Katherine Hillson is an experimental musician and classically trained opera singer based in Montréal, Canada. The convergence of 19th century theatre, women's medicine and institutional power are presented in the written and performance works of “Sainerine”.

 

Sainerine invokes the operatic archetype of the fallen woman through piercing vocals and experimental electronics performance. Orchestral swells, ethereal synth textures and shards of noise are laced together with Hillson’s sensibilities of classical composition.

 

From The Quietus: “...the incredible, operatic auto-mutilation of Sainerine.” 

 

The new Sainerine work, “The Hysterical Fit (In Four Stages)” is an exploration of the theatrical aspects of the 19th century female hysteria diagnosis by interpreting French neurologist Jean Martin Charcot’s “four stages of the hysterical fit” through sound, operatic vocal performance and movement. The piece was developed under the mentorship of performance art vanguard Ron Athey. 

 

Hillson’s work has toured cross-Canada and internationally.