Listen

Winter Songs at the Old Hall By Kim Barlow Every few weeks the kids and I go for a drive across the province to see my parents, and along the way we pass several cute little wood-sided community halls. Some are decrepit and for sale, others are still in use, their signs announcing jam sessions and fundraisers. These little halls are cheap to rent, and cozy, and many have fully-equipped kitchens. After twenty years out west and up north, I notice the slower economy here has spared this province from a certain amount of the worst kind of development, like…
Read more

Stolen Art Songs By Janet Kirkconnell Great violin-makers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Stradivari and the Guarneri, designed their instruments (cellos included) to mimic the human voice. Students of stringed instruments are often urged by their teachers to make their instrument sing. Yet the cello is considered to be the most voice-like of all instruments, acoustically and expressively, with its range from basso profundo to one that competes with coloratura. Even the timbre of the cello is quite close to the timbre of the singing voice. The ultimate step? A concert of songs ‘sung’ by a cello. The…
Read more

Acadia Performing Arts Series Presents Mezzo-soprano Julie Nesrallah with Pianist Robert Kortgaard By François Côté Julie Nesrallah is a sensational singer, actor, and broadcaster who has been captivating audiences with her engaging personality and her rich, expressive voice. She has appeared with leading opera companies, symphonies, and chamber music ensembles across North America and around the world. In Wolfville, her “Favourite Things” will form a very entertaining program including Italian and French art songs as well as excerpts from her signature lead role in Bizet’s opera, Carmen. Ms. Nesrallah is a proud recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for…
Read more

Dean Brody and Jessica Mitchell: East Coast Tour Lands in Wolfville! By Mike Butler Imagine the East Coast without music, or the vast variety of shows, music festivals, and intimate concert venues. We are so fortunate to have amazing music at our disposal through the internet, but the feeling of a live show can’t be beat. Just off the heels of the Alan Doyle concert and the Deep Roots Music Festival, the Valley is being treated to another song-filled concert extravaganza on October 26 when Dean Brody and Jessica Mitchell hit the Convocation Hall stage in Wolfville! Dean Brody is…
Read more

An Atlantic Young Artist at Sunday Music in the Garden Room By Janet Kirkconnell Sunday Music in the Garden Room on October 28 will bring an emerging artist to the series, Halifax native Andrew Son, piano. Music is ostensibly on the sidelines for him, yet is the underlying ground bass of his life. While he is in his second year studying neuroscience at Dalhousie University, his minor is in music, and he is the student of Lynn Stodola and Peter Allen. He is also a gifted violinist. In short: he excels brilliantly in all he does. In 2015, Andrew represented…
Read more

Q & A with Craig Cardiff Singer-Songwriter Craig Cardiff takes the stage at Acadia’s Manning Memorial Chapel in Wolfville on Wednesday October 10 at 7pm. The Grapevine: What was your childhood or earliest ambition? Craig Cardiff: A doctor. Our grandma, who was a nurse all her life, lived with us and indoctrinated the grandkids. GV: What is your favourite piece or song and when did you first hear it? CC: “It’s The End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)” (REM). Grade seven on a Walkman. GV: How did you get started in the music industry?…
Read more

Katrina Bishop Concerts at the Whittle in Wolfville and Sea-Esta in Delhaven By Mike Butler I’ve just been introduced to a fabulous musician who happens to be coming to the Valley this month, and you should all make time to go see her. Katrina Bishop is stopping by the Al Whittle Theatre in Wolfville on Saturday October 20 to promote her CD Hopscotch, filled with songs about wine and cheese, bad drivers, muffins, and rain, among other things. It’s going to be a wonderful evening spearheaded by this very talent lady, along with her special guest, Jeff Jodrey. When speaking…
Read more

Free Vocal Lessons with Valley Voices By Linda Brehaut This fall, Valley Voices, the Annapolis Valley’s premier A Cappella female singing group, will be holding a program for women who love to sing called Find Your Voice. Each week during Find Your Voice participants will experience the learning of a song and will be provided with weekly music lessons in vocal production and performance. It is a six-week event, one hour per week, beginning on October 9 at 6:45pm. All rehearsals of the group, including this event, are held in the Christian Education Center at Kentville Baptist Church on 503…
Read more

Back from Florence for Sunday Music in the Garden Room By Janet Kirkconnell In the past, Acadia had a fall convocation, with all the trappings. The remnant of this is what is called Homecoming Weekend, when alumni are welcomed back to campus, this year from October 12 to 14. Football is often the drawing card of this weekend, but since the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre was erected on University Avenue, and the Steinway grand piano set in place, a Sunday concert has become a tradition, if possible with alumni artists performing. Two Acadia School of Music graduates will give…
Read more