Articles tagged with: Department of Music

  • Student completes music degree started 18 years ago in Mexico

    Mexico’s Luis Gerardo Molina will graduate from Brock Friday with a degree in Music.

    (from The Brock News,  Tuesday, June 05, 2018 | by )

    For 20 years, Luis Gerardo Molina worked his way up the corporate ladder of a growing computer software firm in his home country of Mexico.

    After high school, he had made what he viewed as a responsible decision to choose a stable career in technology over a fragile one as a classical pianist, but his love of music kept pulling at him like a magnet.

    Eventually, he gave in, and on Friday, June 8, at the age of 48, his career change will be official when he graduates from Brock University with a degree in Music.

    “It means everything,” said Molina. “That was a dream that I always wanted to make happen and I really struggled to get it.”

    Born into a family of talented musicians, Molina grew up around choirs and instruments, and by the age of six it was obvious he had a gift. At nine, he started working with a piano teacher and for eight years he attended a specialized school of music that turned his hobby into a craft.

    “I finished my high school and I had that dilemma many people face — should I devote my life to music? Is that a safe path for the rest of my life?” Molina said. “I decided to follow an alternative career. I always really liked the maths, so I decided to choose engineering.”

    A literal flip of a coin at the age of 17 made Molina choose computer engineering over civil engineering, and that set in motion a software career that lasted 20 years.

    But while his career progressed to the point of becoming a manager, so did his ongoing love of music. Having never truly given up his dream of being a professional pianist, Molina went back to the University of the Americas part time in 2000, completing two years of a four-year degree before realizing the workload wasn’t sustainable.

    Luis Molina’s music career has taken him to competitions and performances around the world.

    “It was just too much,” he said.

    But an invitation to an international piano competition in Paris in 2003 ramped up his duelling interests. After beating out nearly 100 competitors from 35 countries to win the contest, he was invited to more international performances and competitions, leading to the production of his first album of live recordings.

    “I got very good support from the company I was working for. The owner was a kind guy who was also involved in music and he always felt proud to tell them he had an employee with this background in competition and music,” said Molina, who traveled to the U.S., Germany, Russia, Poland and elsewhere over the years.

    “After doing all that, I decided the music is calling me more and more,” he said. “The company I was working for was growing and every day it was getting more complicated to do both things together.”

    Finally in 2015, the door opened to make music his full-time endeavour. He was hired as a pianist with a philharmonic orchestra in Mexico and went back to university for his third year of music school.

    Then, in 2017, a trip to Canada to visit friends in Niagara led to another big change.

    “I loved the Niagara region so I thought, if I’m going for my passion in music, I found the perfect place to do it,” he said.

    A tour of Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts and a meeting with Associate Professor of Music Karin Di Bella confirmed that Brock was where Molina would finish his degree.

    “I fell in love with what I found here. And now that I’m almost done, I feel very lucky to have had this great opportunity in this great country and at this great University,” he said.

    Di Bella called Molina “the real deal.”

    “He possesses a rare combination of drive, discipline, musical maturity, technical facility, innate musicality and a true flair for performance,” she said. “Despite his many accomplishments, he is very humble and always eager to learn, making him a true joy to work with.”

    After graduating Friday in the final day of Brock’s Spring Convocation, Molina will move on to do his master’s in musical literature and performance at Western University.

    From there, a PhD and potentially a teaching career are in his sights.

    “I’ve been performing for more than 30 years and I want to continue doing that, but I’d like to share my perspectives and teach others,” he said.

    Molina credits his wife, Marcela Lagunas Burgos, herself a talented musician who plays the cello, as playing a major role in his career success.

    “We’re definitely on the same frequency. She has supported me with everything and all the decisions.”

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Future Students, In the Media, News

  • Choral season to wrap with final show

    The Avanti Chamber Singers, under the direction of Rachel Rensink-Hoff, will close out the 2017-18 Department of Music season on Saturday, April 28 at St. Thomas Anglican Church.

    The curtain will close on Brock’s 2017-18 Music season with a final performance by the Avanti Chamber Singers.

    Boundless, the last concert of the academic year, will be presented by the Department of Music and the Avanti Chamber Singers on Saturday, April 28 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Anglican Church, 99 Ontario St., St. Catharines.

    The show features celestial-inspired music, exploring the harmony and mystery of the universe with a range of primarily 21st-century works.

    The program includes pieces such as Gloria Patri by Urmas Sisask, And Einstein Said by Trent Worthington, Stars by Eriks Ešenvalds, and the centerpiece of the program, Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen.

