Erika Beatty

CEO, Symphony Nova Scotia

At Symphony Nova Scotia, we love performing great music, and get a real kick out of inspiring our community. We’re pleased to be one of many forward-thinking and high performance organizations supporting Irving Shipbuilding’s NSPS bid for the most significant shipbuilding contract since the navy was established in Halifax over 100 years ago.

Halifax is a hub for performing arts and culture. The 15 professional arts groups in the Greater Halifax Arts Coalition attract more than 200,000 people every year. The Symphony alone enjoys audiences of 50,000 annually – more than 15,000 of these are young music lovers.

If Halifax wins this contract, we’ll see an increase in population, disposable income and prosperity throughout the region. This matters to the arts community because as the community grows, our audiences and donor base grows. We can then do more for the communities we serve – more concerts, performances, exhibitions, and provincial tours inspiring creativity, innovation and the social cohesion that grows from new and existing audiences celebrating the Nova Scotia lifestyle together.

The NSPS contract is the greatest opportunity in a generation and we see a prominent role for the arts community. On behalf of Symphony Nova Scotia and the Greater Halifax Arts Coalition we applaud Irving’s efforts and commitment to the region.

Erika Beatty,
CEO, Symphony Nova Scotia