Articles tagged with: Department of Music

Brock’s arts impact takes centre stage

Friday, November 22, 2024 | By eknight

Friday, November 22, 2024 | by April Jeffs

Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming Stan Cho (second from left) toured the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) along with St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe (third from left) on Thursday, Nov. 21. Visual Arts Professor and Associate Dean of Fine and Performing Arts Linda Carreiro (left), Provost and Vice-President Academic Arja Vainio-Mattila (second from right) and Dean of Humanities Carol Merriam (right) highlighted how Brock’s state-of-the-art facilities and world-class resources and instruction provide a strong foundation for students to pursue their career goals and make meaningful contributions to the arts by helping to grow a vibrant centre of culture in both Niagara.

Tags: centre for studies in arts and culture, department of dramatic arts, Department of Music, Department of Visual Arts, Linda Carreiro, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA
Categories: News
A community in harmony dazzles Niagara audiences

Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | By eknight

Image caption: The Brock University Choir shared the spotlight with powerhouse arts organizations Chorus Niagara and Niagara Symphony Orchestra for a memorable performance of Verdi’s Requiem at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines on Nov. 3.

Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | by Gillian Minaker

Concertgoers were recently brought to their feet by a powerful collaborative performance of Verdi’s Requiem.

Chorus Niagara, with support from the Brock University Choir (BUC) and Niagara Symphony Orchestra (NSO), performed the musical masterpiece to a packed house at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (FOPAC) on Nov. 3.

Rachel Rensink-Hoff, Associate Professor of Music and Conductor of BUC, which is comprised of students from across campus, said the concert was not only a valuable performance experience, but also represented an important opportunity for Brock to deepen its community connections through the arts.

“Chorus Niagara welcomed us all so warmly and the concert was an unforgettable experience that I know will resonate with choir members for a long time,” she said.

Famous for its compelling, theatrical mood, Verdi’s Requiem brings together vocal soloists, a chorus and full orchestra to deliver a dynamic and powerful performance.

Musical works of this scope demand a large force of players and singers that can only be realized through collaboration, Rensink-Hoff said.

“We could not have performed this piece on our own and are grateful for the opportunity to engage with such an iconic choral masterpiece,” she said.

Artistic Director of Chorus Niagara Robert Cooper echoed this sentiment, adding he hoped the experience of sharing the stage with professional singers and musicians will prove formative for Brock students as they pursue varied career paths.

“Working with conductor Rachel Rensink-Hoff and the Brock University Choir was a choral collaboration coup,” he said. “The singers’ abundant vocal vitality, infectious enthusiasm, disciplined musicality and always professional presence assured a peak performance of Verdi’s monumental Requiem.”

Beyond the success of the performance, Rensink-Hoff also affirmed the importance of working alongside area arts organizations to help students build bridges with the community and make connections in the professional world.

“An experience such as this shows aspiring musicians and artists not only what it takes to mount a significant production, but the power of creative collaboration between groups to foster a sense of community and togetherness through music — this is why we do what we do,” Rensink-Hoff said.

The Department of Music will take the stage at FOPAC again in a series of instrumental ensemble performances beginning in late November.

On Wednesday, Nov. 27, Conductor George Cleland will lead the Brock University String Orchestra in From the Heart featuring music by Bach, Mozart, Grieg, Puccini and Anderson.

Brock Big Band will delight audiences with Big Band Extravaganza led by Conductor Zoltan Kalman on Monday, Dec. 2, followed by a performance with a “night at the cinema” theme, Movie Night, from the Brock University Wind Ensemble on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Tickets for all performances can be purchased through the FOPAC Box Office.

Tags: brock university choir, Chorus Niagara, community connections, Department of Music, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, music, Niagara Symphony Orchestra
Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Special Events
Embracing music’s healing powers

Friday, June 14, 2024 | By eknight

Image Caption: Samantha Bowman (BMus ’24) discovered her passion for using music to treat illness through her Bachelor of Music with a concentration in Music Therapy at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2024 | by Gillian Minaker

Guiding people on a journey of healing through music — especially those facing mental health struggles — was something Samantha Bowman (BMus ’24) knew in her heart she always wanted to do.

