Faculty & Instructors

• Avanti Chamber Singers to give a cappella performance

  Friday, February 15, 2019 | By Brock University

  

  The Avanti Chamber Singers will perform an a cappella concert at St. Thomas’ Anglican Church on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. (Photo: Julie Hoff)

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  (From The Brock News, February 15, 2019 | By: Jaquelyn Bezaire)

  Guests at the upcoming concert performed by the Avanti Chamber Singers are in for a surprise.

  Voices Raised, led by Rachel Rensink-Hoff on Saturday, Feb. 23, is a chance for Brock University’s choir-in-residence to celebrate the raw power of the human voice.

  The group will be performing an a cappella concert, with pieces ranging from early classical works to contemporary repertoire. The show promises to be the most diverse concert to date, with everything from open-throated chant singing to spoken word poetry.

  Members of the Avanti Chamber Singers have been working hard since their performance last November to build confidence with pitches and tuning, since there are no accompanying instruments this time around.

  “I am proud of what Avanti has accomplished in the short period of time since our last concert,” said Rensink-Hoff. “We can’t wait to share this program with our audience next week.”

  The group will also be performing a bit of beat-boxing and a deeply moving text by Indigenous poet Rita Joe titled I Lost My Talk. The singers will also be premiering two new compositions — one by Niagara-based composer James Moffett and the other by Laura Hawley.

  The Avanti Chamber Singers will also be inviting the audience to join in a singalong during the concert.

  Seating at St. Thomas’ Anglican Church is limited and guests are encouraged to purchase their tickets as soon as possible.

  Voices Raised takes place Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Advanced tickets are available through the Avanti Chamber Singers website, at Thorold Music and Booksmart, or from choir members for $20 for adults and seniors. Tickets at the door are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors. A $5 ticket is available for students and eyeGo program members.

  Rensink-Hoff is also the conductor for the Brock University Choirs, which includes both the chamber choir and the new women’s choir. Their next performance is Saturday, March 30.

  For more information about upcoming choral performances, visit the Brock University Music website.

  Tags: Avanti Chamber Singers, Department of Music, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, Rachel Rensink-Hoff
  Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, Viva Voce Choral Series

• Brock faculty and staff to shine during next Music@Noon concert

  Friday, January 25, 2019 | By Brock University

  

  Percussionist Devon Fornelli will perform during the next RBC Foundation Music@Noon concert on Jan. 29 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

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  (From The Brock News, January 25, 2019 | By: Jaquelyn Bezaire)

  A group of Brock’s own faculty and staff will bring their musical talents to the stage next week in the next instalment of the RBC Foundation Music@Noon recital series.

  Percussionist Devon Fornelli, pianist John Sherwood and guitarist Max Holten-Andersen will come together to perform on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.

  

  Pianist John Sherwood will perform Jan. 29 during the next RBC Foundation Music@Noon concert.

  Fornelli is a percussion instructor at Brock University and has extensive experience as a soloist, orchestral percussionist and chamber instrumentalist. He has performed with the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the UBC Wind Ensemble among many others. His range of talent spans orchestral percussion, contemporary art music and drum set traditions from the big band era to the present.

  Sherwood began his career with a strong foundation in classical music and is now known as one of the top jazz pianists in Canada. He performs regularly with Peter Appleyard and has also worked with a range of other talented musicians including Moe Koffman, Guido Basso, Rob McConnell, Ed Bickert, Jake Hanna, Kenny Wheeler and Butch Miles.

  Holten-Andersen was born and raised in Argentina and is heavily influenced by South American harmonies, rhythms and techniques. He actively teaches guitar at his home studio as well as sound design and music programming at Brock, where he is also the Visual Arts Department’s Media Resource Co-ordinator.

  Thanks to the generous donation of the RBC Foundation, the three will join together on stage as part of the Music@Noon Recital Series, which takes place most Tuesdays at noon in the Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

  For more information on upcoming performances, visit the Music Department’s website.

  Tags: Department of Music, Devon Fornelli, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, john sherwood, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, max holten-andersen, MIWSFPA, music@noon
  Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, RBC Foundation Music @ Noon Series

• Brock Encore! Series continues with hit show

  Tuesday, January 22, 2019 | By Brock University

  

  TorQ Percussion Quartet will perform as part of Brock’s Encore! Series on Friday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Partridge Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. (Photo by Bo Huang)

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  (From The Brock News, January 22, 2019 | By: Jaquelyn Bezaire)

  It’s going to be hard to resist the beat at Brock’s latest Encore! Series performance.

  With more than 70 instruments used in their lively show, the TorQ Percussion Quartet plans to get feet tapping and the crowd moving on Friday, Jan. 25 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.

  Held in Partridge Hall beginning at 7:30 p.m., the concert is the second performance of the Department of Music’s Encore! Professional Concert Series.

  TorQ is a four-piece Toronto-based ensemble that utilizes everything from marimbas and vibraphones to tom-toms, cowbells and even tin cans and garbage cans in their energetic performances.

  Music Department Chair Matthew Royal is looking forward to the unique performance and invites Brock faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the community, to attend.

  “The Music Department is delighted to welcome the accomplished percussion quartet, TorQ, back to Brock,” said Royal. “The concert promises to be entertaining, informative and chock-full of inspired musicianship.”

  Formed in 2004, TorQ features the talent of Richard Burrows, Adam Campbell, Jamie Drake and Dan Morphy. The ensemble has developed a dedicated following and has worked to make percussion music accessible to audiences of all ages.

  The group has performed across Canada and internationally, including shows at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in San Antonio and Indianapolis, and the International Percussion Quartet Festival in Luxembourg.

  TorQ will perform a wide variety of pieces during Friday’s concert, including some composed by members of the Quartet themselves. Guests will also hear works by Canadian composers Dinuk Wijeratne and Ken Shorely.

  Tickets to the TorQ Percussion Quartet performance on Jan. 25 are available through theFirstOntario PAC website.

  For more information on upcoming performances, please visit the Department of Music’s website.

  Tags: Department of Music, Encore! Professional Concert Series, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, matthew royal, TorQ Percussion Quartet
  Categories: Encore! Professional Concert Series, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News

• Free recital series returns with an international twist

  Friday, January 04, 2019 | By Brock University

  

  Pianist Karin Di Bella will perform Tuesday, Jan. 8 as part of the Music@Noon Recital Series at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

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  (From The Brock News, Friday, January 4, 2019 | By: Jaquelyn Bezaire)

  The RBC Foundation Music@Noon Recital Series returns next week with a concert blending Canadian and Maltese influences.

  On Tuesday, Jan. 8, Brock Associate Professor Karin Di Bella will be joined by Maltese-Canadian flautist Rebecca Hall in The Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

  Hall holds a Doctorate of Music from the University of Malta and has performed with the Malta Philharmonic and the Cosmos Wind Ensemble.

  Hall and Di Bella first connected over their shared interest in Canadian composer Jack Behrens, whom Di Bella has been researching during her sabbatical leave this year.

  Di Bella said that connecting with Hall has been extremely beneficial to her research, given they each approach Behrens’ repertoire from different perspectives.

  “She knows everything that I don’t know,” said Di Bella. “When the two of us get together, it’s really fun to talk about what we know about Jack because we know it from different sides of his output and can learn from each other.”

  Di Bella recently had the opportunity to travel to Malta in October to give a performance with Hall at the University of Malta, featuring highlighted works by both Canadian and Maltese composers. Di Bella also gave a lecture-recital at the university, where she performed her research on Behrens.

  “Meeting in person is so important when you’re doing work like this,” she explained. “Being able to work through ideas together is really valuable because there’s only so much you can do over the phone or email and it also gets the wheels turning about future projects.”

  Di Bella is looking forward to sharing the work of Behrens with a new audience at the upcoming recital.

  “What’s interesting about Jack’s pieces is that even though they’re more modern in style, they’re still really accessible,” explained Di Bella, “He may not be a composer that most people think to go to, to learn repertoire from, but I think his pieces are great and people always like them when they hear them.”

  Di Bella is also looking forward to sharing the stage with her Maltese colleague once more, and encourages everyone to attend.

  The Music@Noon recital series is generously sponsored by the RBC Foundation and takes place most Tuesdays at noon during the academic year in The Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. This is a free event that is open to the public.

  For more information on upcoming performances, please visit the Brock University Music page.

  Tags: FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Karin Di Bella, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, music@noon, rebecca hall
  Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, RBC Foundation Music @ Noon Series

• 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.

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  (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 Choirs, Department of Music, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, Rachel Rinsing-Hoff, Viva Voce Choral
  Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, Viva Voce Choral Series

• 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.

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  (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 Univeristy 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, The University String Orchestra, The University Wind Ensemble

• Avanti Chamber Singers to commemorate the Christmas Truce at first concert of the season

  Thursday, November 15, 2018 | By Brock University

  

  The Avanti Chamber Singers are led by conductor Rachel Rensink-Hoff during rehearsal for their upcoming performance Saturday, Nov. 24 at St. Thomas’ Anglican Church in St. Catharines.

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  (From The Brock News, Wednesday November 14, 2018 | By: Jaquelyn Bezaire)

  On Christmas Day, 1914, French, British and German soldiers along the Western Front laid down their weapons, emerged from the trenches and joined in song to celebrate the season. Now referred to as the Christmas Truce, the unofficial ceasefire was a symbolic moment of peace and humanity amid the violence of the First World War.

  To mark the 100th anniversary of the 1918 armistice, conductor Rachel Rensink-Hoff will lead the Avanti Chamber Singers in a performance to remember the truce on Saturday, Nov. 24 at St. Thomas’ Anglican Church in St. Catharines. This marks the first performance of the season for Brock’s choir in residence.

