McKenzie Warriner (soprano) – Eckhardt Gramatté Prize

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Soprano McKenzie Warriner has demonstrated her immense dedication to music since an early age. Growing up in rural Saskatchewan, she travelled more than 200 kilometres to Regina for voice lessons. Her unwavering commitment to her music education has since led her to complete an undergraduate degree at the University of Manitoba, and a Master’s of Music at Eastman.

“Contemporary music is the sound world I am most drawn to,” said Warriner with pride. It therefore comes as no surprise that she was attracted to the Eckhardt-Gramatté competition, which focuses on contemporary and Canadian music. Warriner was confident in her competition program, which included an art song by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho that she had previously sung at her Master’s recital, and a song cycle written for her by her fiancée, Tristan Zaba. “I picked pieces that were near and dear to my heart,” she said.

Also on the program was Peroration, by Brian Elias. Warriner was especially proud of her performance of this piece, noting that it was extremely challenging to learn and memorize, requiring her to simultaneously read and sing three staves of music. She is far from afraid of a challenge though. “Music is a puzzle you can never completely solve,” Warriner said, when asked about her favourite parts of being a musician. “No matter how great you are, there’s always a new layer to uncover. It is a field you can never truly master, which is sometimes infuriating but also extremely motivating.” While the days of her 200-km commute may be behind her, she looks forward to the long and rich musical journey ahead.

Warriner has spent the past year as a young artist with the Vancouver Opera, and recently participated in the Britten Pears Young Artist Program, where she explored music by her favourite composer and sang a recital in his Aldeburgh library. She is looking forward to the 2023-24 season, in which she will sing Papagena and cover the Queen of the Night in Vancouver Opera’s production of The Magic Flute, and perform and produce another concert season at Slow Rise Music, the Toronto music collective she co-founded. She will also embark on a recital tour with collaborative pianist Danielle Guina as part of the Eckhardt-Gramatté prize.

Warriner is extremely devoted to enriching Canada’s arts scene. She loves working with a variety of collaborators and has a strong desire to “keep creating pieces that actually mean something to those who listen to it.” Her efforts thus far have not been in vain, and we look forward to following along as she continues to pursue a multifaceted musical career.