On Friday, June 14, Bowman walked across the stage during Brock University’s 115th Convocation and became one step closer to achieving her dream of helping people through music therapy.

Bowman’s path to earning a Bachelor of Music with a Concentration in Music Therapy Foundations came with many unexpected turns, such as applying to — and dropping out of — several post-secondary programs that were not a good fit.

When she eventually received a mental health diagnosis for depression, her life completely changed.

“I had been living with depression for a long time, but not known it. Suddenly, everything clicked into place,” she said.

Bowman knew that music was going to be an important part of her path forward.

As a vocalist, however, encountering an injury to her instrument — her voice — was not in the plan.

Bowman decided that while singing would always be part of her music practice, she would shift her professional interests toward becoming a mental health professional that works with music therapy.

When she was accepted into Brock’s Department of Music at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA), she immediately felt that she was supported and set up for success in her chosen field.

“When you are learning in a safe and supportive space, you just thrive,” Bowman said. “Your best comes out and that’s what I felt at Brock, I was fostering the best version of myself.”

Karin Di Bella, Associate Professor and Chair of Music at Brock, said students sometimes start in programs because that is what they feel they should do, or that others want them to do. If it’s not something that truly interests them, however, they may struggle.

“When students come into a program that lights them up, they then succeed — not because our program is easy, but because they are deeply invested,” Di Bella said. “Sam beautifully exemplifies this transformation and has excelled in our program.”

Through her studies in the Music in Community course, Bowman worked with a local organization called Major Progressions Music Therapy, which provides music therapy to residents of long-term care in the Niagara region. During the course, she completed a practicum placement which she said was “transformative.”

“It is difficult to get elderly people living with Alzheimer’s or dementia to want to get up, especially if they have chronic pain, too,” Bowman said.

During her placement she was able to assist with using music, in conjunction with other types of care, such as physiotherapy, to help those long-term residents manage their conditions.

Bowman also observed long-term care residents, who were non-verbal and struggling with cognition, listen to old songs they could recall the words to, which sparked joy and connection.

Bowman said her “life has been healed” because of her own ongoing therapeutic journey and “having the chance to be a part of somebody else’s journey through music” meant the world to her.

Thanks to her success at Brock, Bowman has now been accepted into Wilfred Laurier’s highly competitive Master of Music Therapy program, which only accepts 10 to 15 students out of the hundreds that apply.

“Nearly 10 years after I began my post-secondary education, I am now pursuing my dream career thanks to the support and skills I gained at Brock,” she said.

Looking to the future and motivated by her own experience, the aspiring music therapist aims to focus on mental health research and how music can alleviate suffering.

Tags: convocation, Department of Music, humanities, Karin Di Bella, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, Samantha Bowman, spring convocation, spring convocation 2024
Categories: Alumni, Alumni, News
Teaching award recipient inspires through music education

Friday, June 14, 2024 | By eknight

Image caption: Associate Professor of Music Rachel Rensink-Hoff addressed Brock’s newest graduates on Friday, June 14 during the University’s 115th Convocation. Rensink-Hoff received the Faculty of Humanities’ 2024 Excellence in Teaching Award.

FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2024 | by Gillian Minaker

“Life is long.”

Using these three simple but impactful words of poet T.S. Eliot, Rachel Rensink-Hoff hoped to inspire Brock’s graduating class to reflect on their experiences and take in the world around them.

“Give yourself permission to dwell in the length of life, and do this by resisting pressures, graduates, to take shortcuts, to give up, to make hurried choices or choose the path of least resistance,” the Associate Professor of Music said during her Convocation address on Friday, June 14. “Instead, relish in surprising connections. Enjoy the subtle shades of colour and the interesting shapes around you. Take the time to observe every single little detail.”

It is an idea that has been important to her life and work, she told graduates from the Faculties of Humanities and Mathematics and Science.

Rensink-Hoff received the Faculty of Humanities’ 2024 Excellence in Teaching Award in recognition for her dedication to supporting students on their academic and creative paths.

