Events

Brock’s new Women’s Choir preparing for inaugural concert

Friday, November 23, 2018 | By Brock University

The Brock University Choirs rehearse for their upcoming performance on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Cairns Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

(From The Brock News, Friday November 23, 2018 | By: Jaquelyn Bezaire)

Brock University’s new Women’s Choir is joining forces with the established Chamber Choir to perform its first concert next month.

Assistant Professor Rachel Rensink-Hoff will lead the Brock Choirs in Concert performance on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. It will take place at the Cairns Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.

The concert is part of the Department of Music’s Viva Voce! Choral Series, which begins its season Saturday, Nov. 24 with a performance by the Avanti Chamber Singers. The Women’s Choir and Chamber Choir are each comprised of about 30 members from Brock University and the wider Niagara community.

Rensink-Hoff believes the concert provides a great opportunity to bridge the gap between students and the community and showcase the breadth of talented singers from the region as a whole.

“It’s a neat dynamic as the students get to know the community members and vice versa,” she said. “I’ve been trying to encourage interaction between the singers during breaks so that it feels as comfortable as possible and the singers can bond with each other.”

The choirs will be joined on stage by the Walker String Quartet, which will also perform some solo pieces during the concert.

The Brock Choirs in Concert performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

Tickets for the concert are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. There is also a $5 option available for eyeGo program members. Tickets are available through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) Box Office at 905-688-0722 or on the PAC website.

The next performance in the Viva Voce! Choral Series will take place on Feb. 23 featuring the Avanti Chamber Singers. For more details on upcoming concerts, visit the Department of Music website.

Tags: brock university choir, department of music, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, Rachel Rinsing-Hoff, Viva Voce Choral Series
Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News
Brock’s String Orchestra and Wind Ensemble kick off holiday season with tributes to music legends

Tuesday, November 20, 2018 | By Brock University

Brock University’s Wind Ensemble will perform its Tribute to the Legends concert on Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Partridge Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

(From The Brock News, Friday November 16, 2018 | By: Sarah Moore)

Brock University’s String Orchestra and Wind Ensemble will bring captivating melodies from legendary composers to the stage in their first performances of the season.

As part of the Brock University Music Department’s instrumental series, the Orchestra’s Simply Strings concert will take place Wednesday, Nov. 28 in the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre’s Cairns Recital Hall. The Ensemble will perform its Tribute to the Legends recital on Tuesday, Dec. 4 in Partridge Hall.

The String Orchestra brings musicians from the University together with members of the community to perform standard masterworks and lesser-known gems of the string repertoire. It was added to the ensemble roster of the Brock University Choirs and Brock University Wind Ensemble in September 2017 to provide a place for university and community string players to perform together and share their talents.

Led by conductor George Cleland, the String Orchestra will perform Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue, Warlock’s Capriol Suite, Sibelius’ Canzonetta, Op. 62a and Britten’s Simple Symphony at the Nov. 28 concert.

Under the baton of conductor Zoltan Kalman, the University Wind Ensemble features the talents of 64 musicians drawn from Brock University, community members and Niagara region high schools. Musicians from the Hamilton Symphony on the Bay and Niagara Symphony will also join in the concert on Dec. 4.

The program will feature works of the past and present, including Bernstein: Three Dance Episodes, Gillingham: Galactic Empires, Grainger: Lincolnshire Posy, Bourgeois: Trombone Concerto, Barker: Cole Porter on Broadway, Bennett: Symphonic Songs and Bourgeois: Trombone Concerto.

Kalman said the ensemble is thrilled to pay tribute to some of the world’s most influential composers in the state-of-the-art Partridge Hall.

“We’re going to perform a diverse repertoire of timeless classics and easy-listening charts that will surely leave our audience breathless,” he said. “The evening also includes a brilliant trombone concerto, featuring our very own, supremely talented Alyssa Shanghavi.”

Such performances from the Department of Music are a key part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate of building connections between the community and the breadth of talent and creativity at Brock.

The conductors said their ensembles serve as cultural ambassadors of the Niagara region and encouraged, “faithful audience members and other music lovers to come out and experience these concerts.”

Tickets are on sale now for both performances.

Simply Strings takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Cairns Recital Hall. Tickets are $12 general admission and $5 for children 14 and under, as well as high school students through the eyeGo program. Complimentary tickets are available to current Brock students with valid student ID.

Tribute to the Legends takes place Tuesday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Partridge Hall. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $5 for high school students through the eyeGo program. Complimentary tickets are available to current Brock students with valid student ID.

