Karen Myatt Presents Women of the World at the Halifax Distilling Co. on November 30

Karen Myatt caps off a busy year in grand style with her performance Women of the World at the Halifax Distilling Co. on Friday, November 30.

The two-set soirée will showcase some of the finest female vocalists from around the world, including Edith Piaf (France), Lotte Lenya (Germany), Nikka Costa (Italy), Lhasa de Sela (Mexico, Montreal), Shirley Bassey (Wales), and more.

“These are some of my all-time favourite songs by some of my all-time favourite singers,” says Karen. “The cultures may be diverse, but the music is united by the passion of the performances.”

Karen received Talent Trust scholarships to assist with her studies in voice. She attended the Randolph Academy in Toronto, and is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.

She’s had a busy year. In addition to her Symphony Nova Scotia debut with Thorgy and the Thorchestra!, she was the feature performer at Atlantic Fashion Week, and had a pair of sold-out shows at Neptune Theatre.

“We have had an amazing string of shows at the Halifax Distilling Co. this year,” she continues. “Our themed concerts — Jazz Noir, ECMAzing, Acoustique, Calendar Girl, Just Jazz — have brought out the very best in the band, and in myself. I am grateful to Arla and Julie at the Distilling Co. for having us in each month, and appreciative that audiences have been so gracious.”

More information on Women of the World, including ticket details, is available via her website: www.karenmyatt.net.

Karen Myatt is the Feature Performer at Atlantic Fashion Week 2018

Karen Myatt is the feature performer
at this year's Atlantic Fashion Week

Karen Myatt will be the feature performer at Atlantic Fashion Week 2018, which takes place in Halifax on October 18 - 20. She’ll be returning for her second straight year, performing with acclaimed pianist Holly Arsenault.

Karen received Talent Trust scholarships to assist with her studies in voice. She attended the Randolph Academy in Toronto, and is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.

Karen has established a career with a very full schedule since then. Her summer has been particularly busy, debuting with Symphony Nova Scotia in the fabulous Thorgy and the Thorchestra! and most recently performing on Neptune Theatre’s Studio stage in her two-night, sold-out show Blues Deluxe.

She’ll follow her Atlantic Fashion Week performances with Jazz Noir at the Halifax Distilling Co. on October 26.

From Karen: “They bring the style, and we bring the swing. A nice mix of classic and contemporary jazz standards will complement the soirées and the amazing array of designs on display.”

Atlantic Fashion Week marks its 12th year in 2018. The three-day event supports emerging and established fashion designers of both the Atlantic region and nationally known Canadian designers. 

Showcases are at 350 Horseshoe Lake Drive in Halifax. Visit the Atlantic Fashion Week website for details.

To learn more about Karen and to catch up with her concert schedule, visit her website: karenmyatt.net.

Talent Trust Scholarship Recipients on the Best of Halifax 2018 Ballot

In 2017 22,000 people cast over 800,000 individual votes for The Coast's annual readers’ choice awards.

We scoured the ballot for 2018 nominees, and discovered there's an impressive list of Talent Trust scholarship recipients with either individual nominations or as part of a nominated organization or group.

Voting began August 1 and will close on September 15. The winners will be announced on November 1. Head over to the Best of Halifax website to make your choices.

Best Choreographer

• Jacinte Armstrong
• Veronique Mackenzie
• Sara Coffin

Best Dancer

• Georgia Skinner 
• Sara Coffin
• Lydia Zimmer

Best Dance Company / Group

Mocean Dance 


• Sara Coffin
• Ruth-Ellen Kroll Jackson
• Jacinte Armstrong
• Rhonda Baker
• Sarah Rozee
• Sara Harrigan
• Lisa Phinney Langley
• Melanie Ferro

Halifax Dance


• Sara Coffin
• 
Veronique Mackenzie
• Olivia MacLean

Best Filmmaker

• Michael Melski

Best Theatre Actor

• Mary Fay Coady

Best Theatre Production

Princess Rules, Heist

• Jacinte Armstrong, choreography

Best Visual Artist

• Emily Vey Duke (in collaboration with Shary Boyle, The Illumination Project)
• Caitlin McGuire

