Stephen Nachmanovitch, performer, author, and workshop leader who emphasizes improvisation and creativity in "life and the arts" will be part of the Walker Cultural Lecture Series.

A major series of cultural events, workshops and performances being launched this fall by Brock University will provide new learning experiences for students, and in many cases will also be open to the public.

The Walker Cultural Leader Series will see leading artists, performers and academics convene more than a dozen events in disciplines ranging from animation to classical music and theatrical performance. The events will take place on campus and elsewhere in the community.

Presented by Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), the series runs Oct. 16-19 with workshops, studio visits and performances by Sobey Award-winning performer and animator Daniel Barrow.

The series will also feature presentations by Joan Watson, principal horn of the Canadian Opera Company, performer and author Stephen Nachmanovitch, acclaimed Canadian pianist Robert Silverman, and Daniel Levinson, an expert in movement and stage combat.

The new series is being funded by the Marilyn I. Walker Fund, an endowed fund created in 2008 when Marilyn Walker donated $15 million to Brock’s school of fine and performing arts.

Derek Knight, director of the Walker School, said the main objective of the series is to engage students, but pointed out many sessions are open to the community.

“The new series is committed to inviting varied and interesting guest speakers,” said Knight. “It will be engaging, lively and erudite. These sessions celebrate professional achievement, artistic endeavour and the indelible role of culture in our society.”

Douglas Kneale, Dean of Humanities at the University, said the initiative is another step forward for Brock on the academic, cultural and community fronts.

“Thanks to the generosity of Marilyn I. Walker, we are able to offer students unique interactions with creative leaders in the fine and performing arts, and also extend to the community educational and cultural opportunities that will be enormously enriching.”

The Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts is comprised of the departments of Dramatic Arts, Music, Visual Arts, and the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture.

2012-13 Walker Cultural Leader Series:

Daniel Barrow, creator of graphic performance and manual animation, winner of the 2010 Sobey Award

* Oct. 16, Studio visits, 1:30-3 p.m. and 7-8 p.m., Room GLN 162 and EA 115 (closed session)
* Oct. 17, Studio visits, 9-10:30 a.m., Room GLN 162 and EA 115 (closed session); Artist talk, noon-1:30 p.m., Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, free community event
* Oct. 18, Workshop with Foundation students, 10 a.m.-12noon, Room GLN 162 (closed session)
* Oct. 19, Public performance, 7 p.m., Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre, 85 Church St., St. Catharines; followed by wrap-up party with DJ Granny Ark, free community event
Contact: Duncan MacDonald, associate professor, Visual Arts, dmacdonald@brocku.ca, or visit brocku.ca/visualarts
Joan Watson, principal horn of the Canadian Opera Company and member of True North Brass

* Nov. 2, Workshop on setting career goals for musicians I, 3-5 p.m., Concordia Seminary Chapel, Brock University; free to MIWSFPA students, $5 admission for the public
* Nov. 3, Workshop on setting career goals for musicians II, 10 a.m.- noon, Concordia Seminary Chapel, Brock University; free to MIWSFPA students, $5 admission for the public

Contact: Matthew Royal, associate professor, Music, mroyal@brocku.ca, or visit brocku.ca/music

Stephen Nachmanovitch, performer, author, and workshop leader who emphasizes improvisation and creativity in “life and the arts”

* Nov. 15, Presentation to DART 1F95 students, 9-10 a.m., Room AS 202 (closed session); Workshop for DART 1F95 labs 1 & 2, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; and labs 3 & 4, 2-4 p.m., Pond Inlet; (closed session)
* Nov. 16, Public lecture/performance, 7:30-9 p.m., Room TH 325, free community event
* Nov. 17, Workshop for invited faculty and students, 9 a.m.- noon, Rm. TH 103/105 (closed session)
Contact: Joe Norris, professor, Dramatic Arts, jnorris@brocku.ca, or visit brocku.ca/dramatic-arts

Robert Silverman, leading Canadian pianist and Professor Emeritus of the University of British Columbia

* Jan. 11, Hammering the Klavier: Beethoven’s Earthshaking and Bone-crushing Masterpiece, Lecture/Recital, 7:30 p.m., Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Brock University; free to MIWSFPA students, $15 admission for the public
* Jan. 12, Masterclass with piano students of Dept. of Music, 10 a.m.- noon, Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Brock University (closed session)
Contact: Matthew Royal, associate professor, Music, mroyal@brocku.ca, or visit brocku.ca/music

Daniel Levinson, an expert in movement and stage combat

* Feb. 20, 21, 22, 23, Single sword workshop, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Dance Studio, Walker Complex; (closed session, registrants only)
* Unarmed combat workshop, 1:30-4:30 p.m., Room TH 141; (closed session, registrants only) Maximum enrolment 20 students; apply by Nov. 1 at the DART main office ST 104, or e-mail dramatic@brocku.ca. There is a non-refundable $10-deposit upon registration.
Contact: Virginia Reh, associate professor, Dramatic Arts, vreh@brocku.ca, or visit brocku.ca/dramatic-arts