Unison Festival 2023- Festival Chorus Registration
In only three months, Halifax will be welcoming over 600 2SLGBTQIA+ choristers from all
across Canada for the 2023 Unison Festival. The Festival is being hosted by The Women Next
Door and the Halifax Gay Men’s Chorus, with support from the Nova Scotia Choral
Federation. From May 19-22, the city will be buzzing with the joy of a queer community
united in the magic of choral music! The weekend will feature a series of choral concerts,
workshops and social events that will bring the community together.
The theme of the Festival is Open Harbour, and in that spirit we want to welcome the local
2SLGBTQIA+ community and its allies to participate. The Closing Concert will feature our
three Festival Choruses, each with delegates drawn from the 17 2SLGBTQIA+ choruses
participating in the festival. Registration for a Festival Chorus is also open to the public and if
you’re a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community or an ally who loves to sing, we’d love to
have you!
Each of the three Festival Choruses (SSAA, SATB and TTBB) will be performing their own
repertoire, which will include the world premiere of newly commissioned pieces to help
raise awareness around the LGBT Purge in Canada. These pieces were commissioned by
Unison with the assistance of the LGBT Purge Fund. The Festival Choruses will be conducted
by some of Canada’s premiere choral conductors: Deirdre Kellerman (SSAA), Marg
Stubington (SATB) and Willi Zwozdesky (TTBB). More information about the repertoire of
each Festival Chorus will be posted on the Unison Festival Choruses page.
During the festival, rehearsals for the Festival Choruses will occur on Saturday, May 20 and
Sunday, May 21 from 10:00am to 12:00pm at the Halifax Convention Centre. The Festival
Choruses will perform at the Closing Concert on Monday, May 22. There will be a tech
rehearsal in the morning so the expected time commitment is from 9:00am – 12:30pm. An
online rehearsal will be held prior to the festival and new registrants will have access to a
recording from a previous rehearsal. The cost of registration for a Festival Chorus is $50 and
can be done through the Festival Choruses page. Participants will also receive either a
rainbow tartan bow tie or bandana which will be part of the uniform for the concert.
If you are interested in participating in a Festival Chorus and are coming from out of town,
Unison has group rates available at several hotels in Halifax.
For more information about the 2023 Unison Festival, please visit the Unison website or contact
festival@unisonfestivalunisson.ca.