  Titled And on Earth, Peace, the concert will include Remembrance Day tributes, popular songs from the time of the First World War and classic Christmas carols. Songs will be performed in English, German and French, and the audience will be invited to sing along to carols that soldiers would have sung.

  “The moving story of the Christmas Truce was fitting inspiration for our first performance of the season,” said Rensink-Hoff, Assistant Professor of Music in the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. “As we look back to Remembrance Day and forward to the holiday season, we will join together in song — just as those soldiers did more than 100 years ago.”

  Many differing stories about the Christmas Truce have been shared. Even today, it is still unclear exactly what happened on Christmas Day all those years ago.

  The most commonly shared account is that soldiers all sang carols together in celebration on Christmas Eve before emerging to wish their enemies a Merry Christmas the next day. After the soldiers ceased fire, they met to exchange small gifts and souvenirs.

  The Avanti Chamber Singers is comprised of 30 musicians from around the Niagara region.

  Rensink-Hoff said she works with different individuals every year, and hopes to showcase the hard work and talent of this year’s choir at the opening concert.

  “The challenge with a new choir is gelling together as a group — not just musically, but interpersonally,” she said. “This is now my second season with Avanti and it makes a big difference when you know people more closely because it helps all of us feel that we are in this together.”

  Accompanying the Avanti Chamber Singers will be pianist and organist Lesley Kingham and guest trumpeter Timothy White.

  And on Earth, Peace takes place Saturday, Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Advanced tickets are available through the Avanti Singers website, at Thorold Music and Booksmart, or from choir members for $20 for adults and seniors. Tickets at the door are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors. A $5 ticket is available for students and eyeGo program members.

  The Avanti Chamber Singers will also be performing on Feb. 23 and April 27 at St. Thomas’ Anglican Church.

  Rensink-Hoff is also the conductor for the Brock University Choirs, which includes both the chamber choir and the new women’s choir. Their first performance will take place Dec. 1.

  For more information about upcoming choral performances, visit the Brock University Music website.

  Tags: Avanti Chamber Singers, Christmas Truce, Department of Music, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, Rachel Rensink-Hoff, St. Thomas Anglican Church
  Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, Media Releases, News, Viva Voce Choral Series

• Active attacker info sessions to be held at MIWSFPA Nov. 8 & Nov. 14

  Wednesday, November 07, 2018 | By Brock University

  

  (From The Brock News, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018)

  Would you know what to do if there was an active threat or shooter on campus?

  It’s a scenario most people could never imagine happening at Brock University, but one that Campus Security wants to ensure the community is prepared for.

  Campus Security at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) will be holding two information sessions for staff, instructors, faculty and students of the School this month to discuss emergency preparedness in an active attacker situation.

  Rick Fraser, Brock’s Manager, Emergency Management and Life Safety, will be presenting material on the active attacker protocol that has been adopted at the University during these sessions.

  The information and training sessions will take place in MWS 156 on:

  • Thursday, Nov. 8 from 8 to 9 a.m.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 14 from 1 to 2 p.m.

  No registration is required, but the sessions are currently limited to those who study or work at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, due to space limitations.

  For more information on the MIWSFPA sessions, contact Rick Tollar, Supervisor, Campus Security Services, at 905-688-5550 x 6399.

  Information on the active attacker protocol adopted at Brock University is available on the Campus Security website.

  Tags: campus security, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA
  Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, News

• 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.

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  (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, music@noon, Tim Phelan
  Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, RBC Foundation Music @ Noon Series

• Sounds of clarinet and piano to fill Music@Noon stage

  Friday, October 19, 2018 | By Brock University

  

  Clarinetist Zoltan Kalman will perform Tuesday, Oct. 23 as part of the RBC Foundation Music@Noon Recital Series.

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  (From The Brock News, Friday Oct. 19)

  

  Pianist Gary Forbes.

  Clarinetist Zoltan Kalman and pianist Gary Forbes will combine their sounds for the next RBC Foundation Music@Noon Recital Series performance on Tuesday, Oct. 23.

  The show, which include works by composers Aaron Copland, Johannes Brahms and Luigi Bassi, is part of the free weekly concert series hosted by the Department of Music and generously sponsored by the RBC Foundation.

  Kalman performs as principal clarinetist for both the Niagara Symphony and Symphony Hamilton, and also acts as the conductor for the University Wind Ensemble at Brock University.

  Along with his work at Brock University as Staff Accompanist, Forbes is a freelance collaborative pianist, Director of Music at St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church and founder of the Reverberations Concert Series.

  Kalman and Forbes are among many talented musicians who will grace the Music@Noon stage throughout the academic year. Performances in the concert series take place most Tuesdays at noon in Cairns Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.

  For more information about upcoming performances please visit the Music@Noon web page.

  Tags: Department of Music, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Gary Forbes, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, music@noon, rbc foundation, Zoltan Kalman
  Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News, RBC Foundation Music @ Noon Series