Shara Nova

Shara Nova is a composer, vocalist, and producer currently creating from Detroit, Michigan. Shara has released six albums under the moniker My Brightest Diamond and has composed works for The Crossing, Conspirare, iSing Silicon Valley, yMusic, Brooklyn Rider, Nadia Sirota, Cantus Domus, Nordic Voices, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Roomful of Teeth, Aarhus Symfoni, Oregon Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, American Composers Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, and the Detroit Opera Educational touring company, among others. In 2024 she starred in the Tony Award Winning musical “Illinoise” on Broadway, directed by Justin Peck, co-written by Jackie Sibblies Drury with music by Sufjan Stevens, with a live album released on Nonesuch Records.

Her baroque chamber p’opera “You Us We All” premiered in the US in October 2015 at BAM Next Wave Festival. In 2019, she composed for over 600 musicians along with the Cincinnati Symphony, a piece entitled “Look Around,” with director Mark DeChiazza. With co-composer and performer Helga Davis, Nova created a four screen film entitled “Ocean Body,” along with director Mark DeChiazza, which premiered at The Momentary in August 2021, shortly followed by the premiere of “Infinite Movement,” her baroque cantata for a 100 musicians, set to text by artist Matthew Ritchie, which premiered at The University of North Texas in November 2021. She created a choral arrangement for the 2023 Oscars performance of Son Lux’s song “This Is A Life” from the movie “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”

Many artists have sought out Nova’s unique vocal work, including David Byrne, Laurie Anderson, Suzanne Bocanegra, The Decemberists, Steve Mackey, David Lang, So Percussion, Justin Vernon, Sufjan Stevens, and Tunde Olaniran, as well as Matthew Barney with Jonathan Bepler. Her singing and compositions are featured on “The Blue Hour” via Nonesuch Records with the string orchestra A Far Cry and co-composers Rachel Grimes, Angélica Negrón, Sarah Kirkland Snider and Caroline Shaw.

Nova has been a guest teacher in composition and performance at Princeton, University of Michigan, Columbus State University Schwob School of Music, NYU, University of North Carolina, University of North Texas and University of Texas in Austin among others. Nova is a 2023 Opera America Discovery Grant awardee, Kresge Arts fellow, a Carolina Performing Arts Creative Futures fellow, a Knights Grant recipient, a United States Artists fellow, and a New Music USA recipient. Three of her projects were nominated for Grammy Awards in 2023.