Reflecting on the honour before Brock’s Convocation celebrations, she said the most rewarding thing about teaching music is when students let go of their inhibitions and take risks.

“There is an energy that fills a room when one student, then two, then more, dare to try new things — it has an inspiring ripple effect. I feel I’ve done my part as an educator and conductor if I’ve made space for this to happen,” she said.

The biggest source of joy for Rensink-Hoff is when students take ownership of the creative process.

“In rehearsal or the classroom, teaching and learning depends on the willingness of students to encourage and mentor one another. When this happens naturally, then I know I’ve done my job,” she said.

At the core of Rensink-Hoff’s teaching philosophy is a commitment to educating the whole person, seeking to accommodate the diversity of musical experience and motivation among those she teaches.

This helps her develop an approach to teaching that is both inclusive and rigorous, striving to help all students and singers to discover their full potential regardless of their musical background or ability.

How people learn music, the kind of music they interact with and the advancement of digital forms of music creation translate into a wide range of musical skills and identities shaped by one’s exposure to music, family and social influences, and cultural environments, she said.

“The prospective music student of the 21st century looks very different than was historically deemed ‘suitable’ or ‘eligible’ for a music degree program,” she said. “As music educators, it is incumbent upon us to diversify approaches and the musical content we interact with, all with the goal of better representing the incredibly rich and diverse tapestry of global music traditions beyond the historically favoured Western canon.”

Her research and creative work focuses on three elements of well-being: being, belonging and becoming. Through these lenses, she explores how engagement with music supports all aspects of humanity from the physical to the social to the psychological and spiritual.

“I feel strongly about the profound impact that group singing and musical skill development can have on one’s health and sense of well-being across the lifespan,” she said.

Tags: convocation, Department of Music, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine of Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, Rachel Rensink-Hoff, spring convocation, spring convocation 2024
Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors
Brock faculty honoured for local arts impact

Wednesday, December 07, 2022 | By ckim2

St. Catharines Arts Award winners (clockwise from front left) Emily Oriold, Monica Dufault, Kathyrn Sinopoli, Rachel Rensink-Hoff, Amy Friend and Frank Goldspink were recently honoured by the City of St. Catharines. (Photo courtesy of the City of St. Catharines)

Originally published in The Brock News | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2022 | by Charles Kim

The impact of faculty from Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts is being felt in the local community.

Amy Friend, Associate Professor and Department of Visual Arts Chair, and Rachel Rensink-Hoff, Associate Professor in the Department of Music, were each recently honoured during the St. Catharines Arts Awards and recognized for their respective contributions to helping the arts thrive locally.

Friend received the Established Artist Award during the awards celebration held Tuesday, Nov. 29, at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. Her work, which has been exhibited nationally and internationally, explores various methodologies through photography, installation and community-based collaborations. The focus of her work fluctuates with investigations relative to history, time, land memory, dust, oceans and connections to the universe.

“The award is a wonderful nod to the work artists accomplish in this community and there are many of us,” Friend said. “I have grown as an artist in this region and have had opportunities to collaborate with many people. I would like to see even greater and consistent support for the arts in our community and schools. There is an abundance of amazing work happening here, but much more is possible.”

Rensink-Hoff — Conductor of the Brock University Choir and Sora Singers, and Artistic Director of the Avanti Chamber Singers — was presented with the Arts in Education Award.

Her contributions to the local arts community have resulted in many performances and partnerships, including the co-ordination of a performance by the Brock University Choir, Avanti Chamber Singers and Sora Singers under the leadership of guest conductor, Kanaka Maoli artist, activist and cultural bearer Jace Kaholokula Sapan.

“It is a joy to be a part of a thriving arts community here in St. Catharines and I am humbled by this recognition, particularly on the heels of a challenging two and a half years,” Rensink-Hoff said. “I have seen in my students and singers just how life-giving their participation in the arts can be. Their passion and dedication to making music throughout the pandemic has been such a tremendous source of inspiration.”

A full list of recipients of the St. Catharines Arts Awards is available on the City of St. Catharines website.

