The University Wind Ensemble was featured on TVCogeco for their the holiday concert, The Sounds of Music, on stage in Partridge Hall. Have a look at the video below:
News
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Brock Music students featured in the Niagara Calendar
This week, The Niagara Calendar features a photo of two of our guitar students: Gavino Oresta and Eric Godfree! Be sure to come out next Tuesday@Noon to listen to our guitar and piano students in our last recital in the Fall 2016 academic term.
Eric Godfree, Gavino Oresta, Niagara Calendar, Niagara Falls Review
Categories: In the Media, News -
Music@Noon on TVCogeco
Curious about our free RBC Foundation Music@Noon series? TVCogeco has profiled our lunchtime recital series in the video below:
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Guitar Extravaganza draws packed house
(Source: The Brock News, Tuesday, October 25, 2016 | by Alison Innes)
It was a full house at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre for Guitar Extravaganza II Saturday night. Fifty guitarists, including Brock University music students, alumni and faculty, as well as guitarists from Hamilton and Niagara region, joined together to celebrate the instrument. The evening featured solo and duet performances and concluded with the musicians coming together as The Mighty Niagara Guitar Orchestra to perform a special piece. Composed and conducted by Brock instructor Timothy Phelan, Fantasia para una dama was performed with renowned Canadian guitar virtuoso Emma Rush for the first time in North America.
This is the second year for the Guitar Extravaganza. The event was organized by Brock University Department of Music, with support from the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.
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Plan your future now! Ontario Universities’ Fair is September 23-25, 2016
Plan your future now! If you’re thinking about attending Brock University and any of the four programs of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, don’t miss the Ontario Universities’ Fair!The OUF is September 23-25, 2016, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and admission is free.
You can talk personally with students, professors and senior university reps, get answers about programs, admission requirements, student life and much more. Don’t miss out on the largest educational fair in Canada!
Check out the Facebook event page or go to the Ontario Universities’ Fair website.
Ontario Universities' Fair, OUF, Toronto
Categories: Announcements, Future Students, News -
The Viva Voce! Choral Series presents Avanti Chamber Singers – Water Music: Of Rain, River and Sea
The Avanti Chamber Singers celebrate spring and the conclusion of their 10th Anniversary Season with “Water Music: Songs of Rain, River and Sea”On Saturday, April 30, 2016, the Avanti Chamber Singers (ACS) present a beautiful and varied evening of original choral works and arrangements on the subject of water in all its forms. The audience will hear classical works, spirituals, folk songs and selections from the “Great American Songbook.”
The program will feature, symbolically, ten different soloists from the choir. Several multi-talented choristers will also serve as flutists, and the ACS will be joined by guest pianist Karin Di Bella, Chair of the Department of Music at Brock University.
The variety of composers and arrangers featured in this all-English program include international names (Barber, Copland, Elgar, Holst) as well as a range of Canadians, including those from Ontario (Daley, Telfer, Weaver) and, most importantly, Niagara (John Butler, Matthew Royal). The “Great American Songbook” is represented by well-known songwriters Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin and Henry Mancini.
Conductor Harris Loewen states, “Water has been a favourite subject and symbol for poets and musicians over the centuries, and seems a fitting focus for a spring concert and a 10th anniversary conclusion. I think audiences will really love letting this beautiful program just flow over them!”
ACS alumni are encouraged to come and celebrate with us. Please contact the choir through their website (avantichambersingers.com), to arrange for free admission to the concert and reception.
The Viva Voce Choral Series, presented by the Department of Music is a key part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate in building connections between the community and Brock University.
Join us for an evening of superb music on Saturday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m., held at Covenant Christian Reformed Church, 278 Parnell Rd., St. Catharines. Admission at the door is $25 adults; $20 seniors & students; $5 eyeGo high school program. A $5 discount is available for advance tickets (excluding eyeGo) and can be purchased in St. Catharines at BookSmart (Scott & Vine Plaza) and Thorold Music (Glendale Avenue).
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For more information contact: Marie Balsom, Communications
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
T: 905.688.5550, ext. 4765 | E: mbalsom@brocku.ca | W: brocku.ca/miwsfpa -
University Wind Ensemble breathes new life into an eclectic mix of classics with “Rhythm of the Night”
The University Wind Ensemble
The Brock University Wind Ensemble breathes new life into an eclectic mix of classics on stage at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
The University Wind Ensemble combines the best of beloved genres in a style that brings audiences together — young and old, classical connoisseurs and roots enthusiasts, jazz aficionados and bluegrass buffs. The theme Rhythm of the Night centres on Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and fuses jazz, classical, and roots music to create a dynamic, genre-bending concert experience. This performance will be held in Partridge Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.
Under the baton of conductor Zoltan Kalman, the University Wind Ensemble features the talents of 60 musicians drawn from Brock University, high schools within the Niagara Region, and the broader music community. This concert includes Kelly Hindrichs, Peter Macdonald, Mary-Anne Pearson, David Pearson, and Graham Young from Hamilton’s Symphony on the Bay, as well as Joanne Romanow from the Burlington Concert Band.
High school students from the Niagara Region include: Makayla Todd and Todd Morgan from Laura Secord SS (St. Catharines), and Lindsey Cook from E. L. Crossley SS (Pelham).
The evening program features masterworks of the past and present, including “Manzoni Requiem” by Giuseppe Verdi; “The Year of the Dragon” by Philip Sparke; “Slava!” by Leonard Bernstein; “Sevens” by Samuel Hazo; “Songs of Sailor and Sea” by Robert Smith; “The Bandwagon” by Philip Sparke; “Loch Lomond” by Frank Ticheli; “Suite from Indiana Jones” and from Star Wars, “The Marches” by John Williams; and “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin.
Kalman states: “The ensemble is thrilled to play in Partridge Hall, a state-of-the-art performance venue at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre! We’re proud to present a repertoire jam-packed with dynamic and contagious rhythm that will surely take your breath away!”
Such performances from the Department of Music are a key part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate in building connections between the community and the breadth of talent and creativity at Brock University.
Join us for Rhythm of the Night on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in Partridge Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. Tickets are $8 general admission, $5 eyeGo high school program (+HST), and are free to current MIWSFPA students with valid student ID. Purchase tickets through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office: 905-688-0722; online: firstontariopac.ca; e-mail: boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca ; or at the door.
Did you know there are more than 1,000 parking spots available in nearby parking garages, surface lots and on city streets within a five-minute walk to our address at 15 Artists’ Common? Visit: stcatharines.ca/en/livein/ParkingLotsGarages.asp for a list of parking locations.
Media Day: Tuesday, March 22, 2016 at 6 p.m., held in Partridge Hall at the FirstOntario PAC.
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The Brock University Wind Ensemble presents “Full Steam Ahead” on stage at the Cairns Recital Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
Whether you’re a jazz aficionado or a connoisseur of the classics, the Brock University Wind Ensemble is sure to strike a chord. Full Steam Ahead will be the ensemble’s inaugural performance held in the Cairns Recital Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.Under the baton of conductor Zoltan Kalman, the University Wind Ensemble features the talents of 60 musicians drawn from Brock University, high school students within the Niagara Region, and the broader music community. This concert includes Janice Fralick from the Niagara Symphony; Mary Sobota and Joanne Romanow from the Burlington Concert Band; and Kelly Hindrichs, Peter Macdonald, Frances Cohen, Mary-Anne Pearson, David Pearson, and Graham Young from Hamilton’s Symphony on the Bay.
High school students from the Niagara Region showcased in this performance include: Lindsey Cook from E. L. Crossley SS (Pelham); and Makayla Todd and Todd Morgan from Laura Secord SS (St. Catharines).
The Wind Ensemble’s program features masterworks of the past and present, including “La Gioconda” by Amilcare Ponchielli; “Selections from Porgy and Bess” by George Gershwin; “Children of Sanchez” by Chuck Mangione; “Orient Express” by Philip Sparke; “The Lord of the Rings” by Johan de Meij; “The Christmas Song” by Mel Tormé; “Christmas on Broadway” by John Higgins; “Lost in the Woods” by Department of Music alumus Chris Barletta; and “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein.
Kalman states: “The players and I are incredibly excited about our inaugural performance in the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre! In celebration of our new performance home I have programmed a repertoire like none other in the history of the Wind Ensemble. It will feature a stimulating and grandiose mix of different musical styles that will definitely leave our audience breathless, will demonstrate the exceptional talent and brilliance of this group, and will allow us to soar to new heights.”
Such performances from the Department of Music are a key part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate in building connections between the community and the breadth of talent and creativity at Brock University.
Join us for Full Steam Ahead on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in Cairns Recital Hall. Tickets are $8 general admission, $5 eyeGo high school program (+HST), and are free to current MIWSFPA students with valid student ID. Purchase tickets through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office: 905-688-0722; or online at boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca
Media day: Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. in Cairns Recital Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
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Avanti Chamber Singers launches 10th Anniversary Season with Nocturne: Songs of the Night
Saturday, November 21, 2015 marks the first concert of the season, presenting a fascinating combination of classical compositions and jazz arrangements from the “Great American Songbook.” Held at Covenant Christian Reformed Church in St. Catharines, the choir will be joined for the jazz segments of the evening by the Twilights Jazz Trio, featuring Lesley Kingham on piano, Rob McBride on bass and Devon Fornelli on drums.This 10th anniversary season celebrates the Avanti Chamber Singers’ accomplishments since they began their first rehearsals under the leadership of founding conductor Harris Loewen. Since then, the choir has presented concerts within the Niagara region and beyond. They also hold the distinction of being the Ensemble-in-Residence for the Department of Music, Brock University, where Loewen is an Associate Professor.
Along the way, the Avanti Chamber Singers (ACS) have released three CDs of choral music by Niagara composers, continuing the Voices of Niagara CD series begun by the former Niagara Vocal Ensemble, also conducted by Loewen. All recordings in the series, including Avanti’s Glorious Light (Xmas), Gate of the Year (Sacred), and Beauty is Before Me are still available through the ACS or the Department of Music.
This coming season will offer three regular concerts, all with a thematic orientation. Following Nocturne, on November 21, Avanti Chamber Singers will perform Animalia: The Lighter Side of the Animal Kingdom on February 20, and Water Music: Of Rain, River and Sea on April 30. The concerts present an engaging variety of musical styles, ranging from classical and jazz to folksongs and spirituals.
The Avanti Chamber Singers are also active as a guest ensemble this season. In mid-November, the choir is on stage with Kenny Rogers for four shows at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls. On December 5, ACS and other guest artists join the Brock University Choirs in the Cairns Recital Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, for a concert that will feature premieres of three choral works by Brock University composers. The final guest performance will be with the Brock University Choirs on April 2, 2016, where the joint choral forces will partner with the Trillium Brass in a new version of Peter Landey’s thrilling Gloria.
Conductor Harris Loewen states, “I’m so proud to celebrate a decade milestone with this wonderful group of singers, some of whom have been performing and recording with the choir since its inception. We are really looking forward to this busy but satisfying season, as we continue to have fun learning and making beautiful music together.”
The Viva Voce Choral Series, presented by the Department of Music, is a key part of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts’ mandate in building connections between the community and Brock University. (For more information about ACS, visit: avantichambersingers.com).
Come and celebrate this 10th anniversary launch on Saturday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m., held at Covenant Christian Reformed church, 278 Parnell Road, St. Catharines. Admission at the door is $25 adults; $20 seniors & students; $5 eyeGo program for high school students. A $5 discount is available for advance tickets (excluding eyeGo), and can be purchased at two St. Catharines locations: BookSmart (Scott & Vine Plaza) and Thorold Music (Glendale Avenue).
For more information contact: Marie Balsom, Communications
Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
T: 905-688-5550, ext. 4765 | E: mbalsom@brocku.ca | W: brocku.ca/miwsfpa -
DART, MUSI and MARS present in Toronto at PLS (Poculi Ludique Societas) Festival of Medieval Theatre
COLLEAGUES, STUDENTS, FRIENDS & FAMILY, If you were in Toronto in early June you were fortunate to see a performance of:Visitatio Sepulchri
(the Visit to the Sepulchre)A 12th-CENTURY EASTER MUSIC DRAMA
acting version transcribed and translated
by W. L. Smoldon from the ‘Fleury Playbook’A collaboration between:
Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies,
Department of Dramatic Arts, Department of MusicPart of the PLS (Poculi Ludique Societas) Festival of Medieval Theatre.
When: Saturday, June 6, 7 p.m.
Sunday, June 7, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Trinity College Chapel University of Toronto, 6 Hoskin AvenueMusic Director: Dr. Brian Power, Department of Music
Stage Director: Professor Virginia Reh, Department of Dramatic Arts
The company of Visitatio Sepulchri in the Trinity College Chapel. Photograph by Mrs. Chin Tso.
Plan your future now! If you’re thinking about attending Brock University and any of the four programs of the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, don’t miss the Ontario Universities’ Fair!
The Avanti Chamber Singers celebrate spring and the conclusion of their 10th Anniversary Season with “Water Music: Songs of Rain, River and Sea”
Whether you’re a jazz aficionado or a connoisseur of the classics, the Brock University Wind Ensemble is sure to strike a chord. Full Steam Ahead will be the ensemble’s inaugural performance held in the Cairns Recital Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 21, 2015 marks the first concert of the season, presenting a fascinating combination of classical compositions and jazz arrangements from the “Great American Songbook.” Held at Covenant Christian Reformed Church in St. Catharines, the choir will be joined for the jazz segments of the evening by the Twilights Jazz Trio, featuring Lesley Kingham on piano, Rob McBride on bass and Devon Fornelli on drums.
COLLEAGUES, STUDENTS, FRIENDS & FAMILY, If you were in Toronto in early June you were fortunate to see a performance of: