MUSICIAN OF THE MONTH: CHRISTIANNE RUSHTON

After a short hiatus, we’re happy to be back with another spectacular Musician of the Month for you – none other than the wonderful Christianne Rushton!

Mezzo-soprano Christianne Rushton delighted audiences with her engaging presence and versatility on both the operatic and concert stages. Dr. Rushton is a first prize winner of the Canadian National Music Festival, a prize winner at the prestigious Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition, a two-time grant recipient from the Canada Council for the Performing Arts, and a winner of the Canada Council’s Bernard Diamant Prize in Voice.…

MUSICIAN OF THE MONTH: JENNIFER KING

February may be the shortest month of the year, but our February Musician of the Month certainly isn’t short on talent. This month, we are proud to welcome pianist Jennifer King to the site!

Energetic and insightful, Jennifer King is a versatile pianist who is equally at home on the concert stage, and in the classroom.…

MUSICIAN OF THE MONTH: LUKAS PEARSE

What better way to kick of a new year than getting to know a new Musician of the Month? We know you’ll be as excited as we are to learn more about bassist and composer Lukas Pearse.

Lukas Pearse is a bassist was born, raised and lives in central Halifax Nova Scotia, with his wife Melissa Andrew (also a bassist in the PEI Symphony), their children Zella and Lila, and two rambunctious cats.…

MUSICIAN OF THE MONTH: JACK CHEN

December is by nature a busy month, which means our final Musician of the Month for 2017 is being introduced to you a little bit late (our apologies!). We’ve heard that most good things are worth waiting for, though, and this is no exception – our December MOTM is none other than Halifax favourite Jack Chen!…

MUSICIAN OF THE MONTH: JEFF REILLY

Been wondering who you’d see as our November Musician of the Month? Well, wonder no more: We couldn’t be happier to introduce you to clarinetist-composer-conductor Jeff Reilly.

Jeff Reilly leads a multifaceted life as a bass clarinetist, composer, conductor, a CBC radio music producer, and as a radio documentary maker. A recording artist for the prestigious German label ECM and the Montreal based label ATMA Classique, he has performed with choirs, orchestras and chamber groups, in music festivals, cathedrals and concert halls around the world – with his trio Sanctuary he has performed in Shanghai, Paris, London, New York, St Petersburg, Moscow, Riga, Sochi, Toronto, Montreal and more. …

MUSICIAN OF THE MONTH: MAUREEN BATT

Three days into October and our newest Musician of the Month is here: We are thrilled to have Maureen Batt on the site this month.

Maureen Batt is celebrated for her “rich, warm sound and masterful acting” (Opera Canada). Recently, Maureen’s solo career has focused on promoting Canadian classical contemporary repertoire by collaborating with established and emerging composers to commission, première, and re-perform their works.…

MUSICIAN OF THE MONTH: BERNHARD GUELLER

September’s Musician of the Month is the Maestro himself – we are pleased to introduce you to the one and only Bernhard Gueller.

Since 2002 Bernhard Gueller has been music director of SNS.  During this time, variously, he was also Music Director in Nuremberg, Germany, principal conductor of the Johannesburg Philharmonic, and principal guest conductor of the Victoria Symphony.…

MUSICIAN OF THE MONTH: HEATHER FRASER

We’re so excited to share our August Musician of the Month with you: Meet Heather Fraser!

Heather Fraser is a dynamic choral music educator hailing from Nova Scotia.  She is Artistic Director of the Annapolis Valley Honour Choirs and incoming Artistic Director of the Aeolian Singers Women’s Choir.
Heather is an active clinician and has adjudicated for festivals across Canada.…

MUSICIAN OF THE MONTH: BARBARA BUTLER

We’re thrilled to introduce to you our July Musician of the Month – and she is none other than the lovely Barbara Butler!

Barbara Butler is a chamber musician, choral conductor, organist and music educator and a well-known champion for the arts in Nova Scotia.

She is a graduate in music from Acadia University and in Arts Management from the Banff School of Fine Arts.…

MUSICIAN OF THE MONTH: BURT WATHEN

June is here and so is our newest Musician of the Month: We’re thrilled to introduce Burt Wathen!

Born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Wathen received his early musical training in Saint John, New Brunswick. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Music of the University of Toronto, with a degree in Music Performance. Following a first engagement as Principal Viola with the Hamilton Philharmonic, he moved to Rome to study with Mo.…