This year’s series presents a musically diverse set of concert experiences. From love songs for voice and guitar to innovative contemporary works, our concerts showcase exceptional performances by members of the UNB community and professional musicians from around the region.
This series of concerts has been curated by Nadia Francavilla (Musician-in-Residence), Richard Hornsby (former and long-time CMA Director), Michael Lukaszuk (Advisor for Music Studies at UNB) and Steven Peacock (long-time friend of the Centre), and promises to inspire and impress audiences of all backgrounds.
Come experience live music at its finest, in the beautiful Memorial Hall auditorium.
Michael Lukaszuk offers a concert of improvisations and original compositions that blend elements of modern classical music with contemporary folk and musical minimalism.
Explore a new world of sound where guitar, piano, and synthesizers interact with digital tools to balance traditional forms with ambient textures.
(Fr) Cette saison, la talentueuse artiste de jazz Karine s’est associée à Atlantic Sinfonia, l’ensemble de chambre réputé du Canada atlantique, pour présenter ce spectacle intimiste et émouvant sur les scènes de toute la région atlantique.
De « La Vie en rose » à « Non, je ne regrette rien », le public sera transporté dans les cafés et les cabarets du Paris des années 50, pour une célébration musicale de l’héritage intemporel d'Édith Piaf.
(Eng) This season, beloved jazz performer Karine has joined forces with Atlantic Sinfonia, Atlantic Canada’s renowned chamber ensemble, to bring this intimate, soul-stirring program to stages across the Atlantic region.
From La Vie en rose to Non, je ne regrette rien, audiences will be transported to the cafés and cabarets of mid-century Paris in a musical celebration of Piaf’s timeless legacy.
The 8th edition of the NB Contemporary Music Festival explores music that moves between sound, text, theatre, image and live performance, with a particular focus on trans and non-binary voices.
Across three concerts, composers and performers explore questions of identity, visibility, memory, environmental change and the ways we experience sound together.
Nov. 20 | 7:30 p.m.
What does it mean to be heard and seen? At the heart of the opening concert is Ashley Seward’s Death and Detransition, a work for string quartet and audio exploring visibility, identity and voice.
Music by Pamela Z and Amy Beth Kirsten expands the conversation, using the body, voice and improvisation as integral parts of musical performance.
Nov. 21 | 7:30 p.m.
Music becomes unpredictable and fragmented in a concert exploring perception and shifting identity. Works by Hope Salmonson, Nina Shekhar and Anna Meredith combine live performance with multimedia and invite musicians to make decisions in real time, shaping the direction and outcome of the music.
Nadia Francavilla and Danielle Sametz, violin; Andrew Miller, bass; Neil Bishop, bassoon; Joel Cormier, percussion; and Carl Philippe Gionet, piano.
Nov. 22 | 7:30 p.m.
The festival’s third concert turns toward landscape, environmental change and collective memory. At its centre is Strings of the Tide, a new interdisciplinary work by composer Emily Kennedy, created with writer Gemma Marr and visual artist Graeme Patterson.
Combining live string quartet with electronic elements, spoken text and claymation, the work reflects on Atlantic landscapes and environmental change through a distinctly collaborative artistic lens.
Also featured is Inti Figgis-Vizueta’s Seven Sisters Paint the Earth, exploring emergence, communal storytelling and Indigenous futurism. Works by Anna Clyne round up this program.
Nadia Francavilla and Danielle Sametz, violin; Robin Streb, viola; Chris Yoon and Norman Adams, cello; Andrew Miller, bass; Christina Haldane, voice; Karin Aurell, flute; Joel Cormier, percussion; and Carl Philippe Gionet, piano.
Come enjoy the Chorale’s end or term concert in the beautiful Memorial Hall auditorium.
The UNB Chorale is comprised of students, staff, and faculty from UNB, as well as members of the larger community.
Directed by Illyana Vermeersch.
Admission is by donation.
The UNB Concert Band presents “Seasonal Potpourri” in the Tom Morrison Theatre at Fredericton High School. Some music has been selected from the “standard wind band repertoire” with the balance being festive pieces related to both Jewish and Christian traditions.
The UNB Concert Band is comprised of students, staff, and faculty from UNB, as well as members of the larger community.
Directed by Hugh Kennedy.
Admission is by donation.
Make it a double! The Saint John String Quartet and the Elm City String Quartet join forces with special guest Andrew Miller (double bass) for double the trouble and double the fun.
First up is Mendelssohn’s famous string octet, written when the composer was only 16 years old. This youthful work brings the quartets together into a miniature symphony, famous for its eight-part fugue-like motifs. But no good thing lasts forever, and the passion of youth gives way to the passion of dance in Osvaldo Golijov’s homage to the tango, Last Round (1996).
