Rebecca Foon & Aliayta Foon-Dancoes

Rebecca Foon and Aliayta Foon-Dancoes are interdisciplinary musicians, composers, collaborators and siblings, whose work bridges classical, experimental, and environmental spheres. 

Aliayta is an award-winning Canadian violinist, currently pursuing a PhD in Composition at Princeton University, preceded by Chamber Music Fellowships at the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music in London. She has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and 12 Ensemble, and composed for ensembles including SŌ Percussion, Hub New Music, and Attacca Quartet. Her work explores acoustic and electronic intersections, extended technique, and interdisciplinary performance. As co-founder of Orbit Duo and THIRTYMINUTES, she has commissioned and premiered works by Olivia Shortt, Cris Derksen, and Robyn Jacob, and collaborated with new media design studio Kai Lab. 

Rebecca is a cellist, composer, environmental activist, and key figure in Montréal's DIY music scene for over two decades. She is co-founder of post-classical/chamber rock ensemble Esmerine, which has received multiple Canadian Juno awards and nominations across its celebrated discography, most recently winning both Best Instrumental Album and Best Album Artwork in 2023. Rebecca was a member of post-rock bands Thee Silver Mt. Zion and Set Fire to Flames in the 2000s and released several acclaimed solo albums, eponymously and under the Saltland moniker, in the 2010s. She has performed with Patti Smith, Laurie Anderson, and Tanya Tagaq and has contributed to recordings by Carla Bozulich, Patrick Watson, and British Sea Power, among many others. Rebecca co-founded Pathway to Paris, an initiative mobilizing artists around climate action, and Junglekeepers, a conservation organization protecting the Las Piedras Corridor in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. Her artistic work has recently extended to photography, with her 2023 Ascension exhibition at Ellephant Gallery in Montréal exploring themes of eco-geography and environmental responsibility.

Reverie (Constellation, 2025) is the debut album-length collaboration between the sisters: a suite of post-classical chamber music composed and performed jointly, with Rebecca’s photography featured in the album artwork.

Contacts & Links

Aliayta Foon-Dancoes Instagram
Rebecca Foon Instagram
Aliayta Foon-Dancoes website
Rebecca Foon website

Press enquiries UK & North America:
Lauren Barley at Rarely Unable

Press enquiries EU:
Ed Benndorf at Dense Promotion

Booking enquiries North America:
Ian Ilavsky at Constellation

Artist Photos

For high-resolution downloads, click here