JUST ANNOUNCED: Symphony Nova Scotia’s spring season!
Come join us for our brand-new Spring 2022 concert lineup! You’ll hear incredible highlights like Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Blake Pouliot, a tribute to Nina Simone with Jah’Mila, an all-new concert with Ben Caplan, a Baroque journey into Bach’s world, and so much more!
SPOTLIGHT SERIES
OPENING SPOTLIGHT WITH HOLLY
Thursday, March 24, 2022 at 7:30 pm
The Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
Featuring: Holly Mathieson, conductor • James Sommerville, horn
Symphony Nova Scotia
Welcome back to the concert hall with Symphony Nova Scotia and Music Director Holly Mathieson! Under Holly’s engaging, expert guidance, our orchestra embraces both past and future in this breathtaking concert of bold symphonic fireworks. Hear a delightful new work from Canadian composer Kati Agócs, showcasing a lauded Symphony Nova Scotia alumnus: the ultra-talented Jamie Sommerville, now Principal Horn with the world-renowned Boston Symphony. Then, hear Jamie perform a splendid encore from Mozart, followed by the ultimate finale, and one of the world’s biggest symphonic hits: Beethoven’s beautiful, blockbuster Seventh. Learn more here.
This concert will also be performed at Central United Church in Lunenburg on Friday, March 25, 2022.
TCHAIKOVSKY’S VIOLIN CONCERTO
Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 7:30 pm
The Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Halifax
Featuring Holly Mathieson, conductor • Blake Pouliot, violin
Symphony Nova Scotia
It’s one of the world’s best-loved violin works, performed by one of Canada’s most in-demand young violinists. Symphony Nova Scotia proudly presents Tchaikovsky’s powerful, passionate Violin Concerto, together with virtuoso violinist Blake Pouliot – “a player who is clearly going to be a major force in the violin world” (WholeNote). You’ll also hear traditional Mi’kmaw Ko’jua dances, Mozart’s lively “Paris” Symphony, and a JUNO-winning smash hit from our longtime friend Dinuk Wijeratne. Learn more here.
CHOPIN WITH JANINA FIALKOWSKA
Thursday, April 21, 2022, 7:30 pm
The Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Halifax
Featuring Holly Mathieson, conductor • Janina Fialkowska, piano
Stacey Brown, Maria Anna Mozart Award winner
Symphony Nova Scotia
She’s “a born Chopin interpreter” (pianist Arthur Rubenstein). An “international treasure” (Toronto Star). And “a musician of extraordinary sensibility” (The Telegraph). And now, Canadian superstar pianist Janina Fialkowska makes a long-awaited return to Symphony Nova Scotia for one of her signature specialties – Chopin’s imaginative, deeply emotional First Piano Concerto. Plus, Symphony Nova Scotia and Holly Mathieson proudly present a new premiere from our latest Maria Anna Mozart Award winner, alongside a long-overdue salute to the brilliant, often-overshadowed Fanny Mendelssohn, with her graceful, virtuosic Overture in C. Learn more here.
FUSION SERIES
BEN CAPLAN
Friday, March 18, 2022 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 19, 2022 at 7:30 pm
The Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Halifax
Featuring Ben Caplan, vocals • Holly Mathieson, conductor
Symphony Nova Scotia
Since his last mainstage appearance with our orchestra in 2017, Halifax singer-songwriter Ben Caplan has taken the world by storm with his huge hit musical, Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story. He’s been lauded as “a noisy treasure” (The New York Times), with “lungs as powerful as an ocean” (The Guardian) and “a charismatic joie de vivre that is thoroughly compelling” (Ottawa Citizen). Now, Halifax’s favourite big-bearded bard returns home for another massive orchestral mash-up, mixing his trademark blustery blend of folk, klezmer, and blues with Symphony Nova Scotia’s full orchestra to create an utterly unforgettable concert experience. Learn more here.
Highlights from this concert will be recorded and shared as a free online Fusion Sessions concert later in 2022.
JAH’MILA SINGS NINA SIMONE
Friday, April 1, 2022 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 7:30 pm
The Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Halifax
Featuring Jah’Mila, vocals • Holly Mathieson, conductor
Symphony Nova Scotia
With a groundbreaking career that spanned 40 albums and five decades, Nina Simone was “the High Priestess of Soul”: a virtuoso vocalist, a devoted activist, and a truly brilliant musician. Her creative, compelling work continues to inspire and influence artists, activists, and pop culture today, and songs like Feeling Good, I Put a Spell on You, Four Women, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, and Sinnerman are still iconic worldwide hits.
Now, Symphony Nova Scotia pays tribute to Nina’s legacy together with Nova Scotia’s own “reggae royalty”, Jah’Mila – also a blockbuster vocalist and visionary artist, and a longtime personal devotee of Nina’s spectacular music. Don’t miss this stunning homegrown salute to a true musical icon. Learn more here.
Highlights from this concert will be recorded and shared as a free online Fusion Sessions concert later in 2022.
BAROQUE SERIES
1722: BACH’S WORLD
Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 2:00 pm
St. Andrew’s United Church, Halifax
Featuring Ivars Taurins, leader and narrator • Myriam Leblanc, soprano
Charlotte Forknall, mezzo-soprano*
James Whitely, tenor*
Böðvar Hlífarsson Geirfinnsson, baritone*
Symphony Nova Scotia
In the year 1722, a recently remarried Johann Sebastian Bach is looking for a new job – and finds himself faced with stiff competition! In this delightful journey back to 18th-century Europe, Symphony Nova Scotia joins forces with baroque specialist Ivars Taurins and a bevy of young local artists to explore Bach’s busy life in 1722 – from his relationship with his new wife Anna Magdalena to his rivals for a plum new position in Leipzig. Hear highlights from friends and contenders like Handel and Telemann, performed alongside excerpts from Bach’s own iconic masterpieces – including the beautiful aria Bist du bei mir – in this fascinating, entertaining concert with one of Canada’s top baroque music masters. Learn more here.
*From the Fountain School of Performing Arts
VIRTUOSO BAROQUE RECORDER
Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 2:00 pm
St. Andrew’s United Church, Halifax
Featuring Vincent Lauzer, leader and recorder soloist
Christine Feierabend, flute • Gabe Azzie, bassoon
Symphony Nova Scotia
Canada’s own Vincent Lauzer is a true recorder virtuoso – an “ambassador for the recorder” whose playing is “quite simply staggering” (La Scena). Hear his extraordinary expertise live with Symphony Nova Scotia in this warm, evocative concert, featuring a resplendent array of showpieces for this often-forgotten Baroque instrument. Highlights include Symphony Nova Scotia’s first-ever foray into the music of trailblazing Prussian princess Anna Amalia, as well as multiple works by G.P. Telemann – an expert recorder player himself, who wrote more music for the recorder than possibly any other composer in history. Learn more here.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
It is anticipated that Phase 2 will begin on March 7, and that restrictions will fully lift on March 21. Stay up to date on our latest COVID-19 protocols.
Not everyone will have the same degree of comfort as restrictions lift, and we ask that you please respect the personal choices of those around you. As a commitment to the comfort of our patrons, we will continue to welcome masks, and continue to reduce capacities this spring.
For more information on Symphony Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 protocols, visit our website.