Previous Evenings @ Government House

2013
September 17 Interactive Discussion with the Head Coach of the Halifax Mooseheads September 17
October 8 Performance by Internationally Renowned Mi’kmaq Singers Eastern Eagle October 8
October 22 Performance by Mo Kenney in Association with Halifax Pop Explosion
November 5 Lecture By Dr. Sara Iverson, Scientific Director of the Ocean Tracking Network
November 19 Lecture by A.J.B. Johnston - Louisbourg and the Twists of Time
December 3 Performance by Xara Choral Theatre
2014
January 21 Sir John Eh? The Roadshow
February 4 “Rising Stars” Youth Panel Discussion in Celebration of African Heritage Month
February 18 Film Screening “Pirates and Privateers”
March 4 Musical Theatre Showcase by Neptune Pre-Professional Program
March 18 Performance by Singer/Songwriter Dave Gunning
April 1 Lecture by Jane Austen Society of North America (NS)
April 15 Historical Fashion Show by Costume Studies, Dalhousie University
April 29 Floral Design Demonstration with Neville MacKay
September 23 Reading and Discussion with author Bill Conall
October 7 Lecture by Dr. Donald M. Julien "The Involvement and Sacrifices of Mi'kmaq in the First World War"
October 21 Performance by Kim Harris in association with Halifax Pop Explosion
November 4 Lecture by Vice-Admiral (Ret'd) Glenn Davidson, Former Ambassador to Syria and Afghanistan
November 18 Film Screening Joseph Howe: The Tribune of Nova Scotia with Kim Kierans Vice President and Professor of Journalism
December 2 Performance by Nova Voce
2015
February 10 Musical Performance by Cyndi Cain
February 24 Reading of "You Had Better be White by Six AM" by Sgt. Craig Smith
March 10 Dianne Marshall & Margot Brunelle present "Tales of Government House" - REGISTRATION IS NOW FULL
March 24 Bruce Patterson, Deputy Chief Herald of Canada Presents "The National Flag of Canada Fifty Years On"
April 7 Film Screening "Bounty: Into the Hurricane" - REGISTRATION IS NOW FULL
April 21 Archaeologist Sara Beanlands presents "Thibodeau Village: Community Engagement, Archaeology, and the discovery of an Acadian past in a Nova Scotia Planter Landscape" - REGISTRATION FULL
September 8 Nova Scotia Boy Soldiers in the Great War
October 20 Registration is Now Open for Don Brownrigg
November 10 Remembering the men of Canada’s Black Battalion No. 2 Construction Battalion 1916 – 1920
December 1 Phoenix Community Choir Performance
2016
February 9 "A Reflection on the Interconnectedness of Africville, the No. 2 Construction Battalion and the UN Declaration for the People of African Descent" by Sunday Miller, Executive Director of the Africville Heritage Trust.
February 23 “The Legacy of Commitment - The Contributions of African Nova Scotians In Society” - Presented by Russell Grosse, Executive Director of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia
March 8 “It’s Time for a Woman on the Waterfront” - Presented by Janet Guildford, Chair of the Halifax Women’s History Society
March 22 Neville MacKay, Owner/Designer at My Mother’s Bloomers will give a presentation on Flower Arranging
April 5 The Halifax Music Co-op will present a mini-concert featuring selections from its recent concert tour of Handel’s Messiah and selected movements from Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata
April 19 To mark The Queen’s 90th Birthday, Chief Petty Officer First Class David Porter, CD (Retired) will give a talk on the Royal Canadian Navy’s participation in the Fleet Review at Spithead celebrating the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953
May 17 This event is now fully subscribed and registration is closed. Dr. Marc Milner, one of Canada’s pre-eminent naval historians, will speak on Canada’s role in the War at Sea and the “last corvette” - HMCS SACKVILLE, Canada’s Naval Memorial
September 20 The Halifax Music Co-op will present an evening of jazz by the Vesuvius Big Band.
October 4 To mark the Repatriation of the Colours of the 25th and 85th Battalions, Canadian Expeditionary Force, Colonel John Boileau (Ret’d), historian and author, will give a talk on the history of these two NS regiments that deployed to the Great War in 1916.
October 18 In collaboration with the Halifax Pop Explosion, singer and musician Alana Yorke will perform.
November 1 To affirm the close relationship between the Crown and the First Nations peoples, Ursula Johnson will give a Mi’kmaq Storytelling presentation.
November 15 Roderick MacLean, Executive Director of the Halifax Citadel Regimental Association, will speak on the historic and modern roles of the 78th Highland Regiment of Foot - the 19th century Halifax garrison and the contemporary re-enactment program.
