Acadia Performing Arts Series
Upcoming Shows:
- Moulettes, October 7, 2023
- Symphony Nova Scotia, October 13, 2023
- Steve Poltz & Danny Michel, November 18, 2023
- Barra MacNeils: An East Coast Christmas!, December 17, 2023
- Tom Regan Memorial Concert, January 27, 2024
- Guy Davis, March 2, 2024
- Duo Concertante, March 14, 2024
- The Fretless, April 27
2023-24 Acadia Performing Arts Series on Sale Now!
Music from Persia, West Africa, the British Isles, Europe and North America performed by Artists with something important to say and something wonderful to play!
Acadia Performing Arts offers an exciting and diverse 2023-24 Series comprising of nine concerts. Full Series’ subscriptions, “Pick Four or More” special offer, and tickets for individual concerts are on sale at the Acadia Box Office.
The Series begins on September 2 with a performance by CONSTANTINOPLE & ABLAYE CISSOKO, a wonderful encounter between strings and voices, from the epics of the Mandingo Kingdom to the music of the Persian Court. The Series will conclude on April 27 with a performance by THE FRETLESS, a Juno-winning string ensemble that breaks the wall between classical concert halls and folk music festivals.
In between, in October, you will discover MOULETTES, favorites of European critiques and audiences alike, an unclassifiable British group led by cellist-singer Hannah Moule, with her band of remarkable multi-instrumentalists/vocalists. Soon after, we welcome SYMPHONY NOVA SCOTIA back to Convocation Hall. It is a privilege for us in Wolfville to be one of only three destinations visited every year by SNS!
You will also get re-acquainted with two exceptional solo performers, STEVE POLTZ and DANNY MICHEL, joining forces on a November double bill for the ages! Talking about exceptional travelling troubadours, in March, we welcome GUY DAVIS, the iconic Blues singer/instrumentalist, actor/teacher/activist. Also in March, you’re invited to a recital by DUO CONCERTANTE, one of Canada’s leading chamber music duos.
The Series would never be complete without the annual TOM REGAN MEMORIAL CONCERT, produced by the Acadia School of Music, featuring the best performances from AUSOM’s students, faculty, alumni and guests, or without our annual Christmas concert. This year, in the must-see event for the Season, the BARRA MACNEILS bring their Celtic Christmas Magic back to Convocation Hall for the first time in seven years!
MOULETTES October 7, 2023
Festival Theatre
England’s MOULETTES have been favorites of European critiques and audiences for quite some time. For Indie, Folk and Classical lovers alike, their music is a delicious interplay of dramatic orchestration, string baths & kaleidoscopic lushness. “Orchestral folk at its finest, Divine harmonies” ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ – (Time Out). Echoes of Kate Bush, Arcade Fire, “Shostakovich, Miles Davis, Pentangle and Pink Floyd (…), they are most remarkable for their blend of immaculate and thrilling harmony vocals and unexpected instrumentation.” (The Guardian)
Symphony Nova Scotia October 13, 2023
Convocation Hall
Conducted by their world-renowned Musical Director, Holly Mathieson, Symphony Nova Scotia’s full orchestra and the harmonious sound of their brilliant string section will again fill our acoustically beautiful Convocation Hall! A program featuring Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C Major, with acclaimed cellist Denise Djokic.
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Steve Poltz & Danny Michel (double-bill) November 18, 2023
Festival Theatre
When they collided at some iconic music festival, it was probably inevitable that these two unique and busy minds would connect and want to hit the road together. These two impossible-to-pigeonhole troubadours, each with multiple claims to fame, are famous for offering solo performances of the type that creates cult following. Separate or together, creating parallel worlds full of fresh ideas, belly laughs and tears, who knows where they’ll take us?
The Barra MacNeils: An East Coast Christmas! December 17, 2023
Convocation Hall
The Scottish Island of Barra is the ancestral home of Clan MacNeil and, rightfully, the Barra MacNeils are Canada’s Celtic Ambassadors. For more than three decades, this Cape Breton-based family group has been thrilling audiences near and far with their sparkling vocal harmonies and instrumental prowess. Every year, their East Coast Christmas concert is the “must-see” event for the Season. In collaboration with Brookes Diamond Productions, The Barra MacNeils bring their Celtic Christmas Magic back to Convocation Hall for the first time since 2017!
Tom Regan Memorial Concert January 27, 2024
Festival Theatre
Produced in collaboration with the Acadia School of Music, the TRMC is our annual showcase of AUSOM’s students, faculty, alumni and friends, demonstrating the diversity and depth of the musical talent at Acadia. Expect a rich and diverse evening of music featuring a blend of exciting emerging and established musicians and singers.
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Guy Davis March 2, 2024
Convocation Hall
Bluesman/Actor/Teacher/Activist Guy Davis is the “real deal”. Son of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Harry Belafonte’s godson, Guy has been digging deep into the roots of the Blues as a musician but also as an actor. From his own play, The Adventures of Fishy Waters, Davis went on to star Off-Broadway as the legendary Robert Johnson. Guy also starred in the seminal film, “Beat Street”, the movie that introduced breakdancing, rap and urban street art to a wide audience. Along the way he cut 12 acclaimed albums, nominated for two Grammy Awards and twelve Blues Awards.
Duo Concertante March 14, 2024
Denton Hall
With their seminal 3CD recording of Beethoven Sonatas, 12 more acclaimed albums and 25 years of performances around the world, violinist Nancy Dahn and pianist Timothy Steeves are truly at the forefront of Canadian chamber music! “Artistry, poetry and impeccable technique” – La scena musicale
The Fretless April 27, 2024
Festival Theatre
A supergroup of four celebrated players/composers, Juno award-winning The Fretless expands the idea of what a string quartet can be. A distinctly rich, multi-layered and percussive sound that breaks the wall between classical concert halls and folk music festivals.
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Video presenting our 2022-23 Series
A 2022-23 Series that sees the return of World-Class Singer-Songwriters, Ballet, Opera, Jazz, Symphonic and Chamber Music to Wolfville!
(August 29, 2022) The inaugural BACK TO THE GARDENS took place during the August 13-14 weekend on the Acadia University campus.
Due to adverse weather conditions, the festival was moved indoors at the eleventh hour to a “greened up” Convocation Hall. Although the big stage erected in the beautiful Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens remained elusive, Back to the Gardens presented a wonderful community of Artists from near and far, coming together in harmony to create and perform. They delivered beautifully!
The Acadia Performing Arts Series thanks its Back to the Gardens partners within Acadia, and its major founding community partners, Just Us Coffee, EOS Natural Foods and Rewind 89.3, for their support. Major thanks also to the BTTG production team and to the community of volunteers who made the weekend’s concerts unfold perfectly. Last but not least, kudos to all the remarkable Artists who performed at Back to the Gardens. As the audience can attest, musical magic was made!
As September begins, the Acadia Performing Arts Series now invites you to Acadia’s Festival Theatre and Convocation Hall for its annual Fall to Spring Series. It begins on October 1 with “la Grande Dame” of Canadian jazz, pianist Lorraine Desmarais and her trio.
Series’ subscriptions at a very advantageous price, as well as tickets for each event, are available at the Acadia Box Office.