Tags: amy friend, art awards, arts in education award, Choir, community, Department of Music, Department of Visual Arts, established artist award, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, jace kaholokula saplan, local artist, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, MUSI, music, Rachel Rensink-Hoff, St. Catharines Arts Awards, VISA, visual arts
Categories: Alumni, Announcements, Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, Media Releases, News
Local arts awards give nods to Brock faculty

Friday, November 11, 2022 | By ckim2

Established Artist Nominee and Department of Visual Arts Associate Professor Donna Szoke engages with a class in her Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games exhibition space.

Originally published in The Brock News | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 03, 2022 | by Charles Kim

The nominees for this year’s St. Catharines Arts Awards include some familiar faces from the Brock community.

Associate Professors Rachel Rensink-Hoff, from Brock’s Department of Music, and Amy Friend and Donna Szoke, from the Department of Visual Arts, have each been recognized for their contributions to the arts.

Rensink-Hoff, who conducts the Brock University Choir and Sora Singers, and is the Artistic Director of the Avanti Chamber Singers, was nominated for the Art in Education Award. The past Vice-President of Programming for Choral Canada and past President of Choirs Ontario, she maintains an active career as an adjudicator, workshop clinician and juror both locally and across Canada.

Art in Education Award Nominee and Associate Professor Rachel Rensink-Hoff.

Friend and Szoke were each nominated in the Established Artist Award category.

Friend, Chair of Brock’s Department of Visual Arts, has exhibited in a generous roster of national and international exhibitions, including the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize Exhibition (U.K.), Gexto Photofestival (Spain), DongGang Photography Museum (Korea) and many more. Her work has also been featured in numerous publications such as California Sunday Magazine (U.S.), Archeology of Photography – Lux (Poland), Musée Magazine (U.S.) and Wired (U.S.).

Szoke is an interdisciplinary artist whose work has been shown in public art, interactive video installation, outdoor site-specific installation, publications, film festivals and galleries in Canada, the U.S., France, Germany, Turkey, Hungary, Croatia, Cuba, the United Arab Emirates and South Korea. She has received numerous research awards and grants for her work, including from the Canada Council for the Arts, B.C. Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. In 2017, she was awarded the Brock Faculty of Humanities Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity.

Established Artist Nominee and Department of Visual Arts

Chair Amy Friend works on cameraless images in the field.

Friend and Szoke recently collaborated for a shared exhibition this past summer in conjunction with the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games. Small Movements showcased their two projects, both funded by Brock’s VPR Canada Games Grants.

City of St. Catharines Cultural Co-ordinator Ashley Judd-Rifkin says the awards celebrate the best of the local artistic community. “The outstanding individuals and organizations that have been nominated for the arts awards are all very deserving. Their commitment, creativity and contributions have made St. Catharines a more beautiful, vibrant and exciting place to live.”

The St. Catharines Arts Awards will be livestreamed from Partridge Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday, Nov. 29 starting at 6:30 p.m. Details for the livestream will be shared through the City’s social media channels closer to the event.

A full list of nominees is available on the City of St. Catharines website.

Tags: amy friend, Department of Music, Department of Visual Arts, donna szoke, faculty of humanities, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, music, Rachel Rensink-Hoff, St. Catharines Arts Awards, visual arts
Categories: Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, Media Releases, News
Guest conductor to lead Brock choirs in Decolonizing our Music-Making performance

Friday, November 11, 2022 | By ckim2

Jace Kaholokula Saplan will be the guest conductor for a collective of choral groups Friday, Oct. 28 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Recital Hall.

Originally published in The Brock News | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2022 | by Charles Kim

An upcoming choral performance will bring together the Brock University Choir, Avanti Chamber Singers and Sora Signers under the leadership of a guest conductor.

As part of the 2022 Walker Cultural Leader Series, the Department of Music is welcoming Jace Kaholokula Saplan, who will conduct The Songs We Sing, The Land We Stand On: Decolonizing our Music-Making on Friday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Recital Hall.

During their time together, Saplan — a Kanaka Maoli advocate, artist, educator and culture bearer — aims to share their knowledge and research with the choral groups and create a space of understanding and artistic exploration.

