MEDIA RELEASE: Exploring Cultural Identity Through Music

The Annapolis Valley Honour Choir’s 2017-18 season offers a series of concerts and activities that explore the central theme of “home”, what is means to find home, to be home, and to support others in making home.

The first concert of the season, “Shall We Dream” shares the emotional journey of those leaving behind a homeland in a search for a better tomorrow and will be the culmination of an entire weekend of activities for both choristers and community members geared towards exploring new cultures and music and our own role as hosts to newly landed immigrants in our community.

Two performances of this must-see concert will take place at the Horton High School Performance Centre on October 21 (7pm) and October 22 (2:30pm). The concert will share the struggles of searching and wandering but also the joys of finding peace and building bridges, and will be full of emotional, heart-rendering performances.  Our guests will include recently settled immigrant families in our Valley as well as a Syrian lute player, Hussam Al Assaf, who has newly arrived to Nova Scotia. 

AVHC Students will participate in a weekend of workshops and music-making with Arabic musical guests, Shireen Abu-Khatter and Hussein Janmohamed. Shireen and Hussein, both PhD students from the University of Toronto (School of Music) and accomplished musicians themselves, will offer a public workshop on Sunday October 22nd from 10:00 – 12:00 at Acadia University’s Denton Hall. This workshop is open to all thanks to funding provided by a successful grant proposal crafted by AVHC Artistic Director Heather Fraser.  A free will offering will help support the travel costs for our guest speakers.

Please join us for both this special workshop and our first concert of the season. Welcome our newest immigrant families to the Valley and learn something new about their music and culture.

Tickets can be purchased at any Ticketpro outlet (www.ticketpro.ca) and are $15 for adults and $5 for students/children (plus Ticketpro fees) or $20 at the door if available.  For further concert information or AVHC news, check the website www.avhc.ca or www.valleyevents.ca.