Upcoming Performances
The Stage at St. Andrew's presents a variety of performances throughout the year, includes this year's Rising Tide concert series, the Halifax Gay Men's Chorus, Symphony Nova Scotia, and much more!
We invite you to join us in bringing community to musicians.
19
April
2026
Symphony Nova Scotia:
Purcell's King Arthur & The Fairy Queen
2:00pm
Featuring
Lionel Meunier, leader & recorder solo; Sinéad White, soprano.
On the program
George Frideric Handel: Il delirio amoroso (The Delirium of Love)
Henry Purcell: Dances and arias from King Arthur and The Fairy Queen
Symphony Nova Scotia welcomes Lionel Meunier, internationally renowned Artistic Director of the award-winning Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis. Praised for his detailed, spirited approach, Lionel is joined by Irish-born soprano Sinéad White, known for her “gorgeous and subtle vocal palette” (La Scena Musicale) and “luminous soprano” (Whole Note). Together, Lionel and Sinéad take us through a program of radiant highlights from Purcell’s beloved operas, including “Fairest Isle” from King Arthur and “If Love’s a Sweet Passion” from The Fairy Queen. Plus, in a first for our orchestra, we perform Handel’s dazzling Il delirio amoroso (The Delirium of Love), showcasing virtuoso solos for violin, cello, oboe, and recorder.
23
April
2026
Her Vision, Our Future: A Celebration of Dale Godsoe
7:30pm
Featuring
Bernhard Gueller, conductor
Rachel Desoer, cello
Join Symphony Nova Scotia for a tribute celebrating the extraordinary life and legacy of Dale Godsoe, a transformative leader and champion of our musical community.
This special program honours her enduring spirit with a selection of profound works:
Fanny Mendelssohn’s Overture in C Major is a spirited masterpiece by a pioneering composer. It was her only purely orchestral work, featuring a lyrical, slow introduction that erupts into a scintillating conclusion with sparkling strings and majestic horn calls.
Anna Clyne’s Shorthand takes its title from Leo Tolstoy’s comment that “Music is the shorthand of emotion. Emotions, which let themselves be described in words with such difficulty, are directly conveyed to man in music, and in that is its power and significance.”
Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 is a vibrant homage to Mozart that radiates youthful grace and melodic light.
Dale believed music was the close community that united us all. We invite you to share in this evening of remembrance and gratitude as we celebrate a woman whose vision helped secure the future of our orchestra.
Please note: Doors open at 6:30 pm. Seating is general admission. This concert will be approximately 75 minutes with no intermission.
25
April
2026
Cecilia Concerts:
Isidore Quartet: Brahms - The Admirer
7:30pm
The Isidore String Quartet—winners of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and of the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition—presents a program that explores reverence, innovation, and legacy through the lens of Johannes Brahms. Often viewed as an academic traditionalist and tortured perfectionist, German composer Brahms drew deep inspiration from the compositional mastery of Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven. In this program, his radiant “Geistliches Lied” and richly textured "Quartet in B-Flat Major" are paired with Beethoven’s "Quartet Op. 18, No. 6", a work that balances classical clarity with expressive breadth. A choral arrangement by a Bach work further underscores the lineage of musical thought that Brahms so admired. With precision and warmth, violinists Adrian Steele and Phoenix Avalon, violist Devin Moore, and cellist Joshua McClendon invite audience members into a conversation across generations—one marked by polyphonic brilliance, structural integrity, and emotional depth. Formed at The Juilliard School, the quartet has brought its prize-winning and adventurous spirit to major stages around the world.
1
May
2026
Bookmark and Nature Nova Scotia: An Evening with Suzanne Simard
7::00pm
Bookmark and Nature Nova Scotia are thrilled to present an evening with Dr. Suzanne Simard, author of the best-selling Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest.
This is a free event with an opportunity to donate to the work of Nature Nova Scotia.
Dr. Simard will be discussing her new book, When the Forest Breathes: Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World . The event will be moderated by local author and Bookmark bookseller, Aaron Williams.