Saplan currently serves as Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music Learning and Teaching and Choral Conducting at Arizona State University (ASU). They oversee the graduate program in choral conducting, conduct the ASU Concert Choir, and teach courses in choral literature and pedagogy that weave decolonial and critical theories with communal vocal practice.

Their research focuses on the performance practice of Pasifika choral traditions and Queen Lili’uokalani’s choral compositions, while using decolonial approaches to diversity, equity and inclusion in the choral classroom. Saplan also works in the intersections of choral pedagogy, gender and sexuality in communities of colour, addressing trauma-informed practice and boundary building with Black, Brown, Indigenous and Asian music educators.

“We are thrilled to be welcoming Jace Kaholokula Saplan to our Brock campus this week and to learn about how our art form might be expanded to welcome richer and more diverse approaches to choral singing,” says Associate Professor of Music Rachel Rensink-Hoff.

During Saplan’s residency at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, both Brock and community choirs will explore the intricate connections and responsibilities associated with choral practices, specifically focusing on Indigenous ties to the choral arts.

“I look forward to the building of a beloved community with the choral artists of Ontario. Together we will understand the diverse complexities that root forth when the choral arts are intersected with Native and Indigenous ways of being,” says Saplan. “I hope to weave our time together with an empathetic understanding of the power of our art form, and an instilled responsibility of how we consume and propagate the craft — all while joyfully singing.”

In anticipation of the choirs’ performance with Saplan, Rensink-Hoff added, “We look forward to being challenged and inspired, and to sharing our learning with the community on Friday evening in a presentation of Indigenous Hawaiian story and song.”

Attendance to the lecture-performance is free, but tickets must be reserved through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre website.

Tags: avanti chamber choir, brock university choir, Department of Music, firstontario perfroming arts centre, jace kaholokula saplan, MIWSFPA, MUSI, Rachel Rensink-Hoff, Sora Singers, Walker Cultural Leader, WCL
Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, Media Releases, News
Music students’ talent shines on provincial stage

Friday, September 02, 2022 | By ckim2

Brock University Music students Lee Bakker, Isaiah Burry and Caroline Young join Associate Professor Rachel Rensink-Hoff after their Ontario Youth Choir performance.

Originally published in The Brock News | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2022 | by Charles Kim

After spending the summer fine-tuning their choral skills, three Brock Music students are ready to start the school year on a high note.

Third-year student Caroline Young and fourth-year students Isaiah Burry and Lee Bakker found themselves surrounded by talented and inspired chorists from across the province after successfully auditioning for the Ontario Youth Choir (OYC) earlier this year.

The OYC is an honour choir that showcases the skills and abilities of Ontario singers between the ages of 16 and 23. The 10-day summer training intensive gives students the chance to be part of a large group of motivated and enthusiastic singers, with their hard work culminating in a final performance.

The OYC’s selection process began with an audition, which included a solo piece, vocal warm-ups to gauge the performer’s vocal range and a piece chosen by the OYC to be performed acapella.

Having successfully completed the audition process Bakker, Burry and Young quickly came to realize that they were among a collective of gifted chorists.

“I was surrounded by so many voice majors and talented instructors, it really challenged me,” Young said. “This opportunity definitely helped me grow as a musician.”

Prior to living in Ontario, Burry was part of the B.C. Youth Choir. His time with OYC, however, left him impressed by the talent he found himself immersed in.

“Everyone was studying voice in some manner on a university level and being surrounded by those like-minded individuals was really cool,” he said.

As the program got underway, it became clear that it had a different dynamic than most choral programs, Burry said. Rather than creating a student and teacher environment, it offered more of an artistic collective.

“They treat you as a colleague and because of that, there’s a lot more responsibility,” Burry said. “We rehearsed, on average, eight hours a day and by the end of the day, if there was something that still needed to be worked on for you personally, then that was your responsibility. You had to do your part because the next day everyone was going to be working on something else.”

The program and its final performance was a rejuvenating experience for all three Brock students as they prepared to head into the new academic year.

“I feel like I can take more risks now, especially with solo performances,” said Young. “If I can stand up and audition for the OYC then I can definitely stand up and perform for the Brock Choir.”

Burry said the final performance left him with a “feeling of motivation reignited in me.”

“In my mind, I chalked it up to the fact that what I was getting through OYC was a glimpse at the next step of being a professional chorister,” he said.

In attendance at the final performance was Associate Professor Rachel Rensink-Hoff, Conductor of the Brock University Choir and Sora Singers, and Artistic Director of the Avanti Chamber Singers.

“The Ontario Youth Choir has played a significant role in the lives of young choral singers across the province for many decades and it was very special to have three of our own students representing Brock’s Music program in this prestigious choral ensemble,” Rensink-Hoff said. “To witness the energy and passion in their culminating performance, particularly given the obstacles faced by choral musicians over the past two and a half years, was heartwarming. I look forward to encouraging future students to audition for this tremendous musical experience.”

Tags: brock university choir, caroline young, Choir, choral workshop, Department of Music, humanities, Isaiah burry, lee bakker, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, MUSI, ontario youth choir, Rachel Rensink-Hoff
Categories: Current Students, Faculty & Instructors, Future Students, In the Media, News
Brock’s Niagara Choral Workshop open to community

Wednesday, June 08, 2022 | By ckim2

The Niagara Choral Workshop will be led by Brock Associate Professor Rachel Rensink-Hoff this summer.

Originally published in The Brock News | MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2022 | by Charles Kim

A three-day workshop this summer is inviting the community to learn the ins and outs of choral singing at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

Led by Associate Professor Rachel Rensink-Hoff, the Niagara Choral Workshop is designed for choral conductors, teachers, song leaders and those with a general interest in the topic. The workshop, for which applications are now open, will be taught through engaging and interactive sessions on sound exploration, rehearsal strategies, conducting techniques and repertoire perspectives.

Alongside Rensink-Hoff, the learning experience will also feature guest speakers Karen Burke, Associate Professor at York University School of the Arts, Performance, Media and Design, and Elroy Friesen, Professor and Director of Choral Studies at the University of Manitoba.

The workshop will run from Aug. 24 to 27 at the MIWSFPA. Each day will comprise of hands-on masterclasses, group discussions and group sessions with choral colleagues on current topics in choral singing.

“Our three-day choral workshop is designed to inspire and equip choral educators and conductors of all levels of experience with hands-on workshops and discussion-based explorations of relevant topics, including the joy of singing with others,” Rensink-Hoff says.

Registration for the workshop is open to professionals and students, as well as the general public. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, June 15. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. To apply or for more information, please visit the Brock Music web page.

Tags: avanti, Choir, Department of Music, elroy friesen, karen burke, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, MUSI, niagara choral, Rachel Rensink-Hoff, sora, workshop
Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, News
FACULTY FOCUS: Nina Penner working to create change in Canadian opera

Friday, November 12, 2021 | By gminaker

Image caption: Nina Penner, Brock University Assistant Professor of Music, enjoys sharing her love of opera with her students.

Originally published in The Brock News | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 09, 2021 | by Maryanne St. Denis

Note: Faculty Focus is a monthly series that highlights faculty whose compelling passions, innovative ideas and various areas of expertise help weave together the fabric of Brock University’s vibrant community. For more from the series, click here.

Nina Penner’s students are always surprised to learn she’s not a singer.

Although the opera expert has been a part of many productions throughout her career, her home has always been in the orchestral pit.

The classical clarinetist, and now Brock University Assistant Professor of Music, has always found herself fascinated with the art form and rejoices in her ability to share it with others.

Penner’s love for music began with the piano at age eight, but it wasn’t until a few years later when she picked up a clarinet that she truly found her fit.

Nina Penner, now an Assistant Professor of Music at Brock University,
spent countless hours during her childhood honing her skills on the clarinet.

For weeks, she played as much as her lips would allow, stopping only when her muscles weakened from exhaustion.

“I was obsessed with the clarinet,” she says lightheartedly, reminiscing about how her father went from renting her an instrument to quickly realizing a purchase was in their future.

