A favourite of not only students in FYP, but also among faculty and the King’s student body, Dr. Maria Euchner has been nominated a second time for Faculty of the Month by you, the students. For the first issue of The Watch’s 2026/27 year, I got the chance to sit down with her and discuss opera, life in Halifax, and her musical choices as the FYP DJ.
Madeleine Hurley: How do you feel being nominated a second time for Faculty of the Month?
Maria Euchner: I’m very honoured. It was very unexpected and is a lovely surprise, especially since it’s my final year at King’s.
MH: As a student, what made you want to pursue your education at King’s?
ME: I had heard about the Foundation Year Program when I was a university student in Germany. Where I was wasn’t quite the place for me, so I wanted to come back to Canada because I had spent grade 12 in Canada as an exchange student. I was very interested because I’ve always been really invested in the humanities and liberal arts, so it was right up my alley because I have several interests. I’m interested in literature, in philosophy, in music, and in art, so it seemed this program would give me all of that.
MH: There’s such a wide variety of philosophers and writers presented throughout FYP. Do you have a preferred or favourite section in FYP?
ME: That’s like asking a mother who her favourite child is. It’s increasingly difficult the more time I spend teaching FYP as well. Because I am trained as a modernist and because I have a classics degree, I wouldn’t want to miss section one. I have always loved the Middle Ages and the cornerstone texts of Augustine and Dante because no matter how often you read them, you always find new things to be excited about. Because I’m coordinating section three, I’m falling more in love with the Renaissance through art. So, I kind of love them all.
MH: What would constitute a perfect weekend for you?
ME: Time spent with friends, cooking a nice meal, and listening to music. Maybe dancing around the house. On Saturday mornings, I always go to the markets and I get very excited about fresh produce. Enjoying a nice cup of tea and going for a walk would be nice to find that balance of being active and being relaxed. On Sundays when I don’t have a day dealing with email correspondence, I can sort of focus a little bit on what it is to be human in this world.
MH: What do you like about living and working in Halifax?
ME: It has a special place in my heart because my time here as an undergrad and master student was so formative. I’m lucky that the friends I made back then are still here as well. My friendships are extremely important in my life, so that’s something that I really love. I also love the friendliness of the people here. I will cycle past a dog walker at six in the morning and they’ll say ‘good morning!’ I just love that. When I’m away from Halifax or when I lived away from Halifax, I always missed it. It’s nice to come back to a place that’s familiar and full of meaningful memories and people.
MH: You typically create a playlist to play before FYP lectures. What is your process for curating one of these playlists?
ME: They all relate to the text. For section one, it can be pretty difficult depending on what the material is. I also want to give students a flavour of what we think ancient Greek music might have sounded like. Obviously, we don’t know, but there are musicologists and archeologists who are trying to figure it out. I often have a blend of classical music with rock and pop music. I like to pick songs that are related to the text, but maybe in subtle ways, like some have a cheekiness to them. For example, with the Sappho lecture, of course I used Katy Perry’s I Kissed a Girl. I always try to find music that relates either obviously or critically to the text that we read that day.
MH: Do you have a favourite place you’ve travelled to?
ME: I would have to say Rome because I’ve been going back there for the past few years. I just feel extremely comfortable in Italy. The southern European climate is more up my alley than the Atlantic coastal climate, probably because I’m half Croatian. I spent time in Edinburgh and loved it. I loved visiting Ireland and the Irish people because they’re warm-hearted and super friendly. But for now, I’ll say Italy because I just feel so comfortable there.
MH: One of your academic interests is opera and opera studies. Do you have any favourite operas?
ME: I love Parsifal by Wagner. I also love Tristan und Isolde. I get to lecture on it this year, which is exciting. I enjoy a good sort of 19th century Italian opera, but I’m more passionate about late 19th century German opera and early 20th century English opera or composers like Benjamin Britten.