Holly Arsenault & Tom Easely

The piano has been Holly Arsenault’s favourite toy since the ripe old age of 4 when she came upon the tired old upright at her grandmother’s house in Cape Breton. In the years since, she has traveled the globe as a pit musician, music director, sideman, soloist and leader of her own trio . These days, Holly lives and plays in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with forays into the wider world as opportunities and adventures beckon.

Over the past 30 years she has earned acclaim as a leader, soloist and sideperson. She has performed with Symphony Nova Scotia, The Daniel Matto Quintet, Karen Myatt, and has many shows to her credit as a pit musician at Neptune Theatre. Her original compositions have been lauded nationally and abroad, and have been featured in Global/ABC TV’s Rookie Blue; her work in musical theatre has been recognized with Dora and Merritt awards. She is the producer and host of Holly Arsenault Presents, a series showcasing some of her favourite vocalists from her extensive work as an accompanist, and is currently in collaboration with playwright Bruce Graham on a musical about Charles Tupper and the founding fathers of Confederation

Bassist, composer, and educator Tom Easley has earned a reputation as one of Eastern Canada’s finest jazz bassists. Two-time East Coast Music Award Winner, Maple Blues Winner and multiple award nominee, Tom co-lead the music group Hot Toddy for a decade; co-producing seven CDs and performing at major jazz and blues festivals all across Canada, Europe and the United States. Tom is also a member of the award winning group Nine Steps featuring Bill Stevenson and Geoff Arsenault.

Over the past 25 years Tom has performed with a number of internationally recognized artists including Mike Murley, Juan Martin, Ed Thigpen, Jeff Hamilton, John Abercrombie, Hal Galper, Mike Stern, Peter Erskine, Adam Rogers, Lage Lund, Tierney Sutton, David Liebman, Phil Dwyer, Lorne Lofsky, Matt Wilson, Cyril Aimee, Andy Laverne, Chad Wackerman, Randy Brecker and Los Lobos.