Nova Voce

Nova Voce held its annual retreat at the end of August. As the appreciative audience for the Nova Scotia Choir Federation’s (NSCF) Adult Music Camp concert slowly made its way out through the magnificent hemlocks at Berwick Camp, several Nova Voce members dropped off their NSCF music, picked up their Nova Voce music, and headed back into rehearsal. Every year, so as to make a good start to the season, we congregate in Berwick for about 10 hours of rehearsal over two days. Thi

Other Lives is a continuing series of profiles celebrating the diverse members of our choir. In this edition, we are pleased to feature long-time member Phil Porter. Section One: In the Choir While Phil won’t commit to the exact number of years he has been with Nova Voce, he estimates it is somewhere around 16. That impressive milestone places him among our longest-serving singers. Like many in the choir, Phil is highly versatile, seamlessly pivoting between baritone and bass

We are looking to add some new voices to Nova Voce and we would love to include yours! Nova Voce is an auditioned men’s choir committed to promoting and performing music of the highest quality across Nova Scotia and beyond. ​ Interested in becoming a member? Try us out at our open rehearsals on September 20 and/or September 27th. ​ You should have a good background in ensemble vocal music, some basic music theory knowledge, and a good ear. Sight reading skills, while definit

Oyez! Oyez! Come join in the fun. On Sunday, September 13th from 1:30 to 3:00 pm. Nova Voce is performing in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic Anchor Yard in the Maritime Heritage District, just across from HMCS Sackville, as we participate in the museum’s second annual Heritage Festival. Bill Perrot, Nova Voce’s co-artistic director said, “Nova Voce is pleased to partner with the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic as part of the Maritime Heritage Festival. We look forward to

Nova Voce is thrilled to officially welcome Nick Rodgerson to our community as our new Collaborative Pianist! Nick brings over twenty years of professional experience as a highly accomplished freelance pianist, collaborative accompanist, and private educator. His extensive background spans across solo orchestral performances, diverse chamber music collaborations, and choral accompaniment.  Nick spent a decade accompanying major choirs, including the University of Ottawa Cho

An evening of hugs, tears, and fond memories marked a bittersweet milestone for Nova Voce as we gathered to celebrate Lynn Pelton, who recently announced her retirement. For years, Lynn has been so much more than our accompanist; she has been a steadfast friend, a trusted mentor, and an endless source of joy and amusement. One of Lynn’s favorite stories to share sums up her unforgettable presence perfectly. During a performance in Truro, the choir had completed the first half

Nova Voce held its annual retreat at the end of August. As the appreciative audience for the Nova Scotia Choir Federation’s (NSCF) Adult Music Camp concert slowly made its way out through the magnificent hemlocks at Berwick Camp, several Nova Voce members dropped off their NSCF music, picked up their Nova Voce music, and headed back into rehearsal. Every year, so as to make a good start to the season, we congregate in Berwick for about 10 hours of rehearsal over two days. Thi

Other Lives is a continuing series of posts about choir members. In this edition, we are pleased to feature Ron Macdonald. Section One: In the Choir Anyone that goes past ten years in the choir makes them a long-timer and Ron has over 13 years to his credit. He was positioned in the Baritone section for a number of years but because he has a large vocal range, he has moved recently to Tenor2. In addition to singing, Ron has shown he steps up for other responsibilities within

Generally speaking, Canadian choirs of the amateur persuasion try their very best to avoid scheduling concerts in the summer months. In fact, they rarely even get together to rehearse between the start of June and the end of August. The reasoning is that it’s just too blooming hot to be standing under the lights for forty minutes in sweat-soaked penguin suits whilst the venue’s ages-old a/c (or lack thereof) fights a losing battle against intolerable temperatures and energy-s

Other Lives is a continuing series of posts about choir members. In this edition, we are pleased to feature Robert (Bob) McCalla. Section One: In the Choir When we speak about being a stalwart member, there are a number of Nova Voce members that adjective applies to, but not anyone more than Bob McCalla. He has been in the choir for 21 years, since its inception, putting him in an elite group of founding members. He has sung the baritone line since 2004. Bob tells us that

We could bring out all the cliches to put into words what Nova Voce members think about the choir. Old saws like ‘the best thing since sliced bread’ or ‘it’s out of this world’ or ‘second to none’ come to mind. But why should we borrow from the Metaphors Dictionary when we have real time comments from the horse’s mouth , so to speak . While we were on our annual pre-season retreat at Berwick Camp, our videographer and all-round great publicist, Judy Porter, grabbed a number

Non-rhoticity. It’s a curious word whose precise meaning is familiar to relatively few people, most of whom fall into two general groupings. First, academics and researchers immersed in the complexities of linguistics, phonetics, and regional dialectology will need little encouragement to embark on a detailed and exhaustive discourse on the word’s meaning, complete with historical, cultural, political, and societal context, preferably with the aid of charts, diagrams, and noi

FULL PROGRAM TEXT ) All for Me Grog Traditional Sea Shanty, arr. Stephen Hatfield Chorus: All for me grog, me jolly jolly grog, All for me grog an’ tabacca! For I spent all me store with the lassies on the shore, And it’s all for me grog an’ tabacca! When I come home then my sweetheart I shall see. All for me grog an’ tabacca! An’ my sweetheart’ll sing when she sees the wedding ring. And it’s all for me grog an’ tabacca! Chorus When there’s a wee one to

Oh the year was 1778 How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now A letter of marque came from the king To the scummiest vessel I’ve ever seen ...

Where does all of Nova Voce’s beautiful music come from? Audiences and choir members may think that the Nova Voce concert themes and...

As Ian Loeppky (A proud Manitoban and currently a prof at the University of North Alabama) said: “Singing in a choir is an absolutely...

Other Lives is a continuing series of posts about choir members. In this edition, we are pleased to feature Alex Maizlish. Alex Maizlish...

Forget the men. Sure, Nova Voce might bill itself as a provincial “Mens” choir, but the group’s secret weapon, its ace-in-the-hole, and...

Other Lives is a continuing series of posts about choir members. In this edition, we are pleased to feature Bruce McCulloch. Bruce...

We slipped into our seats as the steady stream of concert-goers ahead and behind us sought out vacant spots. The buzz of conversation was...