A note from our Artistic Director
August 2025
Dear Music Lovers,
Welcome to the Music Room Chamber Players series 2025-26, where you will experience the communicative power of great music in the intimate space of the Music Room. From great classics including Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, and Shostakovich, to moments of discovery—exceptional new music and undiscovered treasures—the series has something for us all.
We open with the Halifax debut of guitarist Alexandra Whittingham from the UK, a fascinating artist who has recently made a splash, including tens of millions of views on social media, with content from gorgeously shot performances to fun glimpses behind the scenes.
Also visiting us on tour are two truly impressive piano trios: the magnificently musical Trio Timia, from Montreal (their cellist is a former Scotia Festival Young Artist); and the Busch Trio from Amsterdam, quickly making a mark on the international stage.
You will hear four piano recitals, with Sarah Hagen, Luke Welch, and Peter Allen returning to the series, and BC’s Corey Hamm making his debut.
Our wonderful resident Scotia Festival String Quartet will be here for a concert in April, giving us a taste of what is to come in our 2026 festival.
And two concerts will showcase the brilliant musicians of Symphony Nova Scotia: one string quartet and one wind quintet.
We also look forward to the return of the Magenta String Quartet from Paris, Duo Concertante from Newfoundland, and mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy from Montreal. And we love our ongoing collaborations. We will be co-presenting concerts with Dalhousie’s Fountain School of Performing Arts (in the Joseph Strug Concert Hall), with the Maritime Conservatory, and with Upstream.
Our full subscription price remains the same this year—$350 for 21 concerts—less than $17 per concert. We also have Pick-10 and Livestream options available—see the details on the last page of this brochure.
And we always welcome donations along with your orders—ticket revenue covers only a portion of our costs.
I am so excited about this season, and I look forward to seeing you soon.
Simon Docking
Managing and Artistic Director
Scotia Festival of Music