Fountain School of Performing Arts, Dalhousie University

Fountain School of Performing Arts, Dalhousie University Dalhousie University's Fountain School of Performing Arts.

Training Atlantic Canada’s upcoming music and theatre performing artists, technical theatre professionals, composers, costume creators and cinema and media theorists. In 2014 the former Dal departments of Music and Theatre joined together to form the Fountain School of Performing Arts. Funded by a generous $10 million donation by the Fountain family, it is the only performing arts school at a univ

ersity east of Montreal and brings a range of opportunities to students of Music, Theatre and Film studies. Please visit Music, Theatre, or Cinema and Media Studies Program pages to learn more about our academic programs. See the Scholarships and Awards section for details about new funding programs for undergraduate and graduate students.

While Dal’s Bachelor of Music is often thought of as a predominately classical program, the DalPop Ensemble, led by inst...
03/13/2026

While Dal’s Bachelor of Music is often thought of as a predominately classical program, the DalPop Ensemble, led by instructor Zoe Leger, has attracted a wide range of students from first to fourth year.

“There’s no hiding in this kind of an ensemble,” says Leger. “Yes, there are a lot of people, but everyone has their own distinct part to play.”

Find the full story at Dal News, and catch the DalPop’s concert March 14th.
link in bio/profile

Before Broadway, there was Opera.Opera laid the musical and dramatic groundwork that allowed Golden Age musical theatre ...
03/13/2026

Before Broadway, there was Opera.

Opera laid the musical and dramatic groundwork that allowed Golden Age musical theatre to flourish—where story, character, and song are inseparable. The Fountain School’s The Golden Age of Opera traces this artistic lineage, connecting Purcell, Mozart, and Puccini to Bernstein, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe, and more.

Join us for a journey through centuries of music, where opera and musical theatre intertwine to reveal a shared tradition of storytelling powered by melody.

The Golden Age of Opera
March 21 | 7:30pm
Joseph Strug Concert Hall, 1385 Seymour St. Halifax
tickets: dal.ca/artscentre
link in bio/profile

Dalhousie Voice students in the DalOpera ensemble gain hands-on experience in stylistic versatility, dramatic continuity, and text-driven singing—skills essential across opera, musical theatre, and contemporary performance practice.

Musical Direction: Cindy Townsend
Pianists: Tara Scott & Indra Egan

Come one, come all to the Fountain School’s joyful matinee concert of circus-themed music with DalChorus, Dalhousie's Wi...
03/10/2026

Come one, come all to the Fountain School’s joyful matinee concert of circus-themed music with DalChorus, Dalhousie's Wind Ensemble and playful clown artistry from Halifax’s own, Breaking Circus!
This “relaxed concert” means you can move, make noise, and be yourself. Softer lights, gentle clapping, and chill out spaces welcome everyone. Wiggles and giggles welcome.

Music Under the Big Top
A DalChorus and DalWind Ensemble Relaxed Concert, with Halifax’s Breaking Circus
March 29th, 3:00pm. Joseph Strug Concert Hall.
Tickets available at dal.ca/artscentre
Kids 14 and under are free!
All expressions of audience appreciation are welcome.

Relaxed Performances are designed to be open, flexible, comfortable and judgement-free spaces for all. Movement and joyful noise are encouraged! We especially welcome families with young children, neurodivergent guests, and seniors experiencing hearing or vision changes. The music stays thrilling and high-quality, while the environment is adapted to support ease and access.
Here, you’ll find ASL interpreters, adjusted lighting, flexible seating, and dedicated chill-out spaces. Noise-reducing headphones will be available—but those with sensitive ears be aware: the Wind Ensemble will still bring plenty of lively, circus-sized sound!
Key features of this concert will include:
• Welcoming Atmosphere: A judgment-free zone where typical strict concert etiquette (like staying silent or sitting still) does not apply.
• Freedom of Movement: Audience members can enter/leave the hall freely, move around, and vocalize during the performance.
• Sensory Adjustments: House lights will be kept dimmed rather than turned off, and noise-dampening headphones will be available to reduce sound intensity. Please help keep our performance space scent free.
• Supportive Amenities: Availability of ASL interpretation and quiet rooms for breaks.
Collective is a collection of contemporary circus artists working out of Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS). Breaking Circus sets and breaks their own rules in order to create, explore and engage with the full spectrum of our human experience. The company reaches into the unknown and finds new ways to weave stories through cross-discipline experiments and integration of technology.
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University Breaking Circus

Dalhousie University Breaking Circus

Chamber Music Masterclass with Thalea String QuartetMarch 13, 4:30-6:30pmJoseph Strug Concert Hall, 1385 Seymour Street,...
03/10/2026

Chamber Music Masterclass with Thalea String Quartet
March 13, 4:30-6:30pm
Joseph Strug Concert Hall, 1385 Seymour Street, Halifax
In collaboration with Debut Atlantic
free and open to the public

Join us for a Chamber Music Masterclass, with Dalhousie’s string and piano students.