All tickets can be purchased through the FirstOntario PAC Box Office.

Tags: Brock University String Orchestra, Brock University Wind Ensemble, department of music, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, George Cleland, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, zoltan kalman
Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News
Students wrap up Music@Noon series for the semester

Friday, November 16, 2018 | By Brock University

Music student Divya Iyer was one of four performers for the first student performance of the year on Oct. 30. The next group of students will perform on Nov. 20 at Cairns Recital Hall.

(From The Brock News, Friday Nov. 16, 2018 | By: Jaquelyn Bezaire)

Over the past two months, professors and senior music students in Brock’s Department of Music performed on stage as part of the RBC Foundation Music@Noon Recital Series. Now, in the final three performances of the semester, first-year music students will have the chance to showcase their talents on stage, as well.

The next concert in the series will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 20 in the Cairns Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. Vocal, guitar and piano students will perform.

Brock’s instrumental students will then perform on Nov. 27 and piano students will follow with a recital on Dec. 4. Music@Noon will return in the new year with a performance on Jan. 8 featuring flutist Rebecca Hall and Brock Professor and pianist Karin Di Bella.

Music@Noon is a free, one-hour recital series that takes place most Tuesdays at noon during the academic year. The Department of Music invites and encourages staff, faculty, students and the community to attend.

For more information about the Music@Noon Recital Series, please visit the Music@Noon website.

Tags: department of music, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, music@noon, rbc foundation, students
Categories: Current Students, Events, News
Public French-language tour to be held at Rodman Hall

Wednesday, November 14, 2018 | By Brock University

Associate Professor Peter Vietgen and teacher candidates from Brock University’s Faculty of Education explore the Northern Oracle exhibition by Heather Hart at Rodman Hall Art Centre.

(From The Brock News, Wednesday November 14)

A public tour will lead French-speaking art enthusiasts through the exhibitions of Rodman Hall Art Centre on Saturday, Nov. 17.

Catherine Parayre, Associate Professor in Brock’s Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, and Director of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture, will lead the French-language tour and related discussion while moving through the historic St. Catharines building.

The event, Maisons de l’art: Conversations en français et visite des expositions, begins at 2 p.m.

Current Rodman Hall exhibitions include Up Close and In Motion: Selected Works from the Permanent Collection, curated by Emma German, and Northern Oracle by artist Heather Hart.

Northern Oracle features a rooftop installation rising from the gallery floor and mixed media drawings. The work considers ideas of Black history, access to home ownership and the significance of having a place to call home. Gallery visitors are invited to interact with the installation by accessing the rooftop and its floor-level attic space.

Tags: humanities, literatures and cultures, modern languages, Rodman Hall Art Centre, studies in arts and culture
Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News
Talk to explore tips for leading a vegan lifestyle

Wednesday, November 14, 2018 | By Brock University

Author Carol J. Adams will give a talk about her newly released book, Protest Kitchen, on Nov. 15 at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. (Photo supplied by Jo-Anne McArthur and The Unbound Project)

(From The Brock News, Tuesday November 13, 2018 | By: Jaquelyn Bezaire)

Going vegan does not have to happen overnight, says author Carol J. Adams.

Instead, she encourages those curious about the lifestyle change to begin with something as simple as trying non-dairy milk, continuing the process gradually from there.

Adams will share tips and tricks for maintaining a vegan lifestyle during an upcoming talk about her newly released book, Protest Kitchen.

The event will take place at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 11 a.m. A free vegan lunch provided by Mahtay Café will follow.

Adams, a feminist-vegan advocate, activist and independent scholar, will discuss the work that went into Protest Kitchen and answer questions about the content during the event. Copies of Protest Kitchen will also be available for purchase, and Adams will be on-hand to sign copies and mingle with guests during the lunch.

Co-authored with Virginia Messina, the book pairs recipes with daily actions that serve as a guide for making broader lifestyle changes.

Brock Visual Arts Professor Keri Cronin, who organized the event, has been a fan of Adams since her days as an undergraduate student.

“Carol is a very engaging and entertaining speaker, so I’m looking forward to her presentation,” said Cronin. “I also am very happy that we will be able to bring some of her ideas to life by providing a free vegan meal as part of the event.”

Adams has been writing for more than 20 years and has authored several successful books including The Sexual Politics of Meat and Living Among Meat Eaters: The Vegetarian’s Survival Guide.

The event is free and open to staff, faculty, students and the community. Cronin encourages everyone — vegan or not — to attend.

