Sisu Ensemble

voice and piano duo

Meeting during the pandemic, soprano Emili Losier and pianist Jenna Richards founded the voice and piano duo, Sisu Ensemble, out of a love for collaboration and music-making. Sisu Ensemble brings their joy of music to audiences of all kinds, carefully curating programs that are entertaining while evocative.

The pair theatrically produces and performs for the elderly, children, individuals with exceptionalities and their families, as well as traditional audiences and the general population. Through the embodiment of characters, Emili transports her audiences to new worlds, weaving her musical narrative together with Jenna at the piano. Ultimately, Sisu loves to engage their audiences with socially pertinent content in an intimate fashion that produces meaningful and uplifting experiences.

Emili and Jenna have performed together extensively given their short history, including for Ottawa Chamberfest, Concerts in Care, Kemptville Historical Society, and healthcare workers. The two are extremely active as portfolio career musicians, including performance, community and multidisciplinary programming, administration, and research in their ongoing practices. Upcoming projects for the Sisu Ensemble include performances in Toronto and Ottawa, and the world premiere of a new work by Franco-Ontarian composer Marie-Claire Saindon.

Sisu is a Finnish word for inner strength – integral to the Finnish culture Emili inherited through birth. As the ensemble formed during the pandemic, it seemed natural to name the group after a word that means extraordinary perseverance. The word is more than a mere name: it describes the heart of the ensemble.