawa, ON
‼️ SHHH!! give the world premiere of Kelly-Marie Murphy’s It’s Like, I Don’t Know, You Know? at Ottawa Chamberfest’s New Music Now series.
More to come!! 🤫🎹🥁