East Coast Music Awards push virtual bash to June from May

Classified accepts "Album of the Year" at the 2019 East Coast Music Awards Gala in Charlottetown, P.E.I., on Thursday, May 2, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Morris

Text:

HALIFAX -- The East Coast Music Awards are now set for a virtual edition on June 10.

Organizers say they've selected the new date after hopes of hosting an in-person ceremony in Sydney, N.S., in May were dashed by a recent surge of COVID-19 cases in the region.

The ECMAs will stream online through Facebook and YouTube.

Further details on the virtual show will be announced over the coming weeks.

Leading nominees at this year's ceremony include rapper Classified with eight nods and singer-songwriter Rose Cousins with six.

Last week, planners of the awards ceremony bumped the show from its original date in early May when it became clear a gathering wouldn't be possible.

The awards ceremony was expected to be a special one, in part because Rita MacNeil was set to receive a special honour in her hometown of Sydney. Her former bandmates and friends had planned a musical tribute as part of her induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The East Coast Music Awards festival and conference events have also moved dates. Those plans will now take place exclusively online from June 9 to 13.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2021.