Another year closes and the exhilaration and joy of the holidays runs past us faster than a snowplow. I’m left filled with excitement at what we saw throughout December: hundreds of guests joining us to celebrate not only the holiday, but time together in the midst of creative experiences. Whether it’s Ashley MacIsaac surprising audiences during the sold out Jimmy Rankin show or the four amazing nights spent with Bette and Maynard in Christmas in Cape Breton, I’m always left awe-struck at how much what we do at the Marigold means to our community. If we want to measure how healthy a community is, we can see it in the turnout and engagement in our cultural and community organizations. And from where I’m looking, Truro is in good health.
We also remember those we lost in 2023. Amazing music leaders like Myles Goodwin who was a regular on the Marigold stage. Or Bill Elliot, a homegrown hero, who played with legends like Bruce Guthro who we also lost in 2023. While it breaks our heart to lose icons in our industry, it also reminds us of a few things: to cherish the amazing talent we have here with us today and to remember that we are privileged with the ever lasting gift of those now-gone musicians’ recordings.
As we lose those legends who create the soundtracks to our lives, I remember that they’ve raised another generation of talent. Music and art are legacy projects. Each creator inspired and mentored by those who came before them. Without Stompin’ Tom, we wouldn’t have JP Cormier. Or without Myles Goodwin, we wouldn’t have Mike Trask today. There’s a line that runs through the generations of music. And it’s a line that connects each individual who steps into the creative arena. I believe that we best serve the memories of our music legends by investing in that line.
And that’s part of what we tried to do with our January to June 2024 programming. You’ll see amazing emerging talents like Leanne Hoffman, Jackson/Wilson Duo (Nova Scotia Music Awards biggest winner in 2023), and Good Dear Good on our stage this Winter and Spring. Or Nova Scotia/Jamaican rising star, Jah’Mila who recently released an amazing track with Wolf Castle, Aquakultre, and Wendy MacIsaac named East Coast Family. Jah’Mila was a big winner at the 2023 Nova Scotia Music Awards taking home “New Artist Recording of the Year” and African Nova Scotian Artist of the Year.” The song strikes at the strength and resilience of the East Coast music industry. An industry growing in representing the plurality of faces and backgrounds that make up our scene.
When you listen to East Coast Family, you can see how Nova Scotia music is growing. And even more, you see that the line running through the eras of every great musician is not only alive and well, but strong as a hundred fishing lines. I don’t hesitate to brag here: the Marigold is a central part in building and presenting our Nova Scotia scene. We’re not just the geographic hub—we’re the hub of cultural creation and presentation. We draw from across the province and country to our theatre, both in audience and performers. We believe in holding that line strong so every generation has a new legend, new music, new experiences to enjoy. Let’s give the next generation of music lovers new artists to invest in by supporting those emerging voices.
It takes many hands to keep that line strong. So to start of 2024, I want to once again express my gratitude at everything each of our stakeholders, guests, volunteers, donors, and funders at every level do to make our project possible. The last thing I will ask leaving 2023 is this: make a point to invest in that line by joining us to celebrate emerging Nova Scotia musicians this year.
Here’s to 2024.
Marshall Feit
Executive Director
The Marigold Cultural Centre