Articles tagged with: music

• Orientation activities planned for first-year Music students

  Thursday, August 30, 2018 | By Brock University

  

  As a new student enrolled in the Department of Music, you are invited to The New Student Welcome and Academic Orientation as your official welcome to Brock University on September 4! The orientation begins at 8 a.m. in the Ian Beddis Gym, where you’ll hear from President Gervan Fearon and enjoy an inspirational keynote to begin your day and kick-start your term. Afterwards, you are welcome to connect with your faculty and upper year student mentors to receive important information about academic supports and resources. Then, go check out the vendor and welcome fair, take a campus tour and to locate your classes, and get an orientation to the Brock Library. * Don’t forget to register for this orientation at Experience BU.

  You are invited to then attend the Faculty of Humanities orientation session, beginning at 10:00 a.m. in the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre on Brock’s main campus.

   

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  FIRST-YEAR MIWSFPA MIXER AND LUNCH
  OPEN TO STUDENTS IN ALL DEPARTMENTS AT THE MIWSFPA

  SEPTEMBER 4
  

  12 TO 1:30 P.M.
  

  MIWSFPA LOBBY
  

  DOWNTOWN ST. CATHARINES

  15 ARTISTS’ COMMON

   

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  There will also be a special orientation planned for Music students specifically, taking place the second week of September:

  music ORIENTATION
  

  September 11: 12 -12:50 p.m.
  Cairns Recital Hall.
  For all Music majors, single or combined.

  Tags: Department of Music, first year students, music, orientation, welome week
  Categories: Events, Future Students, News

• Brock calendar packed with high school events

  Wednesday, May 09, 2018 | By dvivian

  

  Port Colborne High School students were taken on a tour of campus Tuesday, May 8.

  (excerpted from: Brock News Tuesday, May 08, 2018 | by Maryanne Firth)

  Now that Winter Term has come to an end, it’s high season for high school students on campus.

  Brock has been buzzing with activity over the past two weeks, with secondary students from across Niagara and the GTA taking tours, listening to presentations, participating in lab demonstrations and getting a taste for life on campus.

  That jam-packed lineup continues this week, with the addition of the popular Scientifically Yours event May 10 and 11, and the Ontario Classics Conference May 10 to 12.

  “For many high school students, University campuses can seem very intimidating at first,” said Jamie Mandigo, Brock’s Vice-Provost, Enrolment Management and International. “Some have never set foot on a University campus while others may be the first in their family to apply and attend University. Providing students with a welcoming first impression of Brock is critical to reassuring them that they will have a positive student experience during their time with us.”

  Included in the many high school events that have happened recently or are scheduled to take place on campus this week are:

  • April 27 — Stamford Collegiate performed at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) as part of In the Soil Arts Festival.
  • May 5 — The Department of Dramatic Arts held its invitational and weekend tours for high school students.
  • May 7 — About 500 students from the District School Board of Niagara rehearsed at the MIWSFPA for Music Monday, before performing at the Meridian Centre that evening.
  • May 8 — About 60 Grade 10 and 11 students from Thorold High School, Eastdale Secondary School and Port Colborne High School visited for campus tours, presentations and a Dramatic Arts activity with Professor Joe Norris and his improv students; The Grade 9 drama students from Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School performed their original self-produced children’s play in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre for elementary and secondary school students of the NCDSB.
  • May 9 — Niagara Catholic District School Board students will be rehearsing and participating in workshops at the MIWSFPA for Music Day before performing at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines.
  • May 10 — The Grade 9 drama students from Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School performed their original self-produced children’s play in the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre for elementary and secondary school students of the NCDSB;

  Tags: dramatic arts, DSBN, high schools, In the Soil, MIWSFPA, music, NCDSB, recruitment, recruitment and liaison services
  Categories: Events, Future Students, In the Media, News

• The Viva Voce! Choral Series welcomes back the Avanti Chamber Singers

  Wednesday, February 14, 2018 | By dtemprile

  

  The Avanti Chamber Singers performing under the conduction of Rachel Rensink-Hoff from a previous Viva Voce! Choral Series concert in 2017.

  

  Special guests, The Walker String Quartet, joins the Avanti Chamber Singers at the St. Thomas Anglican Church on Saturday Feb. 17. Pictured from left to right is Anna Hughes (2nd violin), Faith Lau (viola), Gordon Cleland (cello) and Vera Alexeeva (1st violin).

  The Avanti Chamber Singers come back “With Strings Attached” for another round with Brock’s Viva Voce! Choral Series. This time around they’re bringing special guests, The Walker String Quartet!

  This concert will feature Ola Gjeilo’s Dark Night of the Soul, Eric Whitacre’s Hebrew Love Songs and Telemann’s Laudate Jehovam, with other works of love and longing by Lassus, Pearsall, Hassler and contemporary composers Laura Hawley, John Butler, Jared Tomlinson and Jonathan Quick.

  The Chamber Singers will bring their signature sound to the St. Thomas Anglican Church, 99 Ontario Street in St. Catharines, Saturday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. The group is conducted by their Artistic Director, Rachel Rensink-Hoff, who is also Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Brock University.

  Advance tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, and $5 under the eyeGo program. They can be purchased at Thorold Music, 289 Glendale Ave., and Booksmart, 350 Scott St., or online.

  Tickets at the door will be $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and students, and $5 under the eyeGo program.

  Visit the Department of Music’s Concert Series page for more information.

  Tags: Avanti Chamber Singers, Brock University, concert, Dr. Rachel Rensink-Hoff, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, music, St. Thomas Anglican Church, Viva Voce Choral Series, Viva Voce!, Walker String Quartet, With Strings Attached
  Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, Viva Voce Choral Series

• Music presents the first Choral Concert for 2018!

  Saturday, January 20, 2018 | By dvivian

  

  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

  Tags: Avanti Chamber Singers, choral, Choral Series, Department of Music, Dr. Rachel Rensink-Hoff, music, Viva Voce Choral Series, Viva Voce!
  Categories: Announcements, Current Students, Viva Voce Choral Series

• Music Archive in the Library

  Wednesday, November 01, 2017 | By dtemprile

  

  Pictured is an example of a “Writing for Music” poster displayed in the Learning Commons of the James A. Gibson Library.
  Photo by Evelyn Smith. 

  Each year the fourth-year Music students perform a series of recitals as they proceed to successfully complete their studies in the Department of Music. In order to announce the performance each student must produce a poster.

  Students in the Studies in Arts and Culture program have selected a few posters from previous concert seasons and responded in creative and critical ways to create a music performance poster archive. This playful archive is now on display in the Learning Commons of the James A. Gibson library.

  The fourth-year Music Student Solo Recitals return for the 2017-18 season beginning March 2 through April 2, 2018. For more information on the Student Solo Recitals, please visit the music website. For information on past Student Solo Recitals, please visit the 2016-17 season concert details.

  This mini showcase will be on display in the Learning Commons of the James A. Gibson Library until 8 pm on Saturday Nov. 4, 2017 and is available to view during Library hours.

  For further information, please visit our ExperienceBU page.

  Tags: Brock University, display, james a. gibson library, learning commons, library, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, MIWSFPA, music, recital, stac, studies in arts and culture, writing for music
  Categories: Current Students, Events, News

• Percussion Improv at the MIWSFPA

  Friday, September 22, 2017 | By dtemprile

  

  Join us for an outdoor improv performance!

  Percussionist Devon Fornelli will converse in real time with the city soundscape using traditional instruments and found materials.

  Mr. Fornelli has extensive experience as a soloist, an orchestral percussionist, and as a chamber instrumentalist. His range of talent covers all the diverse areas of percussion and drums from the orchestral percussion section to contemporary art music, and most traditions in-between. This is his third improv performance in the Raceway that runs adjacent to the MIWSFPA.

  The performance will take place in the Lancaster, Brooks & Welch LLP Pathway, between the MIWSFPA and FOPAC.

  In case of rain, the performance will be relocated to the MIWSFPA lobby.

  Tags: concerts & shows, Devon Fornelli, Festivals, FOPAC, free, MIWSFPA, music, Niagara community events, Outdoors, Recreation, Social
  Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, Special Events

• Avanti Chamber Singers – Choral Flora

  Wednesday, March 29, 2017 | By Brock University

  

  Avanti Chamber Singers presents “Choral Flora: A Garland of Song” for spring.  Successor to conductor Harris Loewen to be named.

  On Saturday, April 29, Avanti Chamber Singers (ACS) will present their final concert of the season, and their very last with conductor Harris Loewen. In celebration of spring, the theme is “Choral Flora,” which will include colourful choral suites and part-songs on the topic of flowers and trees.

  Joining Loewen and Avanti Chamber Singers will be Zoltan Kalman, clarinetist extraordinaire, who will perform with the choir alongside soprano soloist Melissa-Marie Shriner, as well as playing several solo works. Kalman is Loewen’s colleague at Brock University, and conducts the University Wind Ensemble.

  Avanti Chamber Singers will also take this opportunity to announce Harris Loewen’s successor as Conductor and Artistic Director.  Loewen founded ACS in 2006, at the encouragement of his former students, and has had a very successful 11 years as their conductor, producing three CD recordings.  He will be retiring this spring from a long and active career as a choral conductor.

  The concert “bouquet” will feature lyrical works by both Canadian and international composers. The main items on the program will be three delightful short suites by acclaimed Vancouver composer Stephen Chatman (“How Sweet and Fair”), as well as prolific American composers James Mulholland (“Robert Burns Ballads”) and Gwyneth Walker (“The Great Trees”).

  The program will also include several premiere performances of new arrangements by Niagara composers.  The choir will perform John Butler’s take on the French-Canadian folksong “The Rosebud”, as well as Loewen’s own version of the famous “Heidenröslein” by Heinrich Werner.  Works by famous composers such as Dvořák, Mendelssohn and Vaughan Williams will round out the program.

  Loewen states, “A floral arrangement in choral music is not only a fitting seasonal program, but a beautiful way to wrap up my career. I have loved making great music with the dedicated singers of Avanti, as well as our guest artists, and promoting the music of Niagara composers along the way.
  It’s been just a fabulous community experience in all of its various aspects.”

  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.

  Come and enjoy this choral celebration on Saturday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m., held at Covenant Christian Reformed Church, 278 Parnell Rd, St. Catharines. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors & students, $5 for the eyeGo high school ticket program, and are available to be purchased at the door. A $5 discount is available on advance tickets in St. Catharines from Thorold Music (289 Glendale Ave.) and Booksmart (Scott/Vine Plaza, 350 Scott St.), or from members of Avanti Chamber Singers. Discount is not applicable to eyeGo pricing.

  For an interview or more information contact:
  Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
  T: 905-688-5550, x 4765 | E: miwsfpa@brocku.ca | W: brocku.ca/miwsfpa

  Tags: Choral Flora, concert, MIWSFPA, music, Spring, Viva Voce!
  Categories: Events, Media Releases, News, Viva Voce Choral Series

• The Brock University Wind Ensemble presents “Music for the Soul” on stage in Partridge Hall

  Monday, March 20, 2017 | By Brock University

  

  Plato states, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 7:30 pm, join us as the Brock University Wind Ensemble explores their full breadth of repertoire with music that will move your soul.

  Under the baton of conductor Zoltan Kalman, the University Wind Ensemble features the talents of 60 musicians drawn from Brock University, elementary, and high schools within the Niagara Region and the broader music community. This concert also includes musicians from Burlington’s Symphony on the Bay: Peter Macdonald, Mary-Anne Pearson, David Pearson, and Graham Young.  As well as Patrick Beard from the Niagara Symphony.

  Elementary and high school students performing with the Wind Ensemble include: Christine Kim, a grade eight student from Glynn A. Green Public School (Fonthill); Lucas March from Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School (St. Catharines); Jessica Traynor and Synthia Khairallah from Lakeshore Catholic High School (Port Colborne).

  Zoltan Kalman states: “Our concert features a captivating mix of classical, romantic and easy listening works that will highlight the brilliance and versatility of the Brock University Wind Ensemble. From the amazing love story of “Romeo and Juliet” to the high energy “A Weekend in New York” this evening aims to capture the celebration of love, power and passion.”

  The evening program includes: Philip Sparke: Prelude to a Celebration; Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Variations on a Theme of Glinka, featuring Nicholas Cooper, Oboe; Charles Gounod: Faust Selection; Roger Cichy: Geometric Dances; Leroy Anderson: The Waltzing Cat; Jan Van der Roost: Flashing Winds; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy; Alexander Arutiunian: Trumpet Concerto, featuring Tim White; Samuel R. Hazo: Arabesque;
  Philip Sparke: A Weekend in New York; and Bill Holcombe: Lennon/McCartney Portrait.

  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 the breadth of talent and creativity at Brock University.

  Experience “Music for the Soul” on Tuesday, April 4th at 7:30 pm, held in Partridge Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. Tickets are $10† general admission; $5† child (14 and under); $5† eyeGo high school program (†applicable fees and taxes are extra). Current students of the MIWSFPA may each redeem a complimentary ticket with valid ID.

  Purchase tickets through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office: 905.688.0722; long distance toll free: 1.855.515.0722; online: firstontariopac.ca; e-mail: boxoffice@firstontariopac.ca; or at the door.

  -30-

  Media call: Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at 5:15 pm in Cairns Recital Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines

  Tags: Brock U, FOPAC, MIWSFPA, music, wind ensemble
  Categories: Events, Media Releases, News, The University Wind Ensemble

• Brock Department of Music to add string orchestra

  Monday, March 20, 2017 | By Brock University

  

  (Source: The Brock News, Monday, March 20, 2017 | by Alison Innes)

  A new string orchestra coming this fall will help attract new students and community musicians to Brock University’s Department of Music.

  For the first time in its 47-year history, the Department of Music will offer String Orchestra as part of its ensemble bank starting in September. The addition will make the Department’s programs more appealing to potential students, as it brings a much stronger string presence to its activities.

  “We have been trying to attract quality string students to the Department, and our lack of in-house orchestra has definitely been a detriment,” says Department of Music Chair Karin Di Bella.

  The string group will be added to the existing ensemble roster of the Brock University Choirs, and the Brock University Wind Ensemble.

  The String Orchestra has been developed to serve two key needs: filling a need in the Department’s curriculum; and providing a place for community string players to share their talents.

  “We have appreciated a partnership with the Niagara Symphony Youth Orchestra and the community-based Mercredi Musique in the past, but incoming students really want their ensemble experience to be housed at the University,” says Di Bella.

  Based on the successful model of the Wind Ensemble, the String Orchestra will work as a partnership between the Department and the community, welcoming community members to the group to fill out the numbers needed for the ensemble to be viable.

  Mercredi Musique is a key partner in the development of this new ensemble. Following the loss of their long-time music director Paul Van Dongen, the group ceased activity at the end of the 2015-16 season.

  “We are enthusiastic in our support of this endeavour. It’s an ideal direction for both the community and the University,” says Chris Thorne, former concertmaster of Mercredi Musique.

  Community string players are welcome to audition for the new Brock University String Orchestra. Auditions will be held this summer, with information posted on the Department website in the coming months. Auditions for an ensemble conductor will also be held. Any string specialists interested in applying for the conductor position should check Brock’s Human Resources listings, and let the Department know of their interest.

  The String Orchestra will rehearse during the academic year from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays in Cairns Recital Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.

  Tags: Announcement, Brock University, Mercredi Musique, MIWSFPA, music, Orchestra, String
  Categories: Announcements, News

• Music Ed Plus Chamber Music Ensembles

  Thursday, March 16, 2017 | By Brock University

  

  Friday, April 7, 2017 from 12pm-3pm. “Music in the Hallway”

  The performance will feature a five-piece jazz ensemble, coached by Zoltan Kalman, performing jazz standards and old favorites. In addition, there will be a flute, vocal and piano ensemble who will be singing and playing a more classically-oriented program, coached by Colin Maier.

  The Music Ed Plus co-curricular program – a specialized Experience Plus program – is currently in its fourth year of operation and looks forward to showcasing the musical talents of its chamber music ensembles. These concerts are part of their mandate for community engagement in both the Brock community as well as for the general public in the Niagara Region.

  Event address:
  Dr. Charles A. Sankey Chamber (hallway outside)
  Located in A block of MacKenzie Chown Complex
  Brock University
  www.brocku.ca/blogs/campus-map/

  Free community event

  Tags: Brock University, free, MIWSFPA, music, Performance
  Categories: Events, Music Ed Plus Chamber Music Ensembles