Best Classical Artist / Group

Rhapsody Quintet


• Jennifer Jones
• David Langstroth

Blue Engine String Quartet

• Jennifer Jones
• Hilary Brown

Symphony Nova Scotia

• Jennifer Jones
• David Parker
• D’Arcy Gray

Best Jazz Artist / Band
Karen Myatt

Best Music Video
Classified, “Powerless” — Breagh Mackinnon, piano and vocals

Best Pop Artist / Band, Best Folk Artist / Band

Port Cities

• Breagh Mackinnon with bandmates Dylan Guthro and Carleton Stone

Best R&B Artist / Band, Best Solo Artist

• Reeny Smith

Karen Myatt in Thorgy’s Thorchestra! with Symphony Nova Scotia

Photo by Michèle Parent of Chèle Photo Couture

Karen Myatt is a busy woman. She's about to make her Symphony Nova Scotia debut as guest vocalist for the highly-anticipated Thorgy and the Thorchestra!

The show, part of Halifax Pride 2018, is described as a "thrilling, thoughtful, and hilariously theatrical show featuring the fabulous Thorgy Thor, famed worldwide from the hit show RuPaul’s Drag Race." 

Performances are Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28, 7:30 p.m. at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax. 

For tickets, call the Symphony box office at 902.494.3820, visit 6101 University Avenue, or you can purchase tickets online.

Karen received Talent Trust scholarships in 2003 and 2004. She studied at the Randolph Academy in Toronto and is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.

Her appearance with Thorgy and the Thorchestra! follows a recent pair of soirées at the Halifax Distilling Co., with a third show in that series on August 17, plus an upcoming concert on Friday, July 20 at Sandy Cove's Zion United Church, which is part of the Cove Summer Music Series.

For more information on Karen's music and upcoming concerts, visit karenmyatt.net.

Summer Soirees - Vocalist Karen Myatt in Concert at the Halifax Distilling Co.

Karen Myatt celebrates summer with a series of themed concerts at the Halifax Distilling Co. at 1668 Lower Water Street on the city's waterfront.

On Saturday, June 16, The Karen Myatt Quintet presents Acoustique, an intimate evening of classic and contemporary melodies.

"These are some of my all-time favourite songs," says the vocalist, noting that the two-set soirée will include works by Cassandra Wilson, Jeff Buckley, Imelda May, Tom Waits, and many others. "We will be taking these tunes down a notch and showcasing the sheer, simple beauty of the music."

On Saturday, July 14, Myatt's Quartet presents Just Jazz, a two-set tribute to the genre's tremendous tradition.

"We are going back to basics with this concert, performing standards by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, and Nova Scotia's very own Holly Cole," she explains. "Purists — and those just discovering jazz — will love it."

On Friday, August 17, the Quintet returns with Calendar Girl,  showcasing the life and work of renowned American singer and actress Julie London. 

"We have been wanting to do this show for a long time," says Myatt. "The first set will overview her career, while the second set will feature her classic 1956 album Calendar Girl in its entirety."

More information on Summer Soirées, as well as ticket details, are available via Myatt's website: www.karenmyatt.net

Reeny Smith to sing at Opening Gala for Prismatic Arts Festival on September 14, 2017

Prismatic Arts Festival Opening Gala

Reeny Smith
(photo: website Prismatic Arts Festival)

Reeny Smith

September 14 at 6 p.m.

Halifax Central Library 

Event is Free.

Reeny Smith is a talented, 25 year-old R&B/Pop artist from North Preston, Nova Scotia who has been singing and playing the piano since the age of five. She credits her inspiration for music ... 
Read more at:
http://prismaticfestival.com/program/

Gina Burgess and Matt Myer with Gypsophilia at the Halifax Jazz Festival July 16, 8:30pm

Gina Burgess and Matt Myer play with Gypsophilia at the Jazz Festival

photo: Gypsophilia website

Sunday, July 16, 8:30pm
Waterfront Main Stage
With The Mellotones

FREE CONCERT!

Halifax-based Gypsophilia is a group of six performers (including Talent Trust scholarship recipients Matt Myer and Gina Burgess) playing original high-energy jazz that is by turns angular, sweet, nostalgic, modern and raucous. 

In recent years Gypsophilia has become a formidable touring outfit, regularly crisscrossing the continent and playing to sold-out crowds all over Canada and the US. Their killer live shows and danceable, genre-bending sound have made them an audience favourite at major festivals and small clubs alike. With a combination of serious musicianship, humour and showmanship they are capable of enchanting a sit-down crowd one moment, and whipping people into a dancing, clapping, singing frenzy the next.

You can find more information about Gypsophilia at http://www.gypsophilia.org/