November 29 Sixteen year-old, award-winning pianist, Jade Ley, will perform a recital.
2017
February 21 Presentation by Professor David Divine on the African Heritage Month 2017 Theme: 'Passing the Torch . . . African Nova Scotians and the next 150 years'
February 28 An Evening of Gospel Music by The Sanctified Brothers
March 14 Traditional Chinese Flute Music Recital by Buning Liu
March 28 Presentation by Dr. David Sutherland and Barry Cahill on the Halifax Explosion Relief Commission
April 11 Presentation by Dr. David Campbell on the Battle of Vimy Ridge
April 25 1867 Period Costume Show by the Graduating Students of the Dalhousie Costume Studies Department
September 19 Ann Shaftel, Art Conservator, will give an illustrated talk on the stabilization of the King’s and Regimental Colours of the 25th and 85th Battalions, Canadian Expeditionary Force, that are on display at Government House.
October 3 The vocal ensemble Les Voix d’Acadie, the Francophone beacon choir in the Halifax Regional Municipality, will give a concert. / L’ensemble vocal Les Voix d’Acadie, chorale phare francophone de la Municipalité régionale d'Halifax, présentera un concert.
October 17 In collaboration with the Halifax pop Explosion, Reeny Smith will give a concert.
October 31 This event is fully subscribed. Registration is now CLOSED - Renowned folklorist and folksinger Clary Croft presents “Halloween Hauntings – Supernatural Folklore in Nova Scotia”
November 14 Dr. Roger Marsters, Curator of Marine History with the Nova Scotia Museum, will give a talk on the cultural landscapes of Halifax Harbour at the time of the 1917 Explosion.
November 21 Under the direction of conductor/composer Peter Allen, Dalhousie Symphony Orchestra performs a concert to commemorate the Halifax Explosion. (Concert located at Paul O'Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library)
2018
February 13 To mark African Heritage Month 2018, Vanessa Fells of the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre will present on the Black Loyalists of Nova Scotia.
February 27 Dr. Sally Ross will present on the history of Acadian schools in Nova Scotia from 1758 to 2018: Challenges and Victories.
March 20 Professional musicians Patricia Creighton and Peter Allen will give a Flute and Piano Recital.
March 27 To commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War, Dr. Brian Tennyson will present on Nova Scotia’s Experience of the First World War.
April 10 To celebrate Tartan Day, the Amethyst Scottish Dancers of Nova Scotia will perform both traditional and modern highland and step dances. Guests are encouraged to wear tartan.
April 24 To commemorate the centenary of many women attaining the right to vote in Nova Scotia, Dr. Heidi MacDonald will present on this important stage in the suffrage movement.
September 18 In conjunction with the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, scholarship recipient Alex Yang will give a piano recital.
October 2 The Nova Scotia Potters Guild will give an illustrated talk on the ceramics exhibit "Quaff: To Drink Deeply" that is on display at Government House 20 September to 27 October 2018.
October 16 In conjunction with the Halifax Pop Explosion, Daniel Walker will perform his musical project "Owen Meany's Batting Stance".
October 30 To mark the centenary of the end of the Great War, Major Ken Hynes (Ret'd), Chief Curator at The Army Museum Halifax Citadel, will present on The Last Steps Memorial Arch in Halifax, Canada Gate at Passchendaele, and the link between Canada and Belgium.
November 13 This event is now fully subscribed. To mark the centenary of the end of the Great War, Colonel John Boileau (Retired), historian and author, will give a presentation on Armistice and Remembrance.
2019
February 12 Registration is now CLOSED for this event. To mark the 200th Anniversary of Province House, Garry Shutlak, Senior Archivist at the Nova Scotia Archives, will give an illustrated presentation on the history of Canada's oldest legislative building
February 26 REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. In observation of the 2019 African Heritage Month theme of “Our History is YOUR History”, there will be a presentation on Delmore "Buddy” Daye and his legacy through the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute
March 12 Theatre Nova Scotia artists Jamie Bradley and GaRRy Williams, co-creators of the new musical "Kamp", will give a talk about how they went “from blank page to full script”
March 26 On the 10th anniversary of its creation, Royal Canadian Air Force Honorary Colonel Dan Hennessey will screen his video "Time to Remember", a poignant series of stories from Nova Scotian veterans of the Second World War
April 9 To mark the 75th Anniversary of the Second World War D-Day Landings on 6 June 1944, historian Dr. James (Jay) White will give a presentation on Canada’s role in Operation OVERLORD that launched the successful invasion of Nazi-occupied Western Europe
April 23 Acclaimed filmmaker and multi-disciplinary artist Sylvia Hamilton will screen her 1999 film on African Nova Scotian concert singer Portia White, entitled "Portia White: Think On Me"
September 24 The vocal ensemble Les Voix d’Acadie, the Francophone beacon choir in the Halifax Regional Municipality, will give a concert.