“Even if someone isn’t vegan or has no intention of going vegan, I’m hoping that they will see how the choices they make do not happen in isolation,” Cronin explained. “Making small changes can have a powerful impact.”

The event starts at 11 a.m. in room MW156 of the downtown arts school. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required due to limited seating.

Reserve a seat online or email keri.cronin@brocku.ca for more information.

Adams’ visit and the lunch have been made possible by Niagara VegFest, VegFund and Niagara Action for Animals.

For more information about Carol J. Adams, Protest Kitchen or the book talk, visit caroljadams.com.

Tags: book talk, Carol J. Adams, keri cronin, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, Protest Kitchen, vegan
Categories: Events, News
Exhibition explores link between childhood trauma and mental illness

Thursday, November 08, 2018 | By Brock University

Brock Visual Arts student Emma Mary Sked’s Maybe You Should Drive will be installed in the VISA Gallery and Student Exhibition Space at the MIWSFPA from Nov. 13 to 27.

(From The Brock News, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018 | By: Sarah Moore)

Emma Mary Sked’s childhood greatly impacted her mental health as an adult.

And now, the Brock Visual Arts student is channelling her life experiences into a new exhibition opening Tuesday, Nov. 13 at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).

Maybe You Should Drive is a mixed media exhibition featuring a collection of art books and brightly coloured fabric animals depicting the fragility and comfort of childhood, and the lived experience of adults with mental illness.

The exhibition features work that culminated from the artist’s studies in the VISA 3F99 Independent Study course at MIWSFPA. Sked completed the project under the guidance of Visual Arts Associate Professor Shawn Serfas.

“VISA 3F99 engages a heightened level of creative and critical literacy for our undergraduate students,” Serfas explained. “Emma’s exhibition explores the complex relational narratives between mental health and creativity.”

Sked felt it important to use her own experience with mental illness and addiction as inspiration for the featured work.

“When I was a kid I moved a lot, which really impacted how I coped with things and I now struggle with anxiety and depression,” she shared. “Now that I’ve grown up, I’ve met people who have developed mental illness that they also have to cope with every day and they will be able to relate to this work and make connections to their own life.”

Sked chose to explore the use of art books and tactile objects for this project so that viewers could interact with the subject matter on a more immersive level.

She also hopes the exhibition will encourage others to share their own experiences in order to find support and develop their own coping mechanisms.

“It’s not just about the negative impacts of these issues,” she stressed. “It’s about bringing hope to people and showing them that they aren’t alone.”

Maybe You Should Drive will be installed in the VISA Gallery and Student Exhibition Space at the MIWSFPA from Nov. 13 to 27.

An opening reception will also be held in the Gallery on Thursday, Nov. 15, from 5 to 8 p.m.

The event is free and suitable for all audiences.

Tags: Department of Visual Arts, Emma Mary Sked, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Maybe You Should Drive, Sean Serfas
Categories: Current Students, Events, News
Award-winning pianist returns to Brock for Walker Cultural Leaders Series

Thursday, November 08, 2018 | By Brock University

Award-winning Canadian concert pianist David Jalbert will give a recital Friday, Nov. 16 as part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ 2018 performance season.

(From The Brock News, Wednesday Nov. 7, 2018 | By: Sarah Moore)

Renowned Canadian concert pianist David Jalbert is returning to St. Catharines Friday, Nov. 16 as the next performer in the Walker Cultural Leaders Series.

The performance will also open this year’s Encore! Professional Concert Series, hosted by the Department of Music at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).

Jalbert, who performs regularly as a soloist and recitalist across North America and Europe, last came to Brock as part of the MIWSFPA’s 2013 performance season.

A national and international prize-winner, he has won five Opus Awards, was nominated for three Juno Awards and was the 2007 laureate of the prestigious Virginia Parker Prize of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Music Department Chair Matthew Royal said the accomplished performer will be a highlight to the School’s 2018 event season, both for the public and music students alike.

“We are delighted to have David Jalbert return to Brock to give a master class to our piano students, and to perform a solo piano recital,” he said. “He is a superbly expressive pianist whose musicality and intelligence are supported by a flawless technique.”

Jalbert will perform in Partridge Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Art Centre, where attendees will be treated to a program of solo piano works by Bach, Schumann, Liszt and Fauré. The recital will conclude with a performance of Prokofiev’s monumental Sonata No. 7, Op. 83, in B flat major.

“The highlight of this concert will, I believe, be the Prokofiev 7th Piano Sonata,” Royal noted. “This is one of those pieces that all pianists worth their salt must conquer at some point in their careers. I predict it will be a ‘tour de force.’”

