There aren’t many instances where welcoming a group of 12 strangers into your living room—wet boots and all—makes sense. But on a cold December night last year, Maria Bartholomew, her brother Steven and their friends accepted such an invitation, no questions asked. “Don’t worry about your shoes, come on in,” said the man, tears in […]
Choir
Posted inArts + Music
A singing send-off for Simon Abbott
In 2011, Simon Abbott left his home in Quebec for what he thought was a three-month visit to Halifax. Only now, five years later, is Abbott saying farewell to Nova Scotia. The 27-year-old director of the Phoenix Community Choir is heading out in August on a bicycle trip from British Columbia to Patagonia, with the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Nick’s Halleyfax: from Bebop to Bach
[Image-1] It’s been an eye opening six years since musician Nick Halley moved to Halifax in 2008. Between swinging jazz and sacred choral music, Halley has found a musical niche in the Maritimes that’s hard to find anywhere else. On Saturday, Halley is conducting the King’s Chorus in their fifth anniversary performance. With the Chorus, […]
Posted inArts + Music
Singing Christina Murray’s praises
Camerata Xara is definitely not your grandmother’s choir. The cutting-edge young women’s choir is pushing the boundaries of traditional choral music. The group’s conductor, Christina Murray, avoids conventional church music, finding inspiration in trippy dream sequences; feminist theories of power-inversions; foreign melodies that confuse Western ears; edgy Scandinavian choral ensembles and theatre. “The group has […]
Posted inArts + Music
Musquodoboit choir’s small wonders
The show’s set-list reads more like a college radio chart than typical choral fare. There’s no “In the Jungle” or “This Land is Our Land.” (Sorry, Pete.) There are a few special guest performers from the local music scene—Rich Aucoin and former Haligonian Mike Evin. And all 80 singers will be covering locals Aucoin, Joel […]