In the composer’s own words: “Two quartets confront each other, separated by the focal bass [...] The bows fly in the air as inverted legs in crisscrossed choreography.” Javier Martínez Campos’s Serenata para Cuerdas rounds off the program.
Double Take brings together the passions of lyricism, dance, and youth in a program filled with energy, virtuosity, and twice the musical excitement.
Celebrate the season of love with an intimate concert featuring homegrown talent!! An intimate concert with Steven Peacock (guitar) and Dana-Lynn Farrell (voice), featuring a musical journey through the history of love songs - from timeless classics to modern interpretations.
Enjoy this delightful noon‑hour escape and get in the mood for the season of love with beautiful melodies and heartfelt storytelling.
Presented during Black History Month, Resonant Voices celebrates the creativity and lasting influence of Black composers in concert music.
Violinist Nadia Francavilla and pianist Carl Philippe Gionet bring together works by Jesse Montgomery, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Errollyn Wallen, Alvin Singleton, and William Grant Still.
Spanning generations, styles, and musical traditions, these works reveal a rich continuum of artistic voices, each bringing a distinctive perspective to the concert stage.
From lyrical expression and rhythmic vitality to bold contemporary perspective, the program honours musical legacies while embracing new possibilities within classical music.
Duo Homard, comprised of flutist Phoebe Robertson and pianist Pierre-André Doucet, invite audiences on a captivating journey with There and Back Again, a program rich in colour, contrast, and storytelling. Named for the lobster, an emblem of Atlantic Canada, and an old term meaning “to return home,” the duo draws on their New Brunswick roots and shared artistic connection to create a program that feels both personal and far-reaching.
Blending beloved classics with fresh contemporary voices, the program is inspired by the idea of coming home. Schubert’s soaring Sonata in A Minor (reimagined for flute) sits alongside a brand-new commissioned work and vibrant pieces by Tania León and Samuel Zyman, while striking solo moments - from Jared A. Miller’s evocative Retour aux sources: Grand-Pré to Piazzolla’s fiery Tango-Étude No. 3 - add energy and variety.
Known for their engaging stage presence and natural musical chemistry, Duo Homard create concerts that feel both intimate and exciting, offering something for seasoned listeners and first-time concertgoers alike.
“Springtime Melange” is a collection of pieces intended to demonstrate the multi-dimensionality of classic wind band repertoire.
Included in the program is an arrangement of the main themes from Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, James Swearingen’s multi-movement “Into the Joy of Spring” and Brian Balmages reflection entitled “Rain”.
Also included are Donald Coakley’s “Lyric Essay” and Howard Hanson’s classic, “Chorale and Alleluia.
The concert will take place at the Tom Morrison Theatre, Fredericton High School.
The UNB Concert Band is comprised of students, staff, and faculty from UNB, as well as members of the larger community.
Directed by Hugh Kennedy.
Admission is by donation.
Featuring special guests: Fredericton High School Glee Choir
Come enjoy the Chorale’s end-of-term concert in the beautiful Memorial Hall auditorium. This program features a selection of well-loved works from musical theatre alongside choral repertoire.
The UNB Chorale is comprised of students, staff, and faculty from UNB, as well as members of the larger community.
Directed by Illyana Vermeersch.
Admission is by donation.
Tickets can be purchased in advance by appointment or at the door via cash or card. Please email musicart@unb.ca to schedule a time to come in.
Regular $30
Students $15
Family pass or date night (two adults + any children) $50
Regular $20
Student $10
Regular $40
Sstudent $20
Our work to provide accessible, high-quality music has been made possible in large part by our donors and patrons, for whom we are deeply grateful. If you’re able, please consider contributing to our efforts. Note, you will receive a tax receipt for your donation.
For decades, UNB has provided the university and the broader community with quality concerts by both regional and other Canadian artists. We typically use our acoustically fine, Memorial Hall on the UNB campus.
Experiencing live classical music can be a revelation. An opportunity to get up close to the musicians provides an experience where you can feel the musical vibrations, here the rosin as the bow moves across the strings of a violin and be fascinated at the facial expressions and other forms of communication that musicians use in order to be in perfect synchronicity.
All this can be experienced by participating in the "MusicUNB" concerts in our intimate and acoustically fine Memorial Hall, on the UNB campus. We bring in the finest musical artists from the area and region and sprinkle them with some visiting artists from farther afield to provide quality concerts at reasonable ticket prices.
The concerts cover a large variety of styles and eras. There is something for everyone. Join us as a pass holder (best deal) or a single ticket buyer. Come be entertained and inspired.
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