As the world around us evolves at an alarming rate, artists continue to realize, more than ever before, the need for adaptation, a fresh approach, and widened perspectives in their work. DUOver’s mission seeks to re-conceptualize contemporary performance practices and processes. They aim to redefine how a performance can be formatted, programmed, and consumed through the curation of content that weaves sound, visuals, text, and story journeys. Their efforts to incorporate digital interactive tools are aimed at overcoming barriers and allowing people of every race, age, and class to connect in profound ways. DUOver prioritizes the direct involvement of diverse Canadian collaborators including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and gender-diverse colleagues. They place importance on equitable artist input through every phase of the creative process, ensuring that projects represent the connectedness and potential of our communities. Routhier and Fransblow placed second in the 2020 Eckhardt-Gramatte National Contemporary Music Competition finals, and took the award for best performance of the commissioned work, Han Kan: Lost in Translation, by Canadian composer Gordon Fitzell.

Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Routhier is a rising star on the Canadian stage. She is passionate about engaging audiences through new music and re-identifying with the emotional core of traditional works. She has performed with the Kingston Symphony, Toronto Mozart Players, early music ensemble Cor Unum, and Tapestry Opera; performing such works as Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Imant Raminsh’s Magnificat, Canadian opera shorts, and J.S. Bach’s alto cantatas 170 and 169. She sang with the inaugural Toronto Sounds of Silence initiative, premiering the song cycle Precarious by Kolby Zinger-Harris and Aparna Halpe. Abroad, Jennifer has performed at Carnegie Hall as the soloist in Scott Macmillan’s Celtic Mass for the Sea with the Canadian Celtic Choir. She was the first Vocal Scholar at the Glenn Gould School (2019/2020), and holds a Masters in Voice Performance from the University of Toronto.

Toronto-based Pianist Natasha Fransblow is a sought-after collaborator, music director, coach, and educator. As a specialist in new music development, she pursues projects that promote Canadian content, speak to socio-political issues, challenge the status quo, and re-contextualize antiquated works; Projects include Singing Only Softly (Musique 3 Femmes/Loose Tea Music Theatre), Verbotenlieder (Tongue in Cheek Productions), Carmen #YesAllWomen (MD/Arranger – Loose Tea Music Theatre), and Turn of the Screw (Abridged Opera). Natasha was a founding member and music director of Whose Opera Is It, Anyway? (2017-2019), a leading-edge comedy/opera hybrid ensemble; Canada’s first of its kind. Natasha is the former Music Director of MYOpera, a company providing debut professional opportunities to emerging Canadian singers. Aside classical music, Natasha has collaborated in-studio with experimental electronic artist and turntablist SlowPitchSound, and Juno-award-winning progressive metal band Protest The Hero.