Associate Music Director and Collaborative Pianist

Jenna Richards – Associate Music Director and Collaborative Pianist

Photo credit:  Chloe Squance

Jenna Richards joined the Canadian Centennial Choir in September 2014. A native of Halifax, she holds associate diplomas in piano and violin from the Royal Conservatory of Music, a Bachelor of Music in piano performance from the University of Toronto (where she received consecutive Glenn Gould Scholarships, the Fay Hethrington Scholarship, and the Lydia Wong Scholarship), and a master’s degree in philanthropy and nonprofit leadership from Carleton University in Ottawa. Jenna has represented Nova Scotia in national music competitions and attended several prominent academies, including the Orford Music  Academy (Quebec), Domaine Forget (Quebec), Adamant Music School (Vermont), Toronto Summer Music Academy, and Mozarteum International Academy (Austria). Jenna has performed at Ottawa Chamberfest, Orford Music Festival, Scotia Festival of Music  Halifax), Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival (St. John’s), and Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (Toronto), and in chamber series throughout central and eastern Canada. She often collaborates with cellist Beth Silver and co-founded the Sisu Ensemble with soprano Emili Losier. These partnerships have included commissioning world premieres and performing for Xenia Concerts, Festival Pontiac Enchanté, Acadia University’s Sunday Music in the Garden Room, Concerts in Care, the Embassy of Finland, the King Music Collective, Music Mondays, and more.

Jenna is a proud portfolio musician, recognized as a performer, programmer, researcher, and inclusive arts advocate. In addition to her busy schedule as a  performer, she works as Director of Artistic Planning and Community Engagement for Ottawa Chamberfest and is currently pursuing her PhD in  Interdisciplinary Research in Music at the University of Ottawa. In her (little) spare time, Jenna loves to be in nature, learning Farsi, or playing soccer.