Joelysa Pankanea - composer, sound designer, musical director

Born in Canada to parents of African descent, Joelysa returned to Kenya as an infant where she spent the first nine years of her life. Upon her return to Canada, her family set roots in Richmond BC where she further developed her love of music. Her dedication and skill garnered Joelysa early acceptance into VCC’s esteemed music program under the tutelage of Sal Ferreras, Alan Matheson, Kathy Kidd, and Peter Hannan to name a few. There her studies began with Classical, which sparked an interest in Jazz, then a specialization in Word music ignited a passion which propelled her into the world of Afro Cuban and Latin Jazz. Joelysa emerged a percussionist specializing in marimba. As band leader of the 10 piece latin jazz ensemble Diez, she graced the stages of countless music festivals and venues across the province.

At the ripe old age of 21, Joelysa’s interests shifted to the world of musical theatre. Her first composition, a biographical retelling of the life of her great grandmother, entitled Maharaja’s Daughter, garnered her first Jessie Richardson theatre award for original composition. This production was the beginning of a beautiful and prolific working relationship with illustrious director James Faigan Tait. The first of their original creations was a large scale musical adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment which went on to receive national acclaim, 13 Jessie nominations and 5 Jessie awards. Together this dynamic duo paired up to create a long string of commercially successful and critically acclaimed productions.

Since then, Joelysa has become a cornerstone of the Canadian theatre scene. As one of the most sought after composers, musical directors and sound designers for theatre, Joelysa has often been found performing in the small orchestras for which she composes. Her extensive body of work has earned her an upstanding reputation with compositions ranging from Latin to Brit Pop to German Cabaret to EDM to name a few. Regardless of the genre or style she has been tasked to inhabit, Joelysa has always remained true to her distinctive minimalist orchestral style. She has musical directed casts of up to 150 people and composed over a dozen new musicals. Joelysa has earned multiple Jessie nominations and awards. Her original scores have graced a multitude of Vancouver’s stages including The Arts Club, the Vancouver Playhouse, Bard on the Beach, and The Cultch, and have also taken her on tour across the country. She has collaborated with iconic Canadian writers such as Anosh Irani and Carmen Aguirre.

Never one to rest on her laurels, Joelysa has continued to evolve and grow with forays into the worlds of film, choral music and chamber orchestra. She has earned a Leo nomination for Best Score for the CBC award winning short Hop the Twig (Motion 58), and the first ever Push Festival commission to create a live reimagining of the score of the classic Italian film, The Bicycle Thieves. Joelysa was also commissioned by Little Chamber Music to create two pieces, The Fifth Stage and The First Stage, about the deaths of her father and mother respectively. These two sister requiems will remounted by Musica Intima along side her new work on A.I. and trans-humanism in April of 2024.

You can also hear Joelysa’s composition and sound design in the upcoming productions of Henry V for Bard on the Beach and The Mousetrap at Theatre Calgary. She is also excited to be reuniting with Aguirre on the world premiere of Electric Company’s Fire Never Dies in fall of 2024.

Check out her website joelysa.com or her Instagram @joelysacomposer

See more of her work on YouTube