Battson and Staniland met at the 2005 Tapestry LIBLAB, and their joint interest in the subject of the AIDS pandemic became a unifying force. Their first collaboration on the subject, Ashlike on the Cradle of the Wind, in itself a small operatic requiem focusing on a cross-generational AIDS experience, was staged for Tapestry Opera’s 2006 Opera to Go in the Fermenting Cellar at the Distillery.

By 2008, the commission was secured from the Canada Council for a modest “choral music theatre work of 35-40 minutes.” Over the next 2 years, the piece doubled in size to a full length oratorio. Nevertheless, the team adhered to a strict schedule of “on time” delivery for workshops with key personnel. This is the mark of a team that is working well together.

The personnel choices were a joyous personal home-coming for the music director. Chris Lorway, Artistic Director of Luminato, was eager to find a venue for the Iseler Singers. The longstanding relationship (Tapestry's Founding Artistic Director) Wayne Strongman had with the Iseler Singers made that a logical partnership. The result of these valued relationships was an incredibly efficient collaboration in preparation and performance, as evidenced in the CBC recording which was nominated for a Juno Award.

Poet Jill Battson describes Dark Star Requiem as a “choral requiem through a humanistic rather than religious lens.” The text incorporates three very different styles: longer, narrative poems for the "story;" parallel sound poems with fragments of the Latin Requiem Mass; and "cut-and-paste" media headlines and political speeches which provide information, ironic misinformation, and a sense of history.

For the Tapestry/Luminato production under the experienced hand of opera director Tom Diamond, the work became a “staged oratorio,” employing Beth Kates’ rich film projections on proscenium “pillars” and the multi-level tiers of Koerner Hall to create a sweeping dramatic spectacle.

“A modern Carmina Burana… Staniland has utilized the modern orchestra and the contemporary media to produce a work of vital dramaturgy and lasting, thought-provoking power.”

- The Classical Music Guide

Nominated for 2017 Juno Awards:

Best Classical Composition

Best Classical Album Vocal or Choral