Tickets are available by contacting the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office at 905-688-0722 or firstontariopac.ca

Tickets are $29 for adults, $23 for seniors and students and $13 for children 14 and under. Special $5 tickets are also available through the eyeGo program.

The Walker Cultural Leaders Series brings leading artists, performers, practitioners and academics to Brock’s MIWSFPA.

The sessions celebrate professional achievement, artistic endeavour and the indelible role of culture in society. The education program is generously funded by Marilyn I. Walker.

Tags: David Jalbert, department of music, Encore! Professional Concert Series, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, matthew royal, miwsfpa, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Categories: Announcements, Events, News, Walker Cultural Leader Series
Guitarist to conclude faculty Music@Noon performances

Friday, November 02, 2018 | By Brock University

Guitarist Tim Phelan will perform as part of the RBC Foundation Music@Noon series on Nov. 6.

(From The Brock News | Friday, Nov. 2)

Fans of Queen are in for a treat during the next RBC Foundation Music@Noon concert.

Guitarist Tim Phelan will take the stage of the Cairns Recital Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 6 with an arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody by Niagara composter Floyd Turner.

The performance will also include Turner’s Twelve Preludes as well as solo guitar works by Tárrega, Villa-Lobos and Bach.

Phelan is a classical guitarist, conductor, composer, arranger and educator currently teaching at Brock University and Mohawk College. At the age of 18, he made his CBC recording debut as concerto soloist with Orchestre Symphonique de Québec. Since then, he has been heard in solo, concerto and chamber music performances over CBC Radio and Television, Radio France, Radio Caribbean and Cuban National Television and Radio.

The Department of Music invites faculty, staff, students and the community to come and experience his performance. The Music@Noon Series features free, one-hour concerts that occur most Tuesdays at noon during the academic year at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

For more information about upcoming performances, please visit the Department of Music website.

Tags: Cairns Recital Hall, department of music, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, music@noon, Tim Phelan
Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, News
DART Faculty co-direct a Play in Four Hours at Curriculum and Pedagogy conference in New Orleans

Wednesday, October 31, 2018 | By Brock University

Classroom Territoriality (Left to Right) Joe Norris, Rich Edmonson, Sharon Gile, Rick Breault, Janis McTeer

A Play in Four Hours

Using the playbuilding research process, Dramatic Arts Chair Joe Norris and graduate student Kevin Hobbs co-directed delegates at the Curriculum and Pedagogy conference in New Orleans, Oct. 17 and 18.

After two, one and one-half hour devising sessions, and a one-hour rehearsal, they performed their series of nine vignettes, entitled: The Shape of School, at the closing conference event. The emergent themes included territoriality of classroom spaces, the pervasiveness of heteronormativity in the school yard, forms of administrative control of students and teachers, perceived status of particular schools and competing educational philosophies. It was concluded that these and other issues are strong undercurrents that contribute to the ethos of school experiences.

Audience members participated in workshopping the scenes through body sculpting and discussions, with one conference delegate claiming that the images and issues would haunt her for some time to come.

In addition to Norris and Hobbs, the participating playwrights were Rick Breault, Ashland University; Sharon Gile, Claflin University; Janis McTeer, Kent State University; Karen Morris, RJ Reynold High School, North Carolina; Sam Tanner, Penn State University; and Miryam Espinosa-Dulanto, Rich Edmonson, and Zulema Williams all from University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley.

The Shape of Schools (Left to Right) Kevin Hobbs, Sam Tanner, Sharon Gile, Janis McTeer

Leave it at the Door (Left to Right) Sharon Gile, Janis McTeer, Kevin Hobbs and Rick Breault

Tags: Curriculum and Pedagogy conference, dart, directing, joe norris, New Orleans, playbuilding
Categories: Department/Centre News, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News
Brock Music students to take the stage for first time this season

Friday, October 26, 2018 | By Brock University

(From The Brock News, Friday Oct. 26, 2018)

For the first time this season, students in Brock’s Department of Music are set to perform on the same stage that their instructors did just weeks before.

The RBC Foundation Music@Noon Recital Series continues on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.

Students have the opportunity to perform in the Cairns Recital Hall in front of staff, faculty, fellow students and the community. Performers will include piano, vocal and instrumental students.

Music@Noon is a free recital series that takes place most Tuesdays at noon during the academic year.

For more information about the series, please visit the Music@Noon webpage.

Tags: department of music, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, music@noon
Categories: Current Students, Department/Centre News, Events, News