Dear friends,

Thank you for your generous and enthusiastic support as Symphony Nova Scotia continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been humbled and awed by our incredible community of friends and supporters, and we remain deeply grateful for your patience, kindness, and encouragement as we create a concert season unlike any we’ve ever presented before.

Today, we are excited to share more details about our 2020/21 season with you. We’ve developed these plans with a variety of partners, presenters, and funders throughout our community, and as always, safety during these challenging times remains a top priority.

Come join us this fall for a fun, interactive lineup of online activities and live concert experiences, including:

• Symphony Week – We’ll officially kick off the season on October 19 with our 13th annual Symphony Week, full of online events and free community concerts. Keep an eye out for our full schedule announcement next week!
• Compact Community Concerts – Groups of Symphony Nova Scotia musicians present shortened, socially distanced concerts for live audiences in accessible venues throughout Halifax and Dartmouth.
• The Fusion Sessions – Symphony Nova Scotia welcomes back popular local artists from some of our most-loved concerts for intimate online sessions. Hear stars J.P. Cormier, Mo Kenney, Jane Archibald, and Heather Rankin performing lush new arrangements of their greatest hits together with groups of Symphony Nova Scotia musicians. Supported by FACTOR and O’Regan’s.
• ‘Twas the Night Before Nutcracker – Together with Halifax Dance and Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia, Symphony Nova Scotia presents an all-new “Nutcracker in a Nutshell” experience this December for families to enjoy online. Sponsored by Wilsons.
• Symphonic Saturday Brunch – Sit back and enjoy a delicious and musical Saturday brunch at The Carleton with small ensembles from Symphony Nova Scotia.
• Enough Room: A Music Learning Project – Symphony Nova Scotia’s artistic leaders discuss issues around diversity, inclusivity, and expanding our collective musical horizons in this all-new audio and video series. Sponsored by TD Ready Commitment.
• Live Learning Workshops – Connect in person with Symphony Nova Scotia leaders and friends online to nurture your own wellness, awareness, and musical expertise. Our first session, Spilling the Tea with Holly and Daniel, is open for registration now!
• Education and Outreach – Symphony Nova Scotia continues to work with local partners and educators to present interactive, engaging learning experiences for all ages.
• The Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra – Nova Scotia’s finest Symphony of young people continues a full slate of intensive activities, including workshops, rehearsals, and coaching – all with detailed safety protocols in place.

Alongside these new experiences, Symphony Nova Scotia also continues to actively plan for our return to the concert hall. Sharing live music together on a large scale remains a crucial part of our mission, and we look forward to safely resuming our much-missed regular performances as soon as financial and logistical conditions permit.

Throughout this time, we remain invested in caring for our musicians, staff, and audience, while also safeguarding our community’s investment in our future. Our 2020/21 season will be more condensed than usual, allowing us to compress costs into a smaller time frame, while also keeping our musicians and staff employed. We have reduced expenses wherever possible, focusing on our primary goal of surviving the pandemic and continuing to share the joy of music with our fellow Nova Scotians during this time of unprecedented stress and upheaval.

Please stay tuned for in-depth updates about our fall and spring plans, including final dates, registration information, and safety precautions. You’ll find the latest news on our website at symphonynovascotia.ca, as well as in our weekly email newsletter and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We also continue to welcome your thoughts and comments – please email us anytime at [email protected].

Symphony Nova Scotia is your orchestra, and we can’t wait to start sharing music with you again. Our deepest gratitude for your ongoing support, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Chris Wilkinson
CEO, Symphony Nova Scotia

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Thank you to our amazing sponsors!

We’re thrilled to be able to present a variety of engaging programs both online and in-person this fall. We’d like to thank the amazing sponsors who have supported us throughout this pandemic and helped make this possible: