Music

Mike Hadreas—the musician who performs under the moniker Perfume Genius–sits crumpled in one corner of the Zoom call when The Coast reaches him days before his appearance at Halifax Jazz Festival. His arms fold inwards on themselves as his gaze probes off camera, thinking deeply about how to answer each question while also seemingly ready […]

The tradition of Capella Regalis Men & Boys Choir is one that stretches back a thousand years. The golden voices in one of Halifax’s largest and most lauded choirs gather to sing ancient songs, which ensures these works are simultaneously preserved and also discovered by new generations of listeners. (Plus, its holiday concert is considered a must-see […]

The race for song of the summer feels like it’s heating up this week as several Halifax musicians drop new singles eligible for the crown. No matter if your tastes skew from country to pop to rock, the city’s songwriters have your back—and ears—this week, so get your air pods in: Rocker Adam Baldwin is […]

No big deal, but Sondra Radvanovsky just might be the world’s greatest living soprano—at least, according to the likes of The Chicago Tribune, Opera News, London’s Royal Opera House, Teatro alla Scala, Opernhaus Zürich and The Metropolitan Opera. She’s performed at every major opera house in the world and, at this point, is probably sick […]

In its first awarding since the pandemic, Symphony Nova Scotia’s Maria Anna Mozart Award for Canadian women composers returns, giving top nods to Toronto-based composer Alice Ping Yee Ho. Named for the historically overlooked piano prodigy (and yes, sister to Wolfgang), the Maria Anna Mozart Award was launched in 2016, aiming to highlight those of […]

Multidisciplinary artist Jessica McMann didn’t set out to be a history-making composer and flutist. She took to the instrument in childhood and a natural talent kept it in her orbit, a steady yet quotidian pull like the tide. But when she takes to the stage at Halifax Central Library’s Paul O’Regan Hall on June 29, […]

Nova Scotia will be represented at this year’s prestigious Voice of Black Opera—an annual showcase that aims to highlight the best Black and South Asian opera singers in the Commonwealth—thanks to the golden pipes of Shanice Skinner. Skinner is a soprano whose resume-to-date includes winning the Portia White Award (an annual offering from the Nova […]

When it comes to the hard rock scene in Halifax, Dali Van Gogh is a stalwart. Over the last 10 years, the band has dropped four records—making a name for itself with international tours and a steady hometown presence. Over the pandemic, the band recorded five new tracks with producer Eric Ratz (whose credits include […]

Every pot has a lid, or so the saying goes—and when it comes to band and venue reaching match-making perfection, we can’t think of a better combo than Canadian punk legends The Dayglo Abortions playing Gus’ Pub, a longtime home to some of the city’s scrappiest sounds. DGA has been doing their shock-rock thing since […]

When The Coast reaches Mo Kenney on a June afternoon, they’re on break from soundcheck. Their five-week European tour is wrapping up soon—but tonight, the singer-songwriter is performing the Netherlands stop. It’s been a decade since Kenney dropped their self-titled debut album (“It feels like that record came out maybe four years ago—but it definitely […]

Michael Bublé has been crooning his way to the top since the early 2000s, angling to be a one-man Rat Pack revival, with the slim-cut suits to match. It’s worked: The singer’s got enough Grammys and Junos to fill a shelf, and fans the world over who can’t get enough. The Halifax contingent of this […]