Penner, who grew up in Niagara, began teaching herself from books before moving on to private lessons in her adolescence.

After high school graduation, she pursued her Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance at the University of Toronto.

“I like performing a lot, especially ensemble music, orchestra and chamber music,” she says. “I’ve always liked playing new music, including music by student composers.”

After time, however, Penner began to realize that the performer life — and the entrepreneurial aspects of promoting yourself and booking gigs — wasn’t for her.

Her interest was instead starting to drift in a new direction.

Penner’s history courses on music and music theory began to draw more of her attention and, after some discussions with her professors, she decided academia was the world she was best suited for.

She went on to complete her master’s at the University of Toronto and her PhD at McGill University, both in musicology.

But her love for opera never waned. She decided that as an academic, it would be her area of focus.

During her performance days, Penner’s gaze between notes often fell to the talented singers, her mind trying to take in as much detail as possible.

“I could see what was happening on stage and that was really fascinating,” she says. “I think that enhanced my desire to understand more about opera staging, which is what some of my early musicology work was about.”

Since joining Brock in July 2020, Penner has expanded her work to look at opera — as well as musical theatre and film music — as it relates to various social movements.

In high school, Nina Penner, now a Brock Assistant Professor of Music,

performed a concerto with the Niagara Youth Orchestra.

Her most recent project, funded by a Brock Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Institution Grant, explores the experiences of Indigenous, Black and People of Colour working in opera in Canada.

The study, “Exploring New Collaborative Models in Indigenous-led Opera in Canada,” is a collaboration with Amplified Opera, a Toronto-based collective that seeks to amplify previously marginalized voices in the industry.

They are about to launch a survey to learn more about the frequency and severity of racial discrimination and microaggressions in Canadian opera.

“Because I’m not a singer and I’m a white settler, it was so important to get the voices of the people who this research is hopefully going to serve, to survey them about their experiences and about what can be done to rectify these situations,” she says. “This is not about getting people to relive these painful experiences, but to document them and start thinking about what we can do to move forward.”

After the survey is completed, Penner plans to interview about 20 singers this winter to get more detailed narratives and recommendations for change.

The intention is to ultimately improve equity and diversity in the opera industry.

“It’s not just about hiring more people of colour,” Penner says. “We also have to rethink how we’re creating the works themselves, rethink the actual creative process. How we are we working together and at what point are people of colour involved in creating these pieces?”

Companies led by People of Colour, such as Amplified Opera, are exploring new collaborative and leadership models, such as involving singers from the earliest stages of creating new works and productions. By documenting these new approaches, the study aims to encourage larger houses, such as the Canadian Opera Company, to consider replicating some of these collaborative models.

“The hope is to see not only indie opera companies but also the big houses take a risk and do something a bit differently,” she says.

For anyone new to the genre but interested in learning more about it, Penner says indie opera companies are the way to go.

The performances are often more intimate and in smaller spaces that allow the audience to better see the facial expressions of singers, giving a better feel for what is happening, she says. Their shows are also more likely to be in English, breaking down language barriers for some first-time opera fans who may find a production in a different language intimidating.

Tapestry Opera in Toronto specializes in producing new works that address contemporary concerns, Penner says, while Against the Grain Theatre in Toronto performs older repertoire predominantly, but does so in a way that brings out its relevance for audiences today.

“You’re more likely to get an aesthetic that’s kind of like Rent, but they are singing Puccini’s music,” she says.

“There’s a lot of different opera out there. I think it’s a matter of finding the kind of opera that is going to grab you — and it’s going to be different for everyone.”

Although Penner has yet to formally introduce her two-year-old daughter to the genre, both she and her husband have ensured music has remained a part of their St. Catharines household.

“I pick at the piano sometimes and she’ll climb up on the stool and play some things,” she says. “I’ll be playing a Handel piece, but all she really wants to hear is Three Blind Mice.”

For more information on Penner’s upcoming survey or to participate, email npenner@brocku.ca

Tags: Department of Music, Faculty Focus, humanities, MIWSFPA, music, Nina Penner, opera
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