The author of Finding the Mother Tree and scientist who pioneered the concept of sophisticated communication between trees, Suzanne Simard now offers a powerful vision for saving our forests based on nature’s deep-rooted cycles of renewal. Suzanne Simard has watched as timber companies leave forests at higher risk for wildfires, water crises, and plant and animal extinction. But her research has the potential to chart a new course. The forest, she reveals, is a symphony of finely honed cycles of regeneration—from mushrooms breaking down logs to dying elder trees passing their genetic knowledge to younger ones—that hold the key to protecting our forests. Working closely with local Indigenous communities, whose models of responsible forestry have been largely dismissed, Simard examines how human interventions—particularly destruction of the overstory's mother trees—endanger new growth and longevity. When the Forest Breathes is a vital reminder of all the natural world has to teach us about adaptability, resilience, and community.
2
May
2026
NSYO: A Joyous Trilogy
2:00pm
Featuring
Denise Grant, conductor
The Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra
On the program
Quinn Mason: A Joyous Trilogy
Missy Mazzoli: Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
John Weinzweig: Round Dance
Malcolm Forsyth: Atayoskewin Suite
Led by Denise Grant – a conductor and educator who has held positions at Memorial University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Regina – this concert features three exciting works. First, enjoy Mason’s A Joyous Trilogy, an inviting piece that’s sure to put you in a good mood. Next, hear Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres), which the composer describes as “music in the shape of a solar system”, and Weinzweig’s Round Dance, a short and invigorating work for orchestra with a “Canadian folk flavour”. Finally, Forsyth’s JUNO Award-winning piece Atayoskewin Suite closes out our concert. Come join the young musicians of the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra for this delightful season finale performance!
Tickets are $30 or $10 for students (HST included). Tickets for 12 and under are free with the purchase of an Adult ticket (Halifax performance only).
4
May
2026
Nova Sinfonia: Conductor Greg Burton
Soloist Brittany Cann (Sporano)
7:30pm
Join Nova Sinfonia for an evening of dramatic orchestral music and brilliant vocal artistry as the orchestra continues its 30th Anniversary Season. Under the direction of Greg Burton, the program welcomes acclaimed soprano Brittany Cann for a selection of powerful operatic arias by Mozart and Beethoven.
The concert opens with Mozart’s Symphony No. 24 in B-flat major, K.182, a vibrant early work full of elegance and youthful energy. Brittany Cann then takes the stage for Beethoven’s thrilling “Abscheulicher!… O komm, Hoffnung” from Fidelio, followed by two beloved Mozart arias: Donna Anna’s dramatic “Non mi dir, bell’idol mio” from Don Giovanni and the Countess’s deeply expressive “Porgi, amor” from Le nozze di Figaro.
The orchestra will also perform Frederick Delius’s Two Pieces for Small Orchestra, music of shimmering colour and lyrical beauty, before concluding the evening with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21, a work that marks the bold arrival of Beethoven’s symphonic voice.
9
May
2026
Cecilia Concerts:
Bryan Cheng and Balourdet Quartet: heartSTRINGS!
7:30pm
For his final residency concert of the season, our 2025/26 Musician-in-Residence cellist Bryan Cheng, joins the prize-winning Balourdet Quartet—who wowed our Halifax audience just a couple of years ago—for a captivating evening of chamber music that bridges the sensuous sound world of French Impressionism and the emotional depth of the Viennese Romantic tradition. The program features Maurice Ravel’s luminous “String Quartet in F major,” a piece renowned for its shimmering textures, rhythmic vitality, and refined harmonic palette. Equally compelling is Franz Schubert’s monumental “String Quintet in C major,” widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements in the chamber music repertoire—introspective, expansive, and rich with lyrical beauty. Cheng, known for his interpretive insight and expressive range, brings added resonance to Schubert’s poignant score, while the Balourdet Quartet delivers performances marked by warmth, clarity, and a deep sense of ensemble connection. Together, these five string players offer a richly layered musical experience that balances structure with spontaneity, lightness with gravity, and precision with heart.