Halifax’s Aeolian Singers mark their 50th anniversary in 2025–2026 with a season of concerts, collaborations, and creative projects that span coast to coast.
We’re more than just a women’s choir; we’re a community of women who share our stories through song. – Krystal Yorke
The 42-voice women’s choir launches its golden season on October 18 during Nocturne, Halifax’s annual art-at-night festival, with an evening of improvised and circle singing at the Halifax Central Library. The celebrations continue the following weekend with This Woman’s Work, a concert showcasing the power and diversity of women’s voices, featuring mezzo-sopranos Christianne Rushton and Raelyn Davis.
That spirit of connection carries into the winter season with Love Lights the Winter Sky: Songs to Warm the Winter Soul. Part of the choir’s anniversary theme, Looking Forward, Looking Back, the December concerts will also feature two youth choirs from the Halifax Regional Arts program, a nod to the next generation of Nova Scotia’s choral community.
In early 2026, the Aeolians lend their voices to Lifeline, an immersive multimedia project from Stitch Media, directed by local documentarian Ariella Pahlke. The production explores the story of the SS Atlantic, which sank off Nova Scotia’s coast in 1873, delving into themes of loss, courage, and community.
The milestone season culminates in a series of major collaborations. In May 2026, the Aeolians travel west to join Vancouver’s award-winning women’s choir Elektra at the Tapestry Festival. They will also participate in a large-scale community choral event hosted by the Halifax Camerata Singers, bringing together hundreds of voices to “echo across the woods and lake” at the Kiwanis Grove Community Building in Dartmouth.
The year concludes in June 2026 with Looking Forward, Looking Back, the choir’s grand anniversary concert celebrating half a century of music-making.
“Members are a kind of family, and over the years we’ve shared many milestones: the joys of babies, weddings, graduations, and overcoming challenges,” says Aeolian Singers president Krystal Yorke. “Sometimes we’ve sung our own members home at end of life, and honoured others in the community when asked to sing at funerals. We’re more than just a women’s choir; we’re a community of women who share our stories through song.”
Full details of the Aeolian Singers’ 50th anniversary season are available at aeoliansingers.ca.