Dante Kierstead
Drums & Percussion
Halifax-based drummer working across jazz, indie, and rock.
On stage, on tour, and in the studio.
Live
Touring
Session
DRUMMER
Dante works across live performance, touring and session settings, from club residencies and festival stages to recording projects in Canada and the UK.
Upcoming Shows:
EVERY TUESDAY
Saturday, October 24
Dante Kierstead
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Selected Honours & Awards
James A. Faraday Memorial Music Award
Fountain School of Performing Arts, Dalhousie University, 2025
Judith A. Grant Award
Nova Scotia Talent Trust, 2025
Ian Lamont McLachlan Jazz Scholarship
Fountain School of Performing Arts, Dalhousie University, 2025
Dream Hughie Award
The Hughie Langin Foundation, 2025
Stan Carew Memorial Scholarship
Citadel High School, 2023
Larrie Londin Memorial Scholarship
Percussive Arts Society, 2023
Charlie A’Court Scholarship for Excellence in Music
Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Creative Arts, 2023
Additional honours and scholarships received from 2018 to 2025.
Live • Touring • Recording
Dante Kierstead is a drummer and percussionist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, working across jazz, indie, and rock.
He performs regularly with idialedyournumber, Hobo Aquarium, Josef Hasler Band, and Noel Morgan & The Salty Groove. He also holds a weekly residency with Tuesday Night Jazz at the Economy Shoe Shop. Dante also performs and records with artists including Alvaro, Bethany Reid, Kim Doolittle, Madeline, and Mike Cowie, among others.
Recent work has taken Dante beyond Halifax. In 2026, he travelled to London to perform with Madeline and record at Abbey Road Studios. He has also toured and performed throughout Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and Ontario. In 2025, he travelled to Cuba with the Los Primos Project, performing alongside Canadian and Cuban musicians.
Dante holds a Music Arts Diploma from NSCC and is completing a Bachelor of Music at Dalhousie University’s Fountain School of Performing Arts, where he has been named to the Dean’s List. He is a member of Music Nova Scotia.
For bookings, sessions and collaborations, get in touch.
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