The Thalea String Quartet brings their signature vibrancy and emotional commitment to dynamic performances that reflect the past, present, and the future of the string quartet repertoire while celebrating diverse musical traditions from around the world. Fueled by the belief that chamber music is a powerful force for building community and human connection, the Thalea String Quartet has performed across North America, Europe, and China, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Massey Hall, and Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. They have shared the stage with luminaries of the chamber music world, including members of the Emerson, Brentano, and St. Lawrence String Quartets, and they have performed alongside celebrated artists including Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, violist Lawrence Power, acclaimed Canadian band BADBADNOTGOOD and visionary R+B artist Charlotte Day Wilson.
Committed to shaping and contributing to the future of the string quartet repertoire, the Thalea String Quartet has premiered dozens of new works and has collaborated on new commissions with composers including Osvaldo Golijov, Paola Prestini, Anthony R. Green, Akshaya Avril Tucker, and Tanner Porter.
Winners of the 2021 Ann Divine Educator Award from the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the members of the Thalea String Quartet have been celebrated for their innovative approach to education and community engagement.

Chamber Music Masterclass with Thalea String QuartetMarch 13, 4:30-6:30pmJoseph Strug Concert Hall, 1385 Seymour Street,...
03/10/2026

Chamber Music Masterclass with Thalea String Quartet
March 13, 4:30-6:30pm
Joseph Strug Concert Hall, 1385 Seymour Street, Halifax
In collaboration with Debut Atlantic
free and open to the public

Join us for a Chamber Music Masterclass, with Dalhousie’s string and piano students.

The Thalea String Quartet brings their signature vibrancy and emotional commitment to dynamic performances that reflect the past, present, and the future of the string quartet repertoire while celebrating diverse musical traditions from around the world. Fueled by the belief that chamber music is a powerful force for building community and human connection, the Thalea String Quartet has performed across North America, Europe, and China, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Massey Hall, and Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. They have shared the stage with luminaries of the chamber music world, including members of the Emerson, Brentano, and St. Lawrence String Quartets, and they have performed alongside celebrated artists including Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, violist Lawrence Power, acclaimed Canadian band BADBADNOTGOOD and visionary R+B artist Charlotte Day Wilson.
Committed to shaping and contributing to the future of the string quartet repertoire, the Thalea String Quartet has premiered dozens of new works and has collaborated on new commissions with composers including Osvaldo Golijov, Paola Prestini, Anthony R. Green, Akshaya Avril Tucker, and Tanner Porter.
Winners of the 2021 Ann Divine Educator Award from the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the members of the Thalea String Quartet have been celebrated for their innovative approach to education and community engagement.
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dalhousie University Dalhousie University Thalea String Quartet

Voice Masterclass with Christianne BélangerMarch 12, 11:30-1:30pmJoseph Strug Concert Hall, 1385 Seymour Street, Halifax...
03/09/2026

Voice Masterclass with Christianne Bélanger
March 12, 11:30-1:30pm
Joseph Strug Concert Hall, 1385 Seymour Street, Halifax
free and open to the public
DalVoice Masterclass Series: Come get Inspired!
Canadian mezzo-soprano Christianne Bélanger is acclaimed for her warm, versatile voice and compelling stage presence. She has appeared with major houses in Europe and Canada, including Opéra de Montréal, Theater Ulm, Staatstheater Augsburg, and Opéra-Comique de Paris, where she was a member of the Académie (2013–14). Her repertoire spans roles such as Carmen, Nicklausse, Hänsel, Prinz Orlofsky, Olga (Onegin), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), and Madame de la Haltière (Cendrillon). She is equally active in oratorio, art song, and chamber music, having premiered works by Canadian composers and toured internationally.
Parallel to her international singing career, Christianne has been teaching voice to students of all levels since 2005 and is regularly invited to give master classes and undergraduate-level workshops. She served as vocal coach for the Chœur Virtuel de l’Acadie, and since 2024 she has been working on vocal technique with the Ulmer Konzertchor. She teaches in French, English, and German, and coaches French lyric diction for professional singers.
DalVoice Masterclass Series
Through Dalhousie’ DalVoice Masterclass Series, our singers benefit from internationally renowned vocal artists, teachers and directors technical and interpretive expertise, and professional experience. These masterclasses have an impact on our singers’ vocal and performance development, introduce our students to professionals in the field, and expose them to a broad range of repertoire.

Before Broadway, there was Opera.Opera laid the musical and dramatic groundwork that allowed Golden Age musical theatre ...
03/06/2026

Before Broadway, there was Opera.

Opera laid the musical and dramatic groundwork that allowed Golden Age musical theatre to flourish—where story, character, and song are inseparable. The Fountain School’s The Golden Age of Opera traces this artistic lineage, connecting Purcell, Mozart, and Puccini to Bernstein, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe, and more.

Join us for a journey through centuries of music, where opera and musical theatre intertwine to reveal a shared tradition of storytelling powered by melody.

Musical Direction: Cindy Townsend
Pianists: Tara Scott & Indra Egan

The Golden Age of Opera
March 21 | 7:30pm
Joseph Strug Concert Hall, 1385 Seymour St. Halifax
tickets: dal.ca/artscentre

Dalhousie Voice students in the DalOpera ensemble gain hands-on experience in stylistic versatility, dramatic continuity, and text-driven singing—skills essential across opera, musical theatre, and contemporary performance practice.
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dalhousie University Dalhousie University

DalTheatre presents The OdysseyWith guest director Ken Schwartz at the helm, The Odyssey brings Dalhousie Acting, Compos...
03/05/2026

DalTheatre presents The Odyssey
With guest director Ken Schwartz at the helm, The Odyssey brings Dalhousie Acting, Composition, Costume Studies, Music, Technical Theatre, and Set Design students together to stage a propulsive, action-packed epic that builds to a thrilling conclusion. And it’s funny.

Rick Chafe’s award-winning Canadian adaptation of Homer’s poem The Odyssey braids three incredible stories, told simultaneously, into one seamless thread. The story of Odysseus’ voyage home from Troy, the tale of Penelope’s struggle to hold on to a kingdom in the face of vengeful suitors and, at the centre, the story of a family reconciling amidst the backdrop of a civil war. Each one builds on the momentum created by the others until all three unite in an incredibly satisfying way.

The Odyssey
March 24-27 | 7:30pm
March | 2:00 & 7:30pm
Sir James Dunn Theatre, Dal Arts Centre
tickets: dal.ca/artscentre, link in bio/profile

The Odyssey concludes Dalhousie’s Fountain School of Performing Arts’ 2025-2026 season. It features a talented ensemble of 4th-year acting program students, including Aiden Bradshaw, Rachel Chew, Benton Elliott, Fiona Forsythe, Annie Gavin, Ella Haefele, Jacob Ives, Malachi Jeffrey, Alina Kogas, Samantha Longmore, Harry Stokes, Bree Torgrimson, and Loralei Trafford.
In addition to Director Ken Schwartz, the creative team includes Assistant Director Isabelle Parent, Choreographer Véronique MacKenzie, Set Designer Eden Reshef, Costume Designer Sean Mulcahy, Lighting Designer Thunder Defayette, Assistant Lighting Designer Naomi Dansie, Score Composer Joshua Bowden, Sound Designer Cadence Cook, Puppet Designer Diego Cavedon Dias, and Intimacy Director Samantha Wilson.
The production is further supported by the students in the Stage Design and Technical Theatre and Costume Studies programs, including Stage Manager Jessie Sanders, assistant stage managers Kayla Wolfenden and Rebecca Redmond.
Artwork by Eden Reshef

Experience stunning musical interplays between soloists, composers and the Dal Symphony at Concerto Night, one of the cr...
03/05/2026

Experience stunning musical interplays between soloists, composers and the Dal Symphony at Concerto Night, one of the crown jewels of the Fountain School of Performing Arts’ concert season. This musical extravaganza features outstanding student soloists with our talented young orchestra, and a new orchestral work composed by Shanti Sivarulrasa. Popular concerti and arias are performed under the direction of Leonardo Perez.

Featured instrumental soloists this year include Katya McBeth, Irain Herrera Quiros, Lydia MacDonald, Indi Tisoy Morales, Amelia Parker, and Tasos Spiliopoulos.

Featured voice soloists include Ella Howard, Kaelin George-Wegner, Elizabeth Ruxton, and trio Katherine Alexander, Caralina Knights and Sarah MacInnis.

Concerto Night
March 17 | 7:30pm
Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Dal Arts Centre, Halifax NS
tickets: Dal Arts Centre Box Office, dal.ca/artscentre

Sponsored by ALMA: Student Living in the Heart of Halifax

Conductor Dr. Leonardo Perez is Assistant Professor of Violin/Viola at Dalhousie University’s Fountain School of the Performing Arts. He taught violin and viola at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and was the Orchestra Director of the IUP Symphony Orchestra. He is principal conductor of the Dalhousie Symphony Orchestra and has conducted the IUP Symphony Orchestra, East Carolina University Symphony Orchestra, and the ECU Chamber Orchestra. He has also worked with the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra (NSYO) and conducted the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 4/6 Festival Orchestra.

6 Strings Spring, A DalGuitar Ensemble concert.Join the DalGuitar Ensemble for an evening of music that promises to lift...
03/05/2026

6 Strings Spring, A DalGuitar Ensemble concert.

Join the DalGuitar Ensemble for an evening of music that promises to lift spirits and welcome the arrival of spring after a long, cold winter.
Dalhousie Music students will showcase a wide range of guitar styles, from the timeless works of J.S. Bach to the energetic bebop of Charlie Parker. Featuring our guitar and electric bass students, the program includes classical, jazz, and a few familiar popular selections.

Dalhousie’s Fountain School of Performing Arts
March 11 | 7:30pm
Joseph Strug Concert Hall, 1385 Seymour St. Halifax
tickets: Dal Arts Centre Box Office, dal.ca/artscentre

Come one, come all to the Fountain School’s joyful matinee concert of circus-themed music with DalChorus, Dalhousie's Wi...
03/05/2026

Come one, come all to the Fountain School’s joyful matinee concert of circus-themed music with DalChorus, Dalhousie's Wind Ensemble and playful clown artistry from Halifax’s own, Breaking Circus!
This “relaxed concert” means you can move, make noise, and be yourself. Softer lights, gentle clapping, and chill out spaces welcome everyone. Wiggles and giggles welcome.

Music Under the Big Top
A DalChorus and DalWind Ensemble Relaxed Concert, with Halifax’s Breaking Circus
March 29th, 3:00pm. Joseph Strug Concert Hall.
Tickets available at dal.ca/artscentre
Kids 14 and under are free!
All expressions of audience appreciation are welcome.

Relaxed Performances are designed to be open, flexible, comfortable and judgement-free spaces for all. Movement and joyful noise are encouraged! We especially welcome families with young children, neurodivergent guests, and seniors experiencing hearing or vision changes. The music stays thrilling and high-quality, while the environment is adapted to support ease and access.
Here, you’ll find ASL interpreters, adjusted lighting, flexible seating, and dedicated chill-out spaces. Noise-reducing headphones will be available—but those with sensitive ears be aware: the Wind Ensemble will still bring plenty of lively, circus-sized sound!
Key features of this concert will include:
• Welcoming Atmosphere: A judgment-free zone where typical strict concert etiquette (like staying silent or sitting still) does not apply.
• Freedom of Movement: Audience members can enter/leave the hall freely, move around, and vocalize during the performance.
• Sensory Adjustments: House lights will be kept dimmed rather than turned off, and noise-dampening headphones will be available to reduce sound intensity. Please help keep our performance space scent free.
• Supportive Amenities: Availability of ASL interpretation and quiet rooms for breaks.
Circus Collective is a collection of contemporary circus artists working out of Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS). Breaking Circus sets and breaks their own rules in order to create, explore and engage with the full spectrum of our human experience. The company reaches into the unknown and finds new ways to weave stories through cross-discipline experiments and integration of technology.
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dalhousie UniversityDalhousie University

Address

1385 Seymour Street
Halifax, NS
B3H1W8

Telephone

+19024943772

Website

https://linktr.ee/fountainschoolofperformingarts?fbclid=P

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