UPEI professor emeritus Karem Simon to conduct Nova Sinfonia on October 7 in Halifax

Dr. Karem J. Simon, professor emeritus of music at UPEI, will conduct Nova Sinfonia in performance on Monday, October 7, 2024, at 7:30 pm at St. Andrew’s United Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Nova Sinfonia includes many of the finest professional orchestral musicians in the Halifax municipality. The concert is titled French Love & Desire and features famous works from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including Roman Carnival Overture by Hector Berlioz, Carmen Suite No. 2 by Georges Bizet, Pelléas and Mélisande by Gabriel Fauré, and Bolero by Maurice Ravel.

During his career at the University, Dr. Simon established the UPEI Wind Symphony as one of the premier university wind bands in Canada. Capacity audiences, innovative programming, guest conductors, outstanding faculty and student soloists, annual tours throughout the Maritimes, and 22 albums were hallmarks of this ensemble. 

Conducting engagements with The PEI Symphony Orchestra, the National Youth Band of Canada, and a variety of provincial honour bands highlight Dr. Simon’s career. He is known as a passionate and sensitive musician who inspires players and musicians of diverse backgrounds. His philosophies and methodologies have been forged through his 42 years of public school and university teaching and synthesized through his experiences and studies with some of the leading wind band conductors, including John Paynter, Eugene Corporon, Dale Lonis, Michael Haithcock, and Craig Kirchoff.

In addition to this performance with Nova Sinfonia, Dr. Simon will lead the PEI Provincial Senior High School Honour Band on November 16 at the UPEI Performing Arts Centre.

Tickets for the Nova Sinfonia concert are $20 for adults and $10 for students and can be purchased at novasinfonia.ca.

The UPEI Department of Music stages public performances throughout the year. For more information, visit the UPEI Music Department Recital Series web page.