News

• Viva Voce! First concert of the 2017-18 season

  Friday, November 10, 2017 | By dvivian

  

  Pictured above: Rachel Rensink-Hoff, newly appointed Artistic Director of the Avanti Chamber Singers.

  On Saturday Nov. 18 at 7:30 pm at the St. Thomas Anglican Church (103 Ontario St, St. Catharines), the Avanti Chamber Singers present their first concert of the 2017-18 season as part of our Viva Voce! Choral Series: Semper Avanti | Ever Forward. This will be the first performance by the Avanti Chamber Singers with Rachel Rensink-Hoff as the Artistic Director.

  The Avanti Chambers Singers are a Niagara community-based mixed chamber choir.  They perform mainstream choral literature, both accompanied and a cappella. For the November 18th concert the repertoire includes Kyrie-Gloria pairings by Palestrina, Mozart & Corlis,  Selections from Dove’s Passing of the Year,  and works by Mendelssohn, Esenvalds & Dolly Parton!

  Rensink-Hoff is the Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music Education at Brock University, and the newly appointed Artistic Director of the Avanti Chamber Singers.

  Tickets may be purchased from Thorold Music (289 Glendale Ave.) and Booksmart (Scott/Vine Plaza, 350 Scott St.), or by members of the Avanti Chamber Singers. Additionally, tickets will be sold at the door the night of the concert.

  Visit our ExperienceBU page and avantichambersingers.com for further information.

  Tags: Avanti Chamber Singers, Dr. Rachel Rensink-Hoff
  Categories: Events, Faculty & Instructors, News

• The Department of Music on stage!

  Monday, November 06, 2017 | By dtemprile

  

  Pictured above is a previous season performance of the Guitar Extravaganza (top), The Walker Quartet (left to right: Anna Hughes (2^nd violin), Faith Lau (viola), Gordon Cleland (cello) and Vera Alexeeva (1^st violin)), and pianist Dr. Karin Di Bella (bottom right).

  This weekend the Department of Music is presenting two spectacular concerts that will surely be among the highlights of the fall season.

  On Friday Nov. 10, as part of the Walker Cultural Leader Series, Encore! Professional Concert Series presents: The Walker Quartet with faculty pianist Karin Di Bella. The Walker Cultural Leader Series was generously founded by Marilyn I. Walker.

  Now in its second season, the Department of Music’s resident Walker String Quartet and Karin Di Bella present a program of two of the most iconic works in the string quintet repertoire, the Piano Quintets by Schumann in E-flat Major and Shostakovich in G Minor.

  This concert takes place on Friday Nov. 10, 2017 in the Partridge Concert Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, starting at 7:30 pm. For more information, please visit the Department concert events webpage and the ExperienceBU page.

  Then on Saturday Nov. 11 as part of our continuing celebration of Canada’s 150 year of Confederation, the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre is once again the venue for the ever-popular Guitar Extravangaza III including a special Canada 150 performance of Carpe Noctem.

  Brock University’s annual celebration of the guitar commences at 7:30 pm on Saturday Nov. 11 in the Cairns Recital Hall.  An orchestra of 60 guitars comprised of Brock students, local amateurs and professionals will be directed by Brock University Guitar Instructor, Timothy Phelan. Special guest soloists include Matthew McAllister (Scotland) and Emma Rush (Canada).  The concert features a tribute to the late Warren Stirtzinger with George Kane (USA) and James Bryan McCollum (Canada), music composed by Timothy Phelan and the World Premiere of Carpe Noctem – a six-movement work written especially for this occasion by Niagara composer Floyd Turner.  For more information, please visit the Department concert events webpage and the ExperienceBU page.

  Tickets for both events can be ordered from the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Box Office (905.688.0722) or from their website.

  Tags: Brock University, Canada 150, Concert, downtown St. Catharines, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, Guitar Extravaganza, Karin Di Bella, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, The Walker Quartet, Walker Cultural Leader Series
  Categories: Department/Centre News, Events, Faculty & Instructors, Walker Cultural Leader Series

• HOT TALKS 2017-2018: Professor Derek Knight speaks at Rodman Hall, November 09

  Sunday, November 05, 2017 | By dvivian

  

  Geoffrey Farmer, “A Way Out of the Mirror”, 2017, Canada Pavilion, 57th Venice Biennale. Image courtesy of Derek Knight.

  HOT TALKS

  Artist Talks and Gallery Conversations at the Rodman Hall Art Centre
  Admission by donation ($5 suggested); Members and Students Free
  Sponsored by Partridge Wealth Management/RBC Dominion Securities Inc., St. Catharines

  November 09: Professor Derek Knight,
  Department of Visual Arts, Brock University

  “Art Confidential: Trends and Obsession(s) in Recent Art”

  Thursday, November 9, 7 pm
  2017 saw the confluence of the Whitney Biennial, Münster Sculpture Project, Kassel’s Documenta 14, and the Venice Biennale. Derek Knight, Associate Professor, Visual Arts, Brock University discusses the pros and emerging cons of the international blockbuster exhibition as well as his top picks, from Pierre Huyghe to Phyllida Barlow to Geoffrey Farmer.

  Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St Paul Crescent, St Catharines, ON L2S 1M3

  Tags: Derek Knight, Hot Talks, rodman hall, Rodman Hall Art Centre
  Categories: Current Students, Events, Faculty & Instructors, News

• Work of Visual Arts prof featured on Diana Krall tour

  Friday, November 03, 2017 | By dtemprile

  

  The artwork of Brock Fine Arts Assistant Professor Amy Friend is being featured on the international tour of renowned Canadian musician Diana Krall.

  (Source: The Brock News, Thursday, November 2, 2017 | By: Maryanne Firth)

  When the e-mail popped into Amy Friend’s inbox, she was certain it couldn’t be real.

  But a feeling inside prompted the Brock Fine Arts assistant professor to respond to the inquiry, which asked about her artwork and whether she’d consider collaborating with renowned Canadian musician Diana Krall.

  It was soon after that Friend found herself on the phone with the Grammy Award winner discussing possibilities for her upcoming tour.

  Friend’s experimental photography has since helped Krall to set the scene on stage, acting as her backdrop as she captivates crowds in venues across North America and Europe.

  

  Brock University Fine Arts Assistant Professor Amy Friend.

  Friend’s work has been featured on the jazz singer’s international tour since June and the partnership is expected to continue through to the summer.

  The project, which includes art pieces from three different bodies of work, has been “particularly fulfilling,” Friend said.

  She has enjoyed the challenge of working with Krall to find pieces that fit the mood and message of individual songs, while also complementing the title of the tour and Krall’s most recent album, Turn Up the Quiet.

  “It’s about trying to respect your own work, while also seeing how you can accommodate a vision that will fit within the repertoire they’re working with,” she said.

  Friend is currently working to select new pieces for Krall’s Canadian tour dates, including a Nov. 24 show at Massey Hall in Toronto that she plans to attend.

  “I’m looking forward to seeing her perform and to seeing my work filling the stage in a concert hall where I have heard musicians like Johnny Cash, Tom Waits and Nick Cave perform,” she said.

  Krall’s latest repertoire will include a cover of Bob Dylan’s Simple Twist of Fate, which Friend is particularly excited to find a piece to accompany.

  “Much of my work revolves around ideas of memory, impermanence, history and time,” said Friend, who has worked at Brock for the past decade. “I am less concerned with capturing a ‘concrete’ reality. Instead, I aim to use photography as a medium that offers the possibility of exploring the relationship between what is visible and non-visible.”

  Work featured on the tour includes hand-manipulated photographs, pieces featuring floating handkerchiefs once belonging to Friend’s grandparents, and artwork inspired by snippets of film from her childhood.

  Over the past few months, Friend and Krall have shared many inspiring conversations about family, creativity and women in the arts.

  “She has been so great to work with, you could almost forget her status in the music world,” Friend said.

  Krall often emphasized the need to respect Friend’s work and always checks in with the artist to ensure she’s pleased with the end results of each tour stop.

  Friend called it “refreshing” to be able to engage with other artists.

  “It exposes you to experiences that have commonalities and, at times, interesting variances,” she said. “It’s also wonderful to see how my work found a place to exist far beyond my initial intentions.”

  The team responsible for the on-stage initiative also included Judy Jacob, a video and visual content director, and Paul Normandale, a lighting designer, who Friend said “took the project to the next level.”

  In addition to her work with the tour, Friend has been busy over the past year with international exhibitions in Spain, Korea, Poland, Portugal and France. She has shows coming up in Boston and Italy and plans to release a new book in the near future.

  

  The artwork of Brock Fine Arts Assistant Professor Amy Friend is being featured on the international tour of renowned Canadian musician Diana Krall.

  Tags: Amy Friend, Brock University, canadian musician, diana krall, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, visual arts
  Categories: Department/Centre News, In the Media, News

• 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, downtown St. Catharines, james a. gibson library, learning commons, library, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, music, recitals, stac, studies in arts and culture, writing for music
  Categories: Current Students, Events, News

• Bernhard Cella, Walker Cultural Leader visits Brock University

  Monday, October 30, 2017 | By dvivian

  

  Image by Bernhard Cella

  Walker Cultural Leader Series –  Lecture/Performance and Book-Making Workshop:

  The Walker Cultural Leader series brings leading artists, performers, practitioners and academics to the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University. Engaging, lively and erudite, these sessions celebrate professional achievement, artistic endeavour and the indelible role of culture in our society. Please join us.

  The Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture (STAC) is invites you to attend and participate in the events and activities organized with artist and book maker Bernhard Cella during our Walker Cultural Leader Series in early November. Focusing on the making of art books and innovative forms of publishing, these events are free.

  A visual artist working in Vienna, Austria, Bernhard Cella is the founder of Salon für Kunstbuch, installed in the 21. Haus / Belvedere, and of the no-isbn project. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and at the University of Fine Art Hamburg. A book maker, Cella published an expanded edition of his No ISBN. On Self-Publishing in 2017.

  This education program is generously founded by Marilyn I. Walker.

  Lecture/Performance:

  Wednesday, November 1, 2017
  Time: 6:00 p.m.

  Artist, curator and art book maker, Bernhard Cella (House 21/ Belvedere and Salon für Kunstbuch, Vienna, Austria) demonstrates and performs contemporary book making.

  Location: Rodman Hall Art Centre, 109 St. Paul Crescent, St. Catharines, ON
  Open to the public.

  For more info, visit: experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/65852

  

  image by Bernhard Cella

  workshop:

  Medium/Media: All media that can be captured on paper. A book making workshop with Bernhard Cella.

  Friday, November 3, 2017
  Time: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

  The objective of this workshop is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the medium “book” as a production process, and for individual participants to produce their own small publication or part of a larger one. This workshop focuses on the current status of the printed (analogue) book and associated questions. Participants will design and develop their own publications, from the initial idea through to the finished product.

  During recent years the development of desktop publishing and digital printing has promoted a significant resurgence of micro editions of artistic publication projects. In contrast to industrial manufacture, micro editions facilitate a high degree of interaction between production and conception so that technical processes may influence decisions on content.
  Referring to current examples and historical models, we will analyze various approaches and forms of production for our project. These include analyzing pictorial language, formats and varieties of paper, text production, typography and typesetting techniques. In small groups, we will discuss concepts and prepare mock-ups for various book projects – prototypes that allow a different way of thinking about the space that is a book.

  Location: Niagara Arts Centre, 354 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, ON L2R 3N2
  Limited spaces available. Sign up by contacting Catherine Parayre – email: cparayre@brocku.ca

  For more info, visit: experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/65852

   

  Tags: Bernhard Cella, book making, kunsthalle Wien
  Categories: News, Uncategorised, Walker Cultural Leader Series

• Exhibition: Permanent Vacation

  Sunday, October 29, 2017 | By dvivian

  

  This exhibition will showcase a select group of recent Brock University Alumni: Katie Mazi, Jenn Judson, Matt Caldwell, Alex Muresan, Jessica Wright and Ben Mosher. As these emerging artists expand ideas and develop new work, they continue to recognize the value of the St. Catharines arts community and the impact it has on their practice. It was here at Brock University that their first investigations began and it was at Rodman Hall (2014/2015 & 2015/2016) that their first professional group exhibitions came to fruition. These artists will exhibit new and exciting work they have been producing as they navigate and emerge into the art communities locally and beyond the region. The exhibition will be curated by Asta McCann Brock alumni (Studies in Arts and Culture).

  Additionally, Alumni music students: Grace Snippe, Annie Slade, and Kurt Dunn will be performing for the night of the reception.

  Exhibition: Saturday, November 4, 2017 to Friday, December 1, 2017

  regular visiting hours for the Exhibition Space are Tuesday through Saturday from 1-5 p.m
  for additional times see: gallery webpage    gallery facebook page

  Opening Reception: Friday, November 10, 2017, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.

  Location: Visa Gallery, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, Brock University

  A free community event.

  Tags: alumni, exhibition, Permanent Vacation
  Categories: Alumni, Events, News

• PANTALONE’S PALACE, DART’S First Mainstage for 2017-18, opens October 27!

  Wednesday, October 25, 2017 | By dvivian

  

  Pantalone’s Palace

  Love and power collide in this fun-filled, fast paced physical comedy.

  Written and Directed by Mike Griffin

  Set & Costume Design by: Kelly Wolf
  Lighting Design by Chris Malkowski
  Sound Design by: James McCoy
  Mask Maker: Gina Bastone
  Assistant Direction by: Helena Ciuciura

  Hardworking Columbina just wants to enjoy the majestic Wooers’ Woods in peace after a long day’s work, but the greedy business tycoon Pantalone is scheming. When Columbina discovers his plot to build the biggest casino in the world, she knows she must take action. Armed with her wits and her lovesick friends, she aims to set things right in this fun-filled, fast paced, physical comedy that explores the meeting of contemporary life and classical Commedia dell’Arte.

  When: October 27 – November 4, 2017
  FRIDAY, OCT. 27 & SATURDAY, OCT. 28 at 7:30 pm
  SUNDAY, OCT. 29 at 2:00 pm
  FRIDAY, NOV. 3 at 11:30 am & 7:30 pm
  SATURDAY, NOV. 4 at 7:30 pm

  The Department invites teachers and educators to bring their students to see this exciting new production of Commedia dell’arte.
  Read the Special Invitation to learn more.

  See the article in the Brock News.

  See the teaser video.

  Marilyn I. Walker Theatre at the
  Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts
  Limited paid parking onsite

  Purchase tickets at the FirstOntario PAC Box Office
  905.688.0722 or online firstontariopac.ca
  Tickets: $18 Adults|$15 Seniors/Students| $5 eyeGo | $12 Groups
  *Applicable fees and taxes are extra

  Tags: commedia dell'arte, dramatic arts, mainstage, Pantalone's Palace
  Categories: Events, News

• Brock University engages with community at Burlington Performing Arts Centre

  Wednesday, October 25, 2017 | By dtemprile

  

  Brock University Dramatic Arts faculty and students engage with young theatre artists and teachers at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre

  This past Tuesday Oct. 17, the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts participated in “Career Day – Life in the Theatre Industry” at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre. This event welcomed approximately 150 students/teachers from seven different schools and three different district school boards.

  The day consisted of interactive workshops and demonstrations to explore the many diverse careers available in the theatre industry, a live theatrical performance, and the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with representatives and students of the leading college and university programs offering performance and production related theatre courses. It was a great opportunity for students to delve into the vocations of the theatre world in a creative and experiential manner.

  Throughout the day many teachers mentioned how successful the event was and how it fits so successfully into the secondary curriculum.

  The MIWSPFA looks forward to meeting these young artists again when they apply for future studies at Brock University!

  Tags: BPAC, Brock University, Burlington performing arts centre, dart, drama in education, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, miwsfpa, production and design, stagecraft
  Categories: News

• Donna Szoke’s work featured in New Media Caucus.

  Tuesday, October 24, 2017 | By dvivian

  

  Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Visual Arts, Donna Szoke’s work is discussed in the on-line journal New Media Caucus in an article by Lisa Moren, Professor of Visual Art and Graduate Program Director of Intermedia + Digital Art, MFA Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County [UMBC]. Her interactive video installation and all watched over by machines of loving grace is a humorous intervention in the dystopian reality of contemporary dataveillance and societies of control.

  Image courtesy of Tim Nohe.

  Tags: dataveillance, digitial, Donna Szoke, intermedia
  Categories: Faculty & Instructors, In the Media, News