Emerging Artists Alumni Series
Thomