Gifted harpsichord makes its Mount Allison debut at the Sackville Festival of Early Music this weekend
Typically, every year when the Sackville Festival of Early Music rolls around, co-director Shawn Bostick drives to Halifax to pick up a harpsichord, hauling it back to Sackville for the festival, which specializes in music of the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. But this year, that won’t be necessary.
Thanks to a gift from a longstanding patron of the festival, the Mount Allison music department now boasts its own harpsichord.
Joanna Manning has been coming to the Sackville Festival of Early Music for years, and last year she approached artistic director Linda Pearse to see if there was a concrete way she could support the festival, in thanks for all the concerts she had enjoyed with her late husband, Gary.
After some discussion, the two arrived at the idea of donating a harpsichord, and homing it with the Mount Allison Music Department, where Pearse is assistant professor. “Given our mutual dedication to teaching,” says Pearse, “it seems like the music department would be the best place to receive the harpsichord because they can take care of it, they have students who will benefit from playing it, and we have people coming through town and even faculty on staff who can also play it.”
