Halifax Camerata Singers

The Halifax Camerata Singers have been proud to be part of Atlantic Canada’s choral culture since 1986. With a focus on artistic excellence, community involvement, and championing Canadian composers, Camerata always has something worth hearing.

View our official 2024-2025 season announcement release!

CONCERT & TICKETS

SOCIAL NEWS

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Halifax Camerata Singers first concert of the 2024-2025 season features daring acts and bold aspirations -- music that will make you hold your breath! Works by composers Eric Whitacre and Hugo Wolf will be presented, as will Thats One Small Step about the 1969 moon landing by Canadian composer Tawnie Olson. Additional composers include Marie-Claire Saindon and Joel Thompson, and Camerata will perform a newly commissioned work by past composer-in-residence Benjamin Sigerson with text by Halifax Poet Laureate Anna Quon. Featured in this concert will be local percussionist Trevor Brandenburg and a guest string quartet from the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra.

We cant wait to see you there! 🥰

Dont forget to vote for us for best community choir! Were excited to be listed among so many amazing groups 🤩🥹🎉

You can vote at vote.thecoast.ca, or follow the link in our story!

Our recording of Yôtin (The Wind) by Sherryl Sewepagaham is now available on our bandcamp! Featuring the wonderful and talented @mol_anderson on the opening solo 💕 You can find the full recording at the link in our bio, or at halifaxcameratasingers.bandcamp.com

Yôtin (The Wind) is based on a Woodland Cree poem and has been written and set to music by Cree-Dene composer Sherryl Sewepagaham. Originally commissioned by Pro Coro Canada, Sewepagaham was inspired to write this song by observing the winds interplay with the objects around her.

Traditional Cree teachings tell us that the wind carries prayers and songs to others or the Creator, and Yôtin beautifully celebrates the gifts that the wind can bring to us. This piece is tremendously evocative in its choice of modality, dynamics, vocal styles, tempi, and so much more.

Yôtin means “wind” in Woodland Cree Y-Dialect.

lyrics
Yôtin (The Wind)

Yôtin nîpîhtamak nikamona
The wind carries songs to me.

Yôtin kîpîhtamak nitayamihâwin
The wind carries my prayers to you.

Kisemanito nanâskamon yôtin ohci
Creator, I am thankful for this wind.

credits
released October 4, 2024

Halifax Camerata Singers - Dr. Joel Tranquilla, artistic director

Molly Anderson, Soprano
Julia Jordan, Soprano
Meaghan McKay, Soprano
Amelia McMahon, Soprano
Juliette Moncada, Soprano
Toinette Martin, Soprano
Kate Spencer, Soprano

Julia Blundon, Alto
Mackenzie Costron-Li, Alto
Kelly Hart, Alto
Morgandy Levy, Alto
Alex Meinzinger, Alto
Jill Rafuse, Alto
Jessica Sharp, Alto
Tessa Short, Alto

Jessica Amador, Tenor
William Austin, Tenor
David Caldwell, Tenor
Geoff Gillespie, Tenor
Frederick Li, Tenor

Graham Bolton, Bass
Bryan Crocker, Bass
Steven DeWitt, Bass
Spencer Gough, Bass
Bertrum MacDonald, Bass
Byron Hermann, Bass
Sean Pecknold, Bass
Robert Pecknold, Bass
Bill Perrot, Bass

Molly Anderson - soprano soloist
Byron Hermann - percussion
Joel Tranquilla - frame drum

Recorded at First Baptist Church, Halifax 15 June, 2024
Rod Sneddon - recording engineer

#choir #halifax #halifaxchoir #halifaxnoise

We are delighted to introduce our 2024/25 Composer-in-Residence: India Gailey!

India (she/they) is a cellist, composer, vocalist, and improviser based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. Named by CBC as one of 30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30, she draws from many eras and genres to craft poetic narratives of sound, collaborating with composers, filmmakers, dancers, and visual artists to create works of exploratory art.

Indias pieces often explore environmentalism, magical realism, or post-realism. They have worked with esteemed composers such as Philip Glass, Yaz Lancaster, Amy Brandon, Fjóla Evans, Michael Harrison, Leilehua Lanzilotti, Nicole Lizée, and Andrew Noseworthy. In 2022, India wrote music for Symphony Nova Scotia to illustrate Mi’kmaw poet Rebecca Thomas’s children’s book I’m Finding My Talk. Her latest solo recording is Problematica, a collection of works written specifically for them by Canadian composers.

When not composing or performing, India facilitates workshops on meditation, music, cello playing, and improvisation. She loves raspberries, large marimbas, and the smell of burning thyme.

We are so excited to work with such a dynamic artist who will encourage us to grow and explore new sound concepts! You can hear Indias first piece for Camerata at our May concert EXHALE. Please join us in welcoming India Gailey!

Somethings coming 👀

#choir #halifax #halifaxchoir #halifaxnoise #choirconcert

Please join us in giving a warm instagram welcome to our very own Juliette Moncada! 🎉👏🥰

Juliette’s (she/her) first contact with music as a child was playing the piano. Later, as a teenager, she liked to imitate the singers my mother listened to, such as Natalie Dessay or Barbara Bonney. She then decided to dive deeper into music and study at the Grenoble Conservatory of Music (France). Teaching was important to her, so she completed my training with a state singing teacher’s diploma in Lyon (France). This has been her job for over 10 years.

As a musician, she has sung as a soloist in a variety of styles, including baroque music (Bach, Monteverdi, Dowland…), opera (Purcell, Mozart, Britten…), songs and Lieder (Debussy, Schubert, Rachmaninoff…), and contemporary music (Cage, Berio, Crumb…). She has also performed in several a cappella vocal groups and ensembles, singing jazz standards and traditional music.

2018 was a significant change for her and her partner as they decided to move to Halifax and write a new page in their lives. She changed jobs, but her passion for music just needed to find a way to express itself. She had the privilege of joining the Halifax Camerata Singers that same year, and since then she’s loved singing in this community and sharing so many wonderful musical and human moments.

Youll find Juliette at our November concert (more details coming soon 👀)

We love to chat, but weve all gotta leave sometime

#choir #choirlife #choirmemes #halifax #halifaxchoir

Were having a blast auditioning singers for our upcoming season!

Have you ever thought about auditioning to sing with us? Know a friend who has, or who you think should? Send an email to our director Joel Tranquilla at director@halifaxcamerata.org

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Thank You to Our Sponsors

The Halifax Camerata Singers are supported by organizations such as the Canada Council for the Arts, The Lloyd Carr-Harris Foundation, and Arts Nova Scotia.

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