About Cecilia Concerts

We believe live music helps communities thrive. For almost forty years, Cecilia Concerts has brought the world’s leading classical musicians to Halifax, Nova Scotia, including many GRAMMY, JUNO, and Prix Opus recipients. We connect local audiences with global artistic excellence in the performing arts, and we work to advance diversity in the artists we present and the audiences we serve. We believe that everybody needs music.

Performance Excellence

Our long-running Main Stage Concerts series presents internationally acclaimed soloists and ensembles alongside celebrated Canadian artists, giving Halifax audiences access to world-class chamber music and strengthening our city’s profile as a cultural destination.

Artist Residencies

Our Musician-in-Residence and Composer-in-Residence programs cultivate artistic leadership and foster sustained relationships between artists and audiences. Residencies allow artists to return over multiple engagements, offering deeper listening experiences through performances, talks, and community connection.

Developing the Next Generation

The Developing Musician Award supports early-career performers as they build professional pathways in Canada and abroad. The award provides meaningful resources and visibility at a key career stage, helping young classical musicians gain momentum through performance opportunities and professional support.

Our Music Student Bursary Program further supports developing music students and early-career musicians in Nova Scotia by helping reduce financial and access-related barriers to music study, training, mentorship, and artistic development. The program includes six bursaries: the Disabled Music Student Bursary, the Indigenous Music Student Bursary, the Black and African Nova Scotian Music Student Bursary, the Newcomer and Refugee Music Student Bursary, the Rural or Remote Community Music Student Bursary, and the Francophone Music Student Bursary.

Each bursary provides support for eligible music learning expenses, including private lessons, post-secondary music study, summer programs, youth orchestra or ensemble participation, mentorships, masterclasses, audition preparation, instrument-related training, music theory, composition study, conducting study, transportation, access supports, instrument repair, instrument maintenance, necessary instrument upgrades, and other formal music learning needs.

These programs help young artists continue their training, reduce barriers, build confidence, and take their next steps in music.

Expanding Access

Our free Sensory-Accessible Concerts series welcomes neurodivergent audiences, including individuals with Autism and others who experience music through different sensory or cognitive lenses. It also supports seniors who benefit from a calmer, more flexible concert environment.

Our new Daylight Concerts series, scheduled to begin in fall 2026, will expand access for older adults and community members who prefer daytime events, especially those who find evening travel difficult during the winter months. Designed with seniors in mind, the series will offer welcoming afternoon concerts in accessible settings, reducing barriers related to transportation, timing, comfort, and social isolation. Daylight Concerts will create more opportunities for people to gather, enjoy outstanding live music, and stay connected to cultural life in their community.

Educational outreach efforts ensure that young people and new audiences encounter music in meaningful and lasting ways. We also expand access to events through community partnerships that provide complimentary or subsidized tickets for newcomers, seniors, students, and low-income community members. Together, these initiatives strengthen Nova Scotia’s cultural life while reducing financial and social barriers to participation.

Looking Ahead

We are focused on sustained artistic excellence, inclusive access, stronger partnerships, and long-term organizational resilience. We are also developing plans for a permanent concert hall in Halifax. A purpose-built venue with exceptional acoustics and leading technology will provide a stable home for our programming and serve as shared cultural infrastructure for the region. It will support year-round activity, attract more international-calibre artists, and contribute to the region’s cultural and economic vitality.

Governance and Stewardship

Cecilia Concerts is a registered Canadian charity with active board governance, strong financial oversight, and established reporting practices. We steward philanthropic investments responsibly and provide meaningful recognition and impact reporting aligned with donor goals. Our work is supported by government, foundations, corporate partners, and individual donors.

Vision 

To connect people across communities through the power and passion of live chamber music.

Mission 

To promote a diversity of premiere chamber music experiences, nurturing and educating audiences and artists.

2025-2030 Strategic Plan

The Cecilia Concerts 2025-2030 Strategic Plan outlines a clear and ambitious path forward. Developed in collaboration with artists, audiences, and community partners, it sets out the priorities that will guide our evolution over the next five years.

Rooted in the belief that live music has the power to connect, to uplift, and to transform, this plan focuses on four key pillars: Programs, Capacity, Awareness, and Resources. These areas reflect our commitment to supporting artists, expanding access, strengthening partnerships, and investing in long-term sustainability, including the goal of creating a permanent concert hall in Halifax.

We invite you to read the plan, follow our progress, and be part of shaping the future with us. Read our 2025-2030 Strategic Plan.