Anna Bigland-Pritchard

Anna Bigland-Pritchard, soprano is interested in the intersection of climate justice, community-building, intersectional feminism, queerness, mindfulness, and the performing arts. She is dedicated to singing from a place of love and pleasure, and shares her music warmly with her listeners. Anna is passionate about using whatever medium possible to empower creative, inspiring, and resonant communities.  Anna grew up in Bristol, England, and rural Saskatchewan. She lived and studied in Winnipeg, Manitoba for 10 formational (and cold) years. She currently lives in lək̓ʷəŋən territory, where she moved to study with renowned Canadian soprano, Nancy Argenta.

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Anna is co-director of new indie opera collective, Gay4Nature Collective. Gay4Nature explores western classical vocal music through a queer and ecological lens. Together with co-director, Alex Chen, Anna has recently recorded and filmed a 17-minute digital album concept film which is currently in post-production. In February 2024, she performed at the Winter Arts Fest with G4N. In May 2024, Gay4Nature toured The Coffee Cantata around coffee and brunch spots in Downtown Victoria, funded by the City of Victoria Music Strategy Fund. Anna and Alex also performed at the Gorge Waterway Nature Conservancy in October 2024, and Anna will perform vocal improv piece Seasonal Shift with dancer Veronique Emmett at Impulse Theatre's Peek Show 17 on November 1st and 2nd 2024. She will also perform indie-folk music and seasonal hits at Victoria Lights of Wonder on December 14th at 6:30pm.

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Anna is a member of the Pacific Opera Chorus, and the Music Director at Oak Bay United Church, where she directs the OBUC choir, plans music, leads music for weekly services from the piano, and runs the Classical Singer Open Mic Night. After a successful secular "Blue Christmas" concert for "spiritual-but-not-religious" folks in 2023, plans are in motion for a Dolly Parton-themed pride service, and a Joni Mitchell lent service.

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Anna received 2 grants from Canada Council of the Arts in 2022 - a professional development grant, and a significant Concept-Realization grant. She regularly wins song competitions and scholarships at the Victoria Conservatory of Music where she studies and used to work as Assistant to the Registrar.

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When she isn't singing, Anna is marketing for arts and ecological organizations. She is the Marketing Manager at the Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs.

 

Since moving from Winnipeg to Victoria in 2020, recent performance highlights have included performing Debussy's Ariettes Oubliées with a contemporary dancer Claire Saunders at Victoria Pride on the main stage, singing Eve in Haydn's The Creation with the Victoria Philharmonic Choir, and being part of a team selected to participate in Lucky Penny Opera Company's 48 Hour Opera Project, in which Anna's team Lake and Ocean Opera won the audience favourite award for their opera entitled "how are you?"

 

Anna has a BMus from Canadian Mennonite University, and a Post-baccelaureate Diploma in Performance from the University of Manitoba. Recent operatic role studies include Zdenka, Despina, Juliet (Gounod), and Anne Page. Just prior to the pandemic, Anna was Music Director for feminist theatre group Pocket Frock’s production of Romeo and Julliet, and BachStreet’s 2019 Christmas Spectacular. Anna was the 2018-2020 Artist in Residence at Bethel Mennonite Church, and has won the J. Orville Derraugh Memorial Recital Scholarship, and the Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition.

 

A versatile vocalist, Anna performs not only as a classical soprano, but also as a musical theatre singer-actor, and indie-folk singer-songwriter.