Cemented in Canadian theatre history as one of the youngest theatre composers and musical directors, Joelysa’s original scores have been celebrated across theatres in Western Canada since she began her composing career at the age of 21. Equally talented as composer, musical director and percussionist, her versatile abilities have taken her into the worlds of theatre, film, animation, and more recently, writing her own shows.
In theatre, Joelysa’s composing and musical directing style has earned her multiple awards, nominations and recognitions for a variety of categories ranging from Outstanding Composition, Best New Play and Outstanding Artistic Achievements. As one of the most seasoned professional musical directors in her field, Joelysa has musical directed casts of 5 to 150 members.
In film and animation, Joelysa was recently nominated for a Leo Award for her score in the dramatic short Hop The Twig, the winner of CBC’s Short Film Faceoff Contest (Season 5). Her venture into documentary film landed her the role of composer for the stunning production of Cry Rock by Smayaykila Films. Cry Rock continues to tour film festivals across Canada and the United States.
Throughout her career, Joelysa has continued to challenge the boundaries of her own artistic capabilities. Known as composer, musical director, percussionist, teacher, innovator and now writer, Joelysa’s newest large scale musical is due to appear in Canadian theatres in 2013-14 (with support from the Canada Council for Arts).
Joelysa Pankanea 