October 8 REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED - To mark the 75th Anniversary of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, Devin Huang, a scholarship recipient of the Talent Trust, will give a piano recital.
October 22 REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED - In conjunction with the Halifax Pop Explosion, Leanne Hoffman will perform.
November 5 REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED - To mark the 150th anniversary of a renowned Halifax based infantry regiment, noted Nova Scotian author Leo J. Deveau will give a presentation entitled, "The Princess Louise Fusiliers: 150 Years of Service and Sacrifice".
November 19 To commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the reopening of Government House, Dr. Christopher McCreery, Private Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia and Executive Director, will present on the oldest Vice Regal residence in Canada.
2020
February 4 REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. Noted academic Dr. Afua Cooper will give a presentation based on her recent book, "15 Ships: The Exodus of the Black Loyalists from Nova Scotia to Sierra Leone"
February 18 REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. By permission of Dalhousie University’s Fountain School of Performing Arts, operatic tenor Emmanuel Solomon will perform an evening of classical music.
March 3 "Building the world of a play" – Theatre Nova Scotia will present on how a designer moves from concept to final design in the artistic creation of a theatrical production.
March 17 EVENT CANCELLED. To mark the 75th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War, renowned author Stephen Kimber will tell the story of how Halifax’s experiences during that conflict led to the shocking VE Day Riots that marked the war’s end.
March 31 EVENT CANCELLED. To mark the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands, George Zwaagstra will present on his experience as a 10-year-old messenger boy for the Dutch resistance in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands.
April 14 EVENT CANCELLED. The Halifax Boys' Honour Choir will give a concert of songs from home and around the world.
April 28 EVENT CANCELLED. To mark the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic, Canada’s pre-eminent naval historian, Dr. Marc Milner, will present on the longest continuous naval and air campaign during the Second World War.
May 12 EVENT CANCELLED. Cape Breton fiddling virtuoso Dwayne Cote will perform an evening of music for which he is celebrated.
September 29 Dr. Sultan Darvesh will discuss important advances in dementia and Alzheimer's disease research taking place at Dalhousie University and the Maritime Brain Tissue Bank
October 6 Former Nova Scotia Talent Trust scholarship recipients, cellist India Gailey and harpist Ellen Gibling, will perform a recital
October 20 To mark the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic, Canada’s pre-eminent naval historian, Dr. Marc Milner, will present on the longest continuous naval and air campaign during the Second World War
November 3 To mark the 75th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War, renowned author Stephen Kimber will tell the story of how Halifax’s experiences during that conflict led to the shocking VE Day Riots that marked the war’s end
November 17 Gloria Stephens, a graduate of the Victoria General Hospital School of Nursing, will present “Remembering the Victoria General Hospital School of Nursing Graduates who bravely served in the World Wars of the 20th Century”
December 1 POSTPONED UNTIL SPRING 2021 - To mark the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands, George Zwaagstra will present on his experience as a 10-year-old messenger boy for the Dutch resistance in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands
December 1 POSTPONED - In June 2020, "Government House Halifax: A Place of History and Gathering" was published. Author Dr. Christopher McCreery, Private Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor and author of more than a dozen works, will speak on researching the book
2021
February 23 An Evening of Gospel and Spiritual Music by Suzy Hansen
March 23 Symphony Nova Scotia Presents a Piano and Violin Recital
April 6 Theatre Nova Scotia Presents on the Role of the Director in a Theatrical Production
April 20 A presentation on the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens
May 4 POSTPONED - Canada’s Role in the D-Day Invasion of 1944
May 18 POSTPONED - The Lee Family will perform a recital of classical music
September 21 Professor Marc Milner returns to present on the D-Day campaign and the role that Canadians played in the operation that turned the tide of the Second World War (rescheduled from April 2021).
October 5 Nova Scotia Talent Trust scholarship recipients Ella and Abby Hanson will give a traditional Gaelic music performance that will include the fiddle, piano and step-dancing. They will be accompanied on piano by Kolten MacDonell.
October 19 Michael R. Denny: Mi’kmaw songs of land, water and celebration.
November 2 Craig Ferguson, author of the Twitter feed Dead in Halifax (@deadinHalifax), will present on the historic cemeteries of Halifax.
November 16 The Gary Jobson film "The Magic & Mystery of Sable Island" will be screened, with moderation provided by Parks Canada representatives.