Season to celebrate culmination of 15 years under Maestro Bernhard Gueller’s Music Directorship

Halifax, NS – Symphony Nova Scotia is delighted to announce its 2017/18 concert season!

With concerts ranging from Beethoven’s Ninth and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to Ria Mae and The Music of David Bowie, Symphony Nova Scotia presents another season of brilliant classical virtuosos, East Coast music icons, and great symphonic music.

“There is so much to hear in our 2017/18 season,” says Music Director Bernhard Gueller.

“Our upcoming concerts include the sublime Brahms Violin Concerto and his First Piano Concerto, the majestic ‘Emperor’ Concerto by Beethoven, and the Cherubini Requiem – something I have wanted to conduct all my life.

“Our soloists in 2017/18 include Giora Schmidt, Marc-André Hamelin, and the Kronos Quartet, along with local favourites Denise Djokic, Richard Simoneau, Dominic Desautels, and Peter Allen. Plus, we’ll be showcasing the music ofABBA, Simon and Garfunkel, and David Bowie, and also presenting Mozart’s Messiah and Baroque gems with Jeanne Lamon and David Greenberg.

“For the kids, we will make music come alive with Beethoven Lives Upstairs, and young adults will love the Halifax Pop Explosion concert with Ria Mae. Plus, the holiday season would not be the same without The Nutcracker, and we have again added a second ballet this year – Anastasia with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen. I know I will see you somewhere, often! Come enjoy the season with us.”

The 2017/18 season will also be Gueller’s final one as Symphony Nova Scotia’s Music Director. Gueller has led the orchestra for almost 15 years, and his tenure has been marked by financial stability, artistic excellence, and unprecedented audience attendance and engagement.

“Our orchestra has benefited immensely from Bernhard’s generous, inspirational leadership,” says Christopher Wilkinson, CEO of Symphony Nova Scotia.

“We look forward to working with him for the 2017/18 season, and are extremely grateful to have his support in the transition to a new Music Director.”

The search for Symphony Nova Scotia’s new Music Director will be ongoing for over a year, in a wide-ranging process that involves volunteers, orchestra musicians, artistic and administrative staff, and audience participants. Potential candidates will appear as conductors with the orchestra over the next season, with a final decision planned for 2019. Gueller’s contract concludes in May 2018, after which he will transition into a new role as Symphony Nova Scotia’s Conductor Laureate.

“In the last decade, I believe that we have succeeded in making Symphony Nova Scotia the best we could,” says Gueller.

“We’ve worked hard together with passion and commitment to provide an outstanding series of concerts that are valued by audiences and sponsors. After 2018, I will be moving on to some new projects and partnerships, and I look forward to my new role as Conductor Laureate where I will remain as dedicated to this wonderful orchestra as I am now. I am very proud of what we have accomplished together.”

Season ticket packages are now available for all Symphony Nova Scotia’s 2017/18 concerts. Highlights include:

Our 2017/18 lineup: Masterworks Concerts

• For the first time ever, we perform Cherubini’s dramatic Requiem, in partnership with the internationally celebrated, Grammy Award-winning, 50-voice Estonian National Male Choir, RAM Koor.
• Magnificent Mozart returns, with performances of all-Mozart works in Halifax and at Dartmouth’s Alderney Landing Theatre.
• We partner with star Halifax musicians including cellist Denise Djokic, clarinetistDominic Desautels, and trumpeter Richard Simoneau.
• Two award-winning pianists join us for two spectacular concertos: Honens Competition winner Luca Buratto performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, and Chopin International Piano Competition winner Charles Richard-Hamelin performs Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2.
• We premiere a new work from a Canadian woman composer through our Maria Anna Mozart Award – the first of its kind in Canada.
• The finale of our season is again our annual Festival – and this time, we play some of the greatest music in the entire symphonic repertoire. Hear Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto and Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1, performed by one of the world’s top pianists, Marc-André Hamelin. Then, for our final concert with Gueller as Music Director, we perform Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony.

See the full list of our 2017/18 Masterworks concerts here.

Our 2017/18 lineup: Fusion Concerts

• The Finnish vocal supergroup Rajaton returns for a three-concert celebration of the Music of ABBA.
• We celebrate the smooth, rich music of Motown with three powerhouse local performers: Cyndi Cain, Owen “O’Sound” Lee, and Dutch Robinson.
• After three sold-out concerts last season, “Piano Man” Jim Witter returns for a multimedia journey through the music of Simon and Garfunkel.
• Nova Scotia’s own Ben Caplan brings us a brand-new festive show in the tradition of Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.
• We team up with the multi-award-winning, internationally beloved New Brunswick bluesman Matt Andersen.
• Rising star Ria Mae joins us for the Halifax Pop Explosion.
• We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Heather Rankin and Evans & Doherty.
• Hear Gershwin’s grand, bombastic An American in Paris alongside a virtuoso performance from Halifax’s own Peter Allen in the million-selling hit Rhapsody in Blue.
• We remember the inspirational life and music of David Bowie in a symphonic tribute featuring his all-time greatest hits.

See the full list of our 2017/18 Symphonic Fusion and Maritime Fusion concerts.

Our 2017/18 lineup: Baroque Concerts

• The acclaimed Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra returns to Halifax with its new multimedia concert experience: The Circle of Creation, celebrating the music and life of J.S. Bach.
• We perform Vivaldi’s beloved Four Seasons alongside one of Handel’s dramatic Organ Concertos.
• Baroque music specialist Jeanne Lamon leads our orchestra and the Vesuvius Ensemble in a concert exploring the passionate, sunny, and energetic music of southern Italy.
• For the first time in over 15 years, we present Mozart’s delightful 1789 arrangement of Handel’s magnificent Messiah.

See the full list of our 2017/18 Baroque concerts here.