Early Music Groups at Halifax Kiwanis Music Festival

Congratulations to the HITEM early music groups who played so beautifully in the non-competitive early music classes at the Halifax Kiwanis Music Festival on Apr. 27, 2024 at St. David’s Presbyterian Church! Special thanks to our adjudicator Andrew Pickett for his helpful and supportive feedback as well, and to Nancy Carr for the use of her spinet for these classes. It was a very satisfying and educational afternoon for all. Photo: some of our HITEM crew, and some from other community ensembles.

Trad Ensemble at the Halifax Celtic Festival

Making the Walls Sing

“MAKING THE WALLS SING"
 A workshop by Thomas Baeté, with polychoral music from the Venetian tradition
TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2024, 7:30pm-9:30pm

SAINT GEORGE’S ROUND CHURCH,
2222 Brunswick St., Halifax

The Halifax Institute of Traditional and Early Music (HITEM) and the Early Music Society of Nova Scotia (EMSNS) was pleased to invite vocalists and instrumentalists alike to a workshop with Flemish early music specialist Thomas Baeté, in which participants made glorious music from various locations in St. George’s Round Church.

The workshop started with a short introduction to the cori spezzati practice of using spatially separated choirs singing in alteration, which originated in Venice’s San Marco Basilica during the late Renaissance and early Baroque. This was followed by a practical session during which participants interpreted polychoral pieces by Willaert, Gabrieli and Monteverdi from the balconies of the church.

Admission to the workshop was by donation (free for EMSNS and HITEM members), and was open to all.

Based in Belgium, where he teaches in Brussels and Leuven, Thomas Baeté plays the viola da gamba and the medieval fiddle, which he also uses to accompany his singing. His musical activities have brought him to over 20 European countries, as well as Morocco, Peru, Colombia, the USA, Canada, Georgia and Japan. He founded the ensemble ClubMediéval, which supports his passion for polyphony of the 14th century, while his project Transports Publics highlights music of the 17th century.

HITEM is a multi-generational community music school based in Halifax, Nova Scotia (K’jipuktuk, Mi’kma’ki), whose innovative programming includes both traditional music and early music. The EMSNS exists to open lines of communication related to early music activities within the community, to nurture early music making at all levels, to encourage performance opportunities and to build audiences that enjoy early music.

Trad Ensemble guest Jenny Melvin

Our End-of-first-term Concert, Feb. 11, 2024

Halifax Early Music Festival: HITEM Events

Saturday, Nov.18, 7:30 pm. Telemannia - The Chamber Music of Telemann

Early music faculty of the Halifax Institute of Traditional and Early Music:
Jennifer Publicover, flute
Karen Langille, violin
Kirsty Money, violin
André Pretzel, viola
Hilary Brown, cello
Marie Bouchard, keyboards
Andrew Pickett, counter-tenor

The Halifax Institute of Traditional and Early Music presents a chamber concert on period instruments featuring the music of Georg Phillip Telemann, a composer whose monumental work stands at the forefront of the late Baroque along with J.S. Bach, and featuring his Concerto Polonais for string quartet and continuo, his Paris Quartet in G for flute, violin, cello and harpsichord, and the alto cantata “Ergeuß dich zur Salbung der schmachtenden Seele” (“Give thyself to the anointing of the languishing soul”). This concert is supported by Bravura Nova Scotia (www.bravuranovascotia.ca).

Admission by donation ($20 suggested)

Sunday, Nov. 19, 2:30–4:00 pm. Open House with the Halifax Institute of Traditional and Early Music

Have you ever had the chance to play a harpsichord, a viola da gamba, or a wooden Baroque flute? Or a wooden Irish flute? What difference does it make to play a violin or cello with a Baroque bow? What is "early music" anyway? Is it different than "traditional" music? You may know about jigs and reels – and we have plenty of those – but what about Swedish polskas? Or podorythmie, the fancy foot-tapping that goes with so many Acadian and Québecois fiddle tunes?

