Halifax Celtic Festival

The Halifax Celtic Festival was held at Citadel High School this year with performances in the Spatz Theatre. I had a great time playing a short set with the band Delhaven and dancer Elizabeth MacDonald on Saturday evening!

Debussy with SNS

On Thursday night, I was delighted to join first harpist Karen Rokos for a performance of Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune with Symphony Nova Scotia, conducted by Holly Mathieson. The concert also featured pianist Philip Chiu in Ravel's G major piano concerto.

Borrowers at Mx3N

This week included the launch of a new band, Borrowers, which played its first show at Radstorm, as part of the awesome Mask Mandatory Music Night (Mx3N). Playing compositions by Andrew MacKelvie, the band was Andrew (saxophone), Ellen (harp), Sam Wilson (guitar), and Casey Thompson (bass).

Canadian Folk Music Awards

Congratulations to the Bombadils who took home Vocal Group of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards in St. John's Newfoundland! I went up with them to play in their showcase at the Ship Pub and got to attend the awards ceremonies and have a blast in St. John's.

St. Patrick's Day at the Carleton

Last night for St. Patrick's Day, a newly assembled pub band provided some classic songs and tunes at the Carleton!

Musical Exorcism

Last week, I was part of a show at Radstorm with a great premise conceived of by Tom Richards - a musical exorcism to "expel the demons from some of our most insidious ear-worms."

New Bombadils Videos

The Bombadils just released seven new videos, completing the Live Visual Album of "Dear Friend"! You can check out the whole visual album here.

The Road to the Junos - Classical Concert

Last night, CBC and the Scotia Festival of Music co-presented a classical concert at the Music Room. The concert was the last a series of shows this week paving the way for the Junos, which are coming to Halifax in March. The concert featured performances by Devin Huang (piano), India Gailey (cello), Jennifer King (piano), LaLa Lee (piano), and myself, and will be broadcast on CBC radio on March 24th as part of "In Concert" hosted by Paolo Pietropaolo.

Blue Monday Cabaret

Last night was Blue Monday Cabaret at the Carleton, a variety show presenting Joni Mitchell's complete Blue Album! This show has been happening since 2020, every two years. Kyle Gillis and I revived our version of River from previous years. The concert was a fundraiser for local mental health support organizations.

Lizard of Pause

Lizard of Pause, a new circus and dance show, had its soft launch last night! The production is a collaboration between producer/performer Leah Skerry and director/choreographer Alyssa Martin of Rock Bottom Movement. I co-composed the music with the incredible Ben Shapiro who took my harp sounds and ran with them!

"Lizard of Pause is rollercoaster of emotions with a surrealist landing pad of dreams so, fasten your seatbelts, loosen up, and get ready to bask in Dorothy, her freaky little dog and their friends.”

Unfathomable Presence

Jeff Reilly’s new harp concerto "Unfathomable Presence" had its first performance last week with Symphony Nova Scotia as part of Open Waters Festival. Many thanks to Jeff for writing such a beautiful piece and trusting me with so much freedom, conductor Karl Hirzer for his excellent leadership and instincts, and to Symphony Nova Scotia for the support and consummate musicianship.

Thanks also to the Open Waters Festival and Artistic Director Lukas Pearse for programming this work and facilitating new and improvised music! 

Photos by Jennifer King and North Window Productions

Now.Here.This.

The film Now.Here.This. was launched this week at Open Waters Festival! The film features new works by six different local composers, performed by mixed ensembles and interspersed with interviews. The film can be viewed here: https://now-here-this.upstreammusic.org. The film is viewed at variable lengths, and each viewing is different, with footage chosen partly at random each time.

Now.Here.This. was directed by Chris Spencer-Lowe and co-produced by Chris and Lukas Pearse, under the umbrella of Upstream Music Association. I was part of the ensemble for India Gailey's piece, "Alaya" and Mohammad Sahraei's piece, "An". The other composers are Alan Syliboy, Sam Wilson, Amy Brandon, and Geordie Haley.

Sensory Accessible Concert with the Bombadils

I was delighted to have another chance to play one of Cecilia Concerts' Sensory Accessible shows at the Central Library, this time with the Bombadils. Thanks to Jennifer King, Anna Plaskett, Cecilia Concerts, the Library, and awesome team of facilitators who make these events possible!