Saint David's Presbyterian Church, Halifax

02/25/2025

Friday, February 28 at 8pm, St. David's welcomes Blackwood for a stunning evening of instrumental meditations.

https://www.facebook.com/events/937003631975535

Peter and Jeff have 4 Juno nominations between them and have made 7 albums together. They toured the world with the trio Sanctuary, recorded concertos for bass clarinet and choir on the German label ECM, string orchestra concertos on Warner Classics and award winning full length works for solo bass clarinet and vocal quartet on the Montreal based label ATMA Classique.

In spite of having worked on many large-scale projects together, it is in the intimate context of performing their own compositions on piano and bass clarinet that Togni and Reilly celebrate the full range of their many years of collaborative musical experience. Their sound has the precision of gesture and clarity of focus found in any serious classical ensemble, but also taps into the expressive freedom found in the improvisational gestures of contemporary jazz.

This clip is from Uncountable, recorded at St. David's. With hundreds of hours spent rehearsing and performing in our sanctuary, their mastery of the acoustic is on full display with each performance.

Watch the full video here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SqeUE8fA_A

02/19/2025

This Thursday, Feb 20, 7pm, Rezound is offering a special event in collaboration with T O L E D A N O. The space will be swimming with rich tones of cello and voice blended in the incredible historical acoustic of St. David's, all live improvised and arranged via simple electronic processing. In the clip below you will hear a sample of T O L E D A N O's set at St. David's from February 2nd.

All Rezound events are PWYC - Pay What You Can. No one is turned away for lack of funds.

T O L E D A N O is the creative project of Blanche Israël, blending electronic experimentation with ancient North African influences through improvisatory cello and vocal manipulation. A versatile collaborator, Blanche has worked with artists across genres and toured internationally with Jeremy Dutcher, performing at the JUNO Awards and NPR's Tiny Desk Concert.

Rezound is an ambient music duo. Through improvised arrangement of live sampled chant, drone, harmonization, whispered words, and found objects, Rezound creates immersive soundscapes. Audiences can lie down, let go, breathe, stretch and relax with music ranging from quiet tranquility & joy, to dark & immersive post-rock walls of sound.

Join on on Feb 20 for a fully improvised concert using electronic arrangement and effects to fuse voices, instruments, and other sounds into a sound bath for relaxation, emotional release, and creative exploration.

https://www.facebook.com/events/606235582001011?

01/18/2025

Sunday night meditations with Rezound continue in 2025. Join us for a time to breathe, reset, reconnect, and immerse yourself in a sound bath of rich tones.

Every Sunday night, 7pm-8pm, Pay What You Can or Don't If You Can't. You are welcome here.

For more information check out Rezound on Facebook or Instagram. Dates are posted to Facebook & out front on the church sign. In January, Rezound meets all Sundays.

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas!

Our 2024 Carol Concert is now available on our Youtube. Check it out to bring the evening's joy home with you :)

Merry Christmas! Enjoy this concert of songs for the season. Recorded at St. David's on December 7th, 2024.00:00 - Plainchant - O come, o come Emmanuel04:11...

12/12/2024

Thank you to everyone who came out to Carols at St. David's this past weekend. We were delighted with our wonderful audience and hope you all enjoyed getting in the Christmas spirit with us! A recording of the concert will be available on Youtube in the coming weeks so stay tuned if you didn't make it out in person!

Our director, Simon Blake, had these words to share; "Saturday was a beautiful evening, a gift and a joy to be a part of, and an inspiring performance from the St. David's Singers. I am grateful for their deep connection to the repertoire & emotive performance. Special thanks to our Christmas decorating team, our front of house crew for holding it all together, and Emily Jewer for promoting and documenting this event."

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Carols at St. David's team!

📷 MJ Photographics

12/07/2024

Looking for some Christmas cheer tonight! You still have time to join us for Carols at St. David’s! A concert of peace, love, and joy featuring singers from our Sunday morning choir, Camerata, St. George's, and Galileo Chamber Choir. Join us at 7pm at The Presbyterian Church of St. David, 1544 Grafton Street.

📸 Rehearsal photos by MJ Photographics

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/carols-at-st-davids-2024-peace-tickets-1084096464709

12/07/2024

Today is the day! Carols at St. David’s is happening tonight at 7pm at the The Presbyterian Church of St. David, 1544 Grafton Street. Don’t miss out on this beautiful holiday concert!

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/carols-at-st-davids-2024-peace-tickets-1084096464709

12/06/2024

Meet one of the Saint David's singers performing tomorrow night!

Born in Waterloo, Ontario, Alex has been passionate about choir singing from an early age. She holds a Bachelor of Mathematics with a Minor in Music from the University of Waterloo, where she performed with the UW Chamber Choir and the award-winning Intentional Accidentals. Since graduating, Alex has sung with a variety of ensembles in Kitchener-Waterloo, including the DaCapo Chamber Choir and KW Musical Productions (Spring Awakening, Shrek). Now based in Halifax, she has been a member of the Halifax Camerata Singers since 2021 and serves as the Alto Section Lead for the King's Chorus. As a mezzo-soprano soloist, Alex has performed in works such as Vivaldi’s Gloria and Scarlatti’s Dixit Dominus. She is thrilled to return to St Davids this Christmas for another Carol Concert!

Carols at St. David’s
December 7th at 7pm
The Presbyterian Church of St. David
1544 Grafton Street, Halifax
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/carols-at-st-davids-2024-peace-tickets-1084096464709

12/05/2024

Perhaps one of the most interesting pieces in our upcoming concert is Of the Father's Heart Begotten, semi-improvisational arrangement of a 10th century melody put together by our own Simon Blake! We’re excited to share this and many holiday classics this Saturday, December 7th! Join us for Carols at St. David’s!

Ticket link in bio!

12/04/2024

Here's another talented team member from this Saturday's concert!

Mitchell Webster is an experienced trumpeter of over 18 years, earning a Bachelor of Music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. Mitchell trained and studied with renowned trumpeter, pianist and vocalist Guy Few, as well as former principal players Larry Larson and Jane Maness of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. Throughout his many performances, Mitchell has worked under the baton of conductors such as Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Dr. Jessica Kun, Raffi Armenian and Paul Pulford. Mitchell has been a featured performer with the Second Chances Community band, principal trumpeter of the Kitchener-Waterloo Youth Symphony Orchestra, and a seasoned player with the Richmond Hill Philharmonic. His various other performances have taken him across south-western Ontario with Chaplains Brass Quintet, featured with the spaghetti-eastern group The Spurs and he is a part of the Bakers Duz’n Funk Band on their 2019 album 'Vol. 1'.

When not performing, Mitchell can be found working away on his other musical instruments either in the studio practicing or repairing them on the workbench. He has learned to play many brass, woodwind and orchestral string instruments along with guitar. By day, Mitchell is a skilled musical instrument repair technician with the ability to fix the large variety of instruments that comes across his bench including brass, woodwind, orchestral strings and percussion. Mitchell along with his wife and fellow musician Rachel and daughter Evelyn, continue to be a growing part of the music community in Halifax where they now call home.

Carols at St. David’s
December 7th at 7pm
The Presbyterian Church of St. David
1544 Grafton Street, Halifax
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/carols-at-st-davids-2024-peace-tickets-1084096464709