Come to our open house and discover some answers to these questions and more – perhaps even more questions! Meet and hear some of our current participants rehearse some of their musical projects in various traditional and early music genres. Try out some instruments that may be new and unusual to you. Chat with us and find out more about our unique programming, our coaches and guest artists, and our opportunities to make music, learn, and grow together. Free admission.

Tues. Nov. 21, 4:30pm. Masterclass with Marie Bouchard, harpsichord.

Two of our HITEM members were among those who participated in this informative class, co-sponsored by the Fountain School of Performing Arts at Dalhousie University and HITEM itself. Open to the public to audit and free of charge.

Trad Ensemble Workshop with Michael Roddy, Pipes

On Nov. 5, the Trad Ensemble had a wonderful tune workshop with Michael Roddy, who plays uilleann pipes, small pipes, and Scottish highlands and is also a choral instructor and a member of the celtic trio Arise and Go. This was a great treat for us! We learned a lot about the different kinds of bagpipes and piping traditions, as well as how to adapt pipe tunes to other instruments.

Trad Ensemble at Re-Jigged Festival, Oct. 21, 2023

End-of-Year Concert

This was a great send-off to our year at HITEM. Check out some of our performance videos on our Youtube channel!

Open Cape Breton Tunes Workshop with David Greenberg

This was a fantastic deep dive into Cape Breton fiddle style, capturing the energy, the ornamentation, and more - see below.

Halifax Celtic Cultural Festival

Early and Traditional Music at Halifax Kiwanis Music Festival

On Sunday Apr. 16, 2023, at The Music Room we at HITEM had 6 fabulous chamber groups performing in several non-competitive early music classes at the Halifax Kiwanis Music Festival. Our adjudicator was Jack Chen who provided wonderful feedback. The folks at Kiwanis described it afterwards on their own social media as a “perfectly glorious and transformative afternoon”.

On Thurs. Apr. 27 at Calvin Presbyterian Church the HITEM Trad Ensemble also enjoyed participating in a fiddle and traditional music class at the Halifax Kiwanis Music Festival with adjudicator Allie Bennett.

HITEM First-Term Concert

EMSNS Tune-Up

Jan. 28, 7:30, Church of St. Margaret of Scotland, 3751 Robie St.: The Early Music Society of Nova Scotia hosted its annual Mid-Winter Tune-Up, an informal and fun performance opportunity for local early music groups. HITEM Groups 2 and 1 performed on an enjoyable program alongside other community groups. A fun evening of sharing!

The Trad Ensemble hosted Cathy Ann MacPhee
in Open Gaelic Song Workshop

1:45pm-3:15pm, Sun. Dec. 18
Saint George’s Round Church, 2222 Brunswick St. Halifax

Born on the Gaelic-speaking island of Barra, Scotland, Cathy Ann MacPhee is regarded as one of the greatest of all living Scots Gaelic singers. Blessed with a beautiful, powerful voice and prodigious memory for lengthy traditional lyrics (which she learned from her mother and grandmother), Cathy Ann was entertaining her neighbouring islanders at local ceilidhs even as a child. At a time when the survival of the language itself is in danger, she remains a bright light of Gaelic music and culture. Cathy Ann has released four CDs on the Greentrax label and teaches Gaelic songs internationally; she has toured with two Scottish theatre troupes and given concerts in the UK, Europe, the US and Canada, where she now resides in Nova Scotia. Cathy Ann has sung at many places from small village halls on Barra to major concert halls and is an inspiration to the ever-growing tide of fans of Gaelic music. The Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame inductee has also acted in numerous theatre shows in Gaelic and English and has often appeared on TV. Admission for this open event was free to HITEM participants and instructors, and to members of Bravura Nova Scotia; and open to the general public by donation.

Contemporary Showcase Festival:
Scott MacMillan and the Trad Ensemble

It was super fun for our Trad Ensemble to get to workshop some tunes with guitarist/composer/arranger Scott MacMillan at the Contemporary Showcase for Canadian Music on Nov. 22! Thank you to Sibylle Marquardt and the Maritime Conservatory for hosting! We look forward to performing in the showcase concert on Nov. 27.

Introduction to Baroque Harp with Phoebe Durand-McDonnell

Sat. Nov. 19, 3:00pm
Room 15, Maritime Conservatory

This was a fascinating and well-attended introduction to two different styles of multi-rowed baroque harps: the Italian triple-strung (arpa doppia) and the Spanish cross-strung (arpa de dos ordenes). We ahd a quick overview of the history of the Western European harp and its music, and then look at all sorts of sheet music including harp tablature and continuo. No experience with harp or early music was necessary, and everyone was welcome to play the instruments! The event was free to HITEM participants and instructors, and to members of Bravura Nova Scotia, and open to the general public by donation.

Phoebe earned a Bachelor of Music at Oberlin Conservatory, majoring in harp with acclaimed soloist Yolanda Kondonassis. She was principal harpist at the Vancouver Orchestral Institute, National Music Festival, and Pierre Monteux School, and performed as principal in the Oberlin Choir, Oberlin Orchestra, and Oberlin Chamber Orchestra. While at Oberlin, Phoebe discovered a deep love for early music and historical harps. She attended Hudební Lahůdky in the Czech Republic to study baroque harp and improvisation with historical harpist Dr. Maria Cleary. Phoebe received a 2019 Fulbright Research grant to study with Dr. Cleary at the Haute École de Musique Genève (HEM) in Geneva, Switzerland. Phoebe received her first MA in interprétation spécialisée, pratique des instruments historiques in 2021 from HEM, with intensive study on medieval and renaissance single- and double-rowed harps, Spanish arpa de dos ordenes, baroque arpa doppia, and the harpe organisée, or single-action pedal harp. In the fall of 2022, Phoebe began an MA in musicology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Phoebe’s website

Viola da Gamba Lessons with Betsy MacMillan

In Nov. 2022 and March 2023, our viol players got some great in-person lessons on their ensemble pieces from specialist Betsy MacMillan, visiting from Montreal. A wonderful treat!

After receiving a Master`s degree in performance on the viola da gamba from McGill University, Betsy MacMillan was accepted as a post‑graduate guest‑student at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague, Holland, where she furthered her studies on the viola da gamba with Wieland Kuijken. She is a founding member of Ensemble Arion, formed in 1981, with whom she has performed numerous concerts in Europe, Mexico, Ireland, England, Brazil, the United States, as well as throughout Canada. She is heard on the CBC and Radio Canada networks both as a soloist as well as a chamber musician, and has made more than 30 recordings on the labels of Atma, Analekta, Dorian, CBC and SRC, Marquis, and Titanic. Betsy freelances with a variety of groups, and is co-coordinator of the Early Music Ensembles at McGill University. She is also invited regularly to teach at many different early music and viola da gamba workshops.

Group 14 Advanced Upper Strings

Sonate Nona by Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704):
Indy Tisoy and Donovan Cassidy-Nolan, violins
Rebecca Fairless, organ
Assisted by Hilary Brown, cello
Recorded in rehearsal at St. George’s Round Church, April 2022

HITEM Concert, June 4, 2022

Check out our performance videos on our Youtube channel!

“Spring Tune-Up” - Early Music Society of Nova Scotia

Sonata à 4 by Giovanni Paolo Cima
Performed by Group 6:
Qingyu Li, Lisa Teryl, violins
David Shouts, Kate Robles, cellos
Chris Purcell, viola da gamba

Recorded on May 14, 2022
at the "Spring Tune-Up" of the Early Music Society of Nova Scotia
Church of St. Margaret of Scotland
Halifax, Nova Scotia (Jipugtug, Mi’kma’ki)

Trad Ensemble Guest, Skip Holmes

On May 15, 2022 special guest Skip Holmes shared some great bluegrass tunes with the Trad Ensemble and we had an old-timey jam as a group. Good times! Skip Holmes has been playing professionally for over 40 years, and plays guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle. He was a member of the “Ladies Choice Bluegrass Band” with his longtime musical partner Gordon Stobbe, and collaborated with Gordon on a number of projects, including the ATV musical variety series “Up Home Tonight”, “Those Fabulous Cliches”, and the “Gordon Stobbe Trio”. He is currently a member of the neo-traditional trio Papilio.

He has also toured Canada, the U.S. and Europe with fiddler Richard Wood, and is featured on all his recordings. He has worked as well with such noted fiddlers as Graham and Eleanor Townsend, Byron Berline, Calvin Vollrath, Shane Cook, Troy and Kendra MacGillivray, Ray Legere, Ivan Hicks, Peter Dawson, Jocelyn Bourque, Stacy Read, J.P. Cormier, Kelli Trottier and the “Bb Sisters”. He has transcribed the music of fiddlers Joe Cormier, Byron Berline and Stuart Duncan for Mel Bay Publications, as well as a book of original fiddle tunes by Richard Wood. He has also written a book called “The Guitar Players Guide to Accompanying the Fiddle”. Skip has taught guitar, banjo, fiddle and mandolin at the Long and McQuade Music Lesson Centre (formerly the Canadian Conservatory of Music) in Bedford, NS since 1984, and is a frequent guest instructor at fiddle camps and workshops across the country.

EMSNS Tune-Up

May 14, 7:30pm at St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church: Some of our early music ensembles performed in the Early Music Society of Nova Scotia Tune-Up. Videos coming soon!

Halifax Kiwanis Music Festival, April 10 and 12

We had so many ensembles participating in non-competitive ensemble classes in the Halifax Kiwanis Music Festival this year. It was so great to perform live again! It was an awesome experience. Our thanks to our adjudicators, Sibylle Marquhardt and Gordon Tucker, and our two faculty support players, Hilary Brown and Garth MacPhee.

Here is a gallery of some of our dress rehearsals that weekend; the early music groups were coached by the wonderful Marie Bouchard visiting from Ottawa.

Trad Ensemble guest Ellen Gibling, harp

So much creative magic happened on Mar. 13, 2022 when the Trad Ensemble welcomed harper Ellen Gibling, harp, as our guest instructor in class. Here is her website:
http://www.ellengibling.ca/

and here is her new solo album:
https://ellengibling.bandcamp.com/

Celtic Traditions in Northern Spain and its Diaspora
with Marcel Nazabal Amores

It was a treat to have one of our regular Trad Ensemble instructors give this special internal presentation for the participants in our traditional and early music programming on Feb. 13, 2022. Marcel is from Cuba and plays, among other instruments, the Galician and Asturian bagpipes. Here was his fascinating topic, illustrated by audio and video examples:

“Celtic traditions in Northern Spain and its legacy for the diaspora in the Americas. An overview of the endemic Celtic culture in Galicia and Asturias, their identity, connections with the Celtic nations and their pockets of influence in the new world.”

Renaissance Improvisation Workshop
Sophie Larivière, Recorder

An Online Zoom Activity for Any Instrument
Sat. Feb. 12 at 1:30pm Atlantic Standard Time

Grab your instrument and explore ornamentation and improvisation of the 16th century from the perspective of two composers and pedagogues who wrote methods on this subject: Diego Ortiz and Sylvestro Ganassi. Our leader Sophie Larivère will give us a historical context with some audio excerpts to help us better understand the style of the 16th century. You will be able to play along with her on mute and explore many examples of ornaments. Participants are most welcome to ask questions as well as play musical examples. Once we learn the basic principles of improvising ornaments in the style of the Renaissance, we will then play excerpts of actual pieces from the 16th century in order to better appreciate the Renaissance style. (Modern A440 pitch will be used.)

- Free to members of the Halifax Institute of Traditional and Early Music and Bravura Nova Scotia
- Open to the general public by freewill donation ($20 or what you can afford)
- Pre-register by email at: info@tradandearlymusic.ca
- Read Sophie’s bio here où ici en français

Unplucked Gems: Women in the 19th Century Guitar World
Emma Rush, Classical Guitar

An Online Zoom Presentation
Sat. Jan. 22 at 1:30pm

Emma Rush discusses the lives and works of rarely heard female composers from the 19th century including Emilia Giuliani Guglielmi, Catharina Pratten, Julia Piston, and Delores de Goñi.  Among these women were virtuosic concert performers, savvy entrepreneurs, world travelling adventurers, and teachers of royalty.  This presentation, with Emma’s finely executed musical examples, is a fascinating glimpse at a vibrant but overlooked piece of guitar history.

- Free to members of the Halifax Institute of Traditional and Early Music and Bravura Nova Scotia
- Open to the general public by freewill donation ($20 or what you can afford)
- Pre-register by email at: info@tradandearlymusic.ca
- Visit Emma’s website here

Group 3: Three Short Renaissance Pieces

Almaine no. 41 from Ayres by William Drew
Fantasia no. 1 by William Byrd
"Ces fascheux sotz" by Anon., published by Pièrre Attaingnant

Performers: Group 3 Mixed Consort:
- Alfhild Larson, traverso
- Stephen Barbour, tenor viol
- Chris Purcell, bass viola da gamba
Recorded informally by the group members on their own in November 2021, when covid-19 numbers were very low in NS.

Swedish Nyckelharpa with Kirsty Money

In our Trad Ensemble class Nov. 28, 2021 we learned the Balkan Polska with Kirsty Money, one of our regular instructors. In this photo she is playing the Swedish nyckelharpa, a type of keyed fiddle that has been in use since the Middle Ages. In addition to being a professional orchestral violinist and a Baroque violin specialist, Kirsty is an incredible ambassador for this instrument and for Swedish traditional music.

Klezmer with Adrianne Greenbaum

On Nov. 2 the Trad Ensemble dipped into freylakhs and krekhts with our expert and enthusiastic Ambassador of Klezmer Adrianne Greenbaum, zooming all the way to us from New England. Thank you Adrianne!

Adrianne Greenbaum, Professor of Flute at MHC and pioneer of the klezmer flute tradition, is a nationally acclaimed flutist and clinician, performing on historical instruments of the 18th and 19th centuries. As a classical musician, she has performed as soloist and orchestral musician in all of New York’s major concert halls and in many major cities of the US. Her current projects are as the continuing leader of her flute-based klezmer ensemble, “FleytMuzik”, and founder of the period instrument trio “L’Uhrovska Baroque” Her newest recording “Farewell to the Homeland: Poyln” was released in summer of ’16, receiving reviews of note for the flute and klezmer communities at large. She can be heard in recording on the Koch and Music Masters labels as well as her own albums solo classical album “Sounds of America” and her other two FleytMuzik records. Adrianne teaches at Mount Holyoke College.

Basso Class

Iranian Classical Music with Mohammad Sahraei

Special Presentation: Iranian Classical Music
with Ethnomusicologist Mohammad Sahraei
Sun. Nov. 7, 1:45pm-3pm
Saint George's Round Church
2222 Brunswick St., Halifax
- Free to those already registered with HITEM for the term, and to members of Bravura Nova Scotia
- Open to the public by donation ($20 or what you are able)
- Proof of vaccination and masks required

We are very pleased to host Mohammad Sahraei, who will present a brief history of creation of Art (classical) music and explain different classical musics around the world, and then present Iranian classical music. This will include a solo performance and analysis of its rhythmic patterns, modes, form, improvisation and instruments. Our own Trad Ensemble will join in later on some of Mohammad's own compositions.

Mohammad Sahraei has earned a Master of Ethnomusicology, Bachelor of Music, Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Accounting. In his quest to understand the music of other cultures, he has done fieldwork with masters from many countries throughout the Middle East and has published several essays on the subject. Mohammad has participated in many musical and cultural events in Halifax such as the OBEY Festival, Jazz Festival, and Multicultural Festival and additionally has produced an International Music Concerts Series in Halifax since 2017. He also has a Live Film Score / Performance in his resume. Mohammad has produced and published an original recording entitled the Nahavand Album. Mohammad is also the founder and director of the World Music Museum Society in Halifax.

Partnership with Bravura Nova Scotia

The Halifax Institute of Traditional and Early Music is honoured to become a partner organization with Bravura Nova Scotia, formerly known as the MCPA Association. Bravura Nova Scotia is a distinguished registered charity which has generously supported performing arts education since 1921. This support has taken the form of student scholarships / bursaries, professional development fellowships, special project sponsorships, and many other functional initiatives that have helped to enrich the artistic lives of many generations of Nova Scotians. We are grateful to have been added to their list of partner organizations as of Sept. 2021, and look forward to joining in their upcoming centenary celebrations and to the launch of their new website.

Ralsgård & Tullberg Workshop Oct. 2/21

Early Music Group 12: Quantz Trio Sonata in C major, 4th mvt.

Trio Sonata in C major for Recorder and Flute, QV 2, Anh. 3
by Johann Joachim Quantz (1697 - 1773)
Movement 4: Vivace

Performers: Early Music Group 12
- Kerry Flynn-Robertson, recorder
- Jennifer Publicover, Baroque flute (instructor)
- Alfhild Larson, harpsichord
- Katherine Kilfoil, cello

Live audio with slide photos, recorded June 2021 at Saint George’s Round Church

Early Music Group 15: “I Know that My Redeemer Liveth”

"I Know that My Redeemer Liveth"
from The Messiah by Georg Friederich Händel (1685 - 1759)

Performers: Early Music Group 15
- Lindsay O'Rourke, soprano
- Andre Pretzel, violin
- Jen Hall, harpsichord
- Cappy Kingston, cello

Live audio with slide photos, recorded June 2021 at Saint George’s Round Church

Members of the Trad Ensemble: Waltzes, Cape Breton Tunes

"Muriel's Waltz" by Brian Pickell
and "Vals des jeunes filles" (Traditional)

- Fiddle: Eileen Cummings, Melanie Maillet,
Anthony Rissesco (Co-director)
- Harp: Tara Ehler, Lydia Maksym
- Piano: Alistair Maksym
- Flute: Jennifer Publicover (Co-director)

Recorded June 2021 at Saint George's Round Church

Also below - Audio of Cape Breton set:
My Lily / Sweetness of Mary / Hughie Jim Paul / Reconciliation Reel

Early Music Group 14: Cheerful Boismortier

Sonata I in D major
by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (1689 - 1755):
"Gayment" and "Gavotte"

Performers: Early Music Group 14
- Qingyu Li, violin
- Alfhild Larson, traverso

Recorded June 2021 in the George Wright House studio

Kiwanis Festival Performance: Early Music Group 5, “La Folia”

Trio Sonata in D minor, RV 63, "La Folia"
by Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741)

Performers: Early Music Group 5
- Andre Pretzel and Indi Tisoy, violins
- Chuck Homewood, harpsichord
- (Accompanist/coach) Hilary Brown, cello

Recorded March 2021 at Saint George's Round Church.

Kiwanis Festival Performance: The Trad Ensemble

- Fiddle: Gabe Morrison, Eileen Cummings, Melanie Maillet
- Harp: Tara Ehler, Lydia Maksym
- Accordion: Piper Doak
- Piano: Alistair Maksym
- Flute: Sarah Muir
- Director: Jennifer Publicover, flute (off-screen)

Music: "Marcha Procesional de Caldas de Reis"
Traditional tune from Galicia, Spain.
Learned aurally from the pipe playing of guest instructor Marcel Amores Nazabal, Halifax.
Arrangement input by the Trad Ensemble, Jennifer Publicover, Ellen Gibling, and Alistair Maksym.
Thank you to our Co-Director Anthony Rissesco.

Recorded March 2021 at Saint George's Round Church Halifax, Nova Scotia (Jipugtug, Mi’kma’ki)

Kiwanis Festival Performance: Early Music Group 3, Mixed Consort

"Shepherds Blow Your Pipes"
by Thomas Morley (1557 - 1602)

Performers: Group 3 Mixed Consort:
- Alfhild Larson, traverso
- Stephen Barbour, tenor viol
- Chris Purcell, bass viola da gamba

Recorded March 2021 at Saint George's Round Church.

Kiwanis Festival Performance: Early Music Group 1

"Domine Deus" from Gloria
by Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741)

Performers: Early Music Group 1
- Lindsay O'Rourke, voice
- Lisa Teryl, violin
- Chuck Homewood, harpsichord
- Katherine Kilfoil, cello

Recorded March 2021 at Saint George's Round Church.

Kiwanis Festival Performance: Early Music Group 6

Trio Sonata in E minor, op. 1, no. 2:
1st movement "Grave"
by Arcangelo Corelli (1653 - 1713)

Performers: Early Music Group 6
- Lisa Teryl, violin
- Qingyu Li, violin
- Stephen Barbour, viola

Recorded March 2021 at Saint George's Round Church.

Kiwanis Festival Performance, Plus More: Early Music Group 11

Sonata in F major for Treble Recorder
by Georg Friederick Händel (1685 - 1759):
I Grave
II Allegro
III Alla Siciliana
IV Allegro

Performers: Early Music Group 11
- Ewa Dunlap, recorder
- Alfhild Larson, harpsichord
- Cappy Kingston, cello

Recorded March 2021 at Saint George's Round Church.

Halifax Kiwanis Music Festival

We were pleased to enter many of our groups into new classes for early and traditional music at the April 2021 Halifax Kiwanis Music Festival. Participation was online by video, so our groups were very busy recording these when it was safe to do so from an epidemiology perspective. These videos were posted to our Youtube channel and are also embedded above.

Baroque Voice Masterclass with Dr. Jennifer Farrell

Sat. March 13, 2021 at 2:30pm Online

Jennifer began her advanced studies in music at Wilfred Laurier University, continuing at the University of British Columbia where she was awarded both masters and doctoral degrees. A highly accomplished singer with a beautiful soprano voice, Jennifer performs regularly in the fields of early music, opera, oratorio, and art song. She has appeared with the Vancouver Symphony, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, and Opera Nova Scotia. Dr. Farrell has also toured with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and eastern Canada with Jeunesses Musicales du Canada. Dr. Farrell is equally active as an adjudicator, examiner, lecturer, and choral clinician. She is a former Dean of Music at the Maritime Conservatory and has also taught at Acadia University.

Traditional Mi’kmaw Music with Michael R. Denny

Jan. 24, 2021 online

We were honoured to host musician, educator, and composer Michael R. Denny of Eskasoni, who shared traditional Mi’kmaw and other Indigenous songs and history with us in a fascinating and enjoyable presentation.

Presentation and Workshop with Sophie Larivière

”The French-style Suite versus the more international Sonata”
4:00pm Sun. Jan. 10, 2021, online

We were pleased to welcome back guest artist Sophie Larivière to present this workshop focusing on the differences between the French suite and its influence on musicians in the Baroque era versus the famous sonata that was spreading across Europe. This event was of particular interest to instrumentalists, and participants were invited to have instruments handy if they wished to try out some of the musical ideas presented. Free to all participants of the Halifax Institute of Traditional and Early Music. Open to the general public by donation.

Our Covid-Art Recording Project

Part 1, Spring 2020
Released Aug. 17, 2020:

"Follow the Heron Home"
by Karine Polwart
www.karinepolwart.com/

Videography and audio mix:
Kirk Starkey
www.kirkstarkey.com/

Part 2, Released Oct. 17, 2020:

“Willie Brew’d a Peck o’Malt”
by Robert Burns

Videography and audio mix:
Kirk Starkey
www.kirkstarkey.com/

~~~

To see what our ensembles did in 2019-2020 and in previous years, click on their links below which will lead you to their former webpages.

The Early Music Ensembles
2019 and Earlier

The “Trad” Ensemble
2019 and Earlier