Harry Somers wrote five piano sonatas over his lifetime. In 2026, Piano Lunaire presents the complete cycle and what’s more: we are commissioning five living Canadian composers to write new companion works, one for each sonata. Five world premiere “nanoSONATA’s” presented in Toronto and Montreal. This project creates a living dialogue between past, present and the future of music in Canada.
With a particular focus on Canada’s musical heritage, Piano Lunaire has launched the centennial-based Somers Sonata Pentad Project in 2026, highlighting the piano sonatas of Harry Somers, one of Canada’s most important composers and a foundational voice in the development of this country’s own musical lineage. We celebrate Somers’ legacy through performances of his five sonatas, alongside five newly commissioned companion works by living Canadian composers. These world premieres will honour Canada’s musical heritage while contributing to the new repertory for future generations of artists and audiences.