    The Avanti Chamber Singers is a mixed chamber choir comprised of experienced choral singers from across the Niagara region. The group performs under the direction of Artistic Director Rachel Rensink-Hoff, who is also conductor of the Brock University choirs, Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Brock University.

    “It has been a wonderful year,” she said when describing the choral and concert season as a whole. “We are seeing more and more people from the local community coming to our concerts, which is so exciting and motivating for our performers.”

    Looking forward to the 2018-19 Music season, there will be new choral opportunities for students and the community. The Brock choirs are being restructured to feature two ensembles: a mixed chamber choir and a women’s choir. Both are open by audition to all Brock University students, staff and faculty. New for this year, the women’s choir will also be open to the wider Niagara community “in hopes that it will function as a bridge between Brock’s music program and the wider singing community here in St. Catharines,” Rensink-Hoff said.

    Women’s choir rehearsals will be on Thursday evenings from 6 to 8:45 p.m. in the Cairns Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. Interested singers from the community are encouraged to contact Rensink-Hoff by email at rrensinkhoff@brocku.ca for an audition.

    Advance tickets for the last choral concert of the season are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $5 for students and under the eyeGo program. They can be purchased at Thorold Music, 289 Glendale Ave.; Booksmart, 350 Vine St.; online through Eventbrite; or through members of the Avanti Chamber Singers.

    Tickets will also be sold at the door for an additional $5.

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    Categories: Announcements, Events, Special Events, Viva Voce Choral Series

  • Music@Noon season to end on high note

    Sherry Yu is one of six pianists who will perform in the last Music@Noon concert of the 2017-18 season on Tuesday, April 3.

    The curtain will close next week on this season’s RBC Foundation Music@Noon Recital Series.

    The final performance of the 2017-18 season takes place Tuesday, April 3, with first- and second-year Bachelor of Music piano students taking the stage at Cairns Recital Hall.

    Short videos of this season’s Music@Noon performances are available on the Department of Music Instagram page.

    The free recital series will return to the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in late September.

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, News, RBC Foundation Music @ Noon Series

  • Encore! Professional Concert Series presents Pat & Emilia

    Encore! Professional Concert Series presents: Pat & Emilia: A Mixed-Media Chamber Opera

    Pat & Emilia is a new mixed-media chamber opera based on the lives of two Windsor, Ontario artists – photographer Pat Sturn (1910-2011) and opera singer Emilia Cundari (1930-2005). Act One, created by Tara Sievers-Hunt, features opera arias from Emilia’s repertoire alongside monologues inspired by newspaper interviews given by the singer from the 1950s to 1970s. Act Two showcases new music by Canadian composer Jeff Smallman with text by Windsor Poet Laureate Marty Gervais.

    Tara Sievers-Hunt (soprano) as Emilia | Jocelyn Zelasko (soprano) as Pat
    Margaret Gillie (clarinet) | Velda Kelly (violin)
    Nadine Deleury (cello) | Mary Siciliano (piano)

    Including familiar arias from Italian opera as well as new music by composer Jeff Smallman. Text by Marty Gervais.

    Preceded by the documentary film, ‘Imagining Angels’, on the making of the opera

    Friday March 23, 2018

    Time: 7:30 p.m.
    Location: Partridge Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines

    Tickets: $28.50† adults; $22.50† seniors/students; $12.50† child (14 and under); $5* eyeGo program. General admission. † Includes the $2.50 FOPAC Cultural Capital Improvement Fund (CCIF); other applicable fees and taxes are extra. *No CCIF applied; other applicable fees and taxes are extra.

    Order tickets from the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office: 905.688.0722 or Long Distance Toll Free: 1.855.515.0722; online: firstontariopac.ca.

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    Categories: Encore! Professional Concert Series, Events

  • Recital series to showcase student talent

    Second-year violinist Jessica Tigchelaar takes centre stage at the Concordia Seminary Chapel on Friday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.

    The stage is set for the stars of Brock’s Department of Music to shine.

    Student talent will be highlighted during a month-long recital series that begins Friday, March 2.

    The inaugural performance will feature violinist Jessica Tigchelaar, a second-year student, accompanied by Luis Molina on the piano. The show will take place at the Concordia Seminary Chapel on campus, where half of the recitals will take place. The remaining shows will happen at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.

    Luis Molina solo recital

    Fourth-year pianist Luis Molina accompanies Jessica Tigchelaar on stage Friday, March 2. Molina then has his own solo performance Monday, April 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cairns Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

    The series will feature Brock’s most talented performers, who enrol in recital courses for credit following a rigorous audition process.

    Details for the following performances are available at the respective links:

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    Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Student Solo Recitals

  • Jane Bunnett visits St. Catharines!

    The Department of Music presents Encore! Professional Concert Series

    CUBAN RHAPSODY

    with Jane Bunnett and friends.

    Friday, Feb. 9, 2018 , 7:30 p.m.
    Partridge Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre,
    250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines

    Jane Bunnett looks back and presents some of the most elegant music from Cuba’s rich musical history. Performing music from the beginning of the 20th century until the present, this evening explores the rarely heard European influences in Cuban music by great composers such as Lecuona, Valdes Cervantes, etc., melding European classical styles with Jazz and Afro Cuban Rhythms.

    Tickets: $28.50† adults; $22.50† seniors/students;
    $12.50† child (14 and under); $5* eyeGo program.
    General Admission.
    † Includes the $2.50 FOPAC Cultural Capital Improvement Fund (CCIF);
    other applicable fees and taxes are extra. *No CCIF applied; other applicable
    fees and taxes are extra.

    Order tickets from the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
    Box Office: 905-688-0722; 1-855-515-0722; firstontariopac.ca

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    Categories: Announcements, Encore! Professional Concert Series

  • Music presents the first Choral Concert for 2018!

    Avanti Chamber Singers

    Rachel Rensink-Hoff, Artistic Director
    Lesley Kingham, Pianist
    Guest Artists: Walker String Quartet

    With Strings Attached

    Featuring Ola Gjeilo’s Dark Night of the Soul & Eric Whitacre’s Hebrew Love Songs, with other works of love and longing by Lassus, Telemann, Pearsall, Dan Forrest, Laura Hawley and Jonathan Quick.

    Saturday, February 17 7:30 pm
    St. Thomas Anglican Church, 99 Ontario St., St. Catharines, ON

    Take advantage of a $5 ticket discount by purchasing tickets in advance from a choir member. avantichambersingers.com

    for more information about this concert on Saturday February 17, 2018

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Viva Voce Choral Series

  • Our first Encore! Concert for 2018!

    The Department of Music presents the Encore! Professional Concert Series:

    JUMP

    featuring
    GUY FEW (TRUMPET AND PIANO)
    STEPHANIE MARA (PIANO)

    “Jump,” an energetic, cross-cultural program that hops across musical styles.

    Friday, Jan. 26, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
    Partridge Concert Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre,
    250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines

    Tickets: $28.50† adults; $22.50† seniors/students;
    $12.50† child (14 and under); $5* eyeGo program. General Admission.
    † Includes the $2.50 FOPAC Cultural Capital Improvement Fund (CCIF); other applicable fees
    and taxes are extra. *No CCIF applied; other applicable fees and taxes are extra.

    Order tickets from the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office:
    905-688-0722; 1-855-515-0722; firstontariopac.ca

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    Categories: Announcements, Encore! Professional Concert Series

  • Final Music-at-Noon concert for 2017

    Guitar majors, Gavino Oresta (left) and Eric Godfree (right), as they performed for a Music@Noon recital in the 2016-17 season.

    Tuesday Dec. 5 will be the last RBC Foundation Music@Noon Recital for 2017.

    This concert will feature Brock’s piano and guitar students as they wrap up 2017 with the first half of the RBC Foundation Music@Noon Recital Series.

    But don’t worry, this series of performances isn’t going away for good! There will be many more performances to come in the new year, taking place at noon in the Cairns Recital Hall of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

    Stay informed with the Department of Music events throughout the new year through at ExperienceBU.

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    Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Events, RBC Foundation Music @ Noon Series

  • Music presents the Brock University Choirs: WINTERSONG

    The Viva Voce Choral Series features Brock’s student choral ensembles (men’s, women’s and mixed choruses).

    Under the direction of newly-appointed conductor Rachel Rensink-Hoff, these excellent choirs perform multiple concerts throughout the academic year. They have also engaged in community outreach, collaborated with choirs in Canada and the U.S., and produced CD recordings of works by Niagara composers.

    Viva Voce! Choral Series: Brock University Choirs

    conducted by Rachel Rensink-Hoff, featuring a Canada 150 Performance composed by Stephanie Martin

    Saturday, December 2, 2017
    Time: 7:30 p.m.

    Location: Cairns Recital Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre

    Tickets: $15* adults; $10* seniors & students; $5* eyeGo program. *No CCIF applied; other applicable fees and taxes are extra.

    Available from the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office: 905.688.0722 or Long Distance Toll Free: 1.855.515.0722; online: firstontariopac.ca

    This is a special Canada 150 event.

     

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    Categories: Announcements, Events, News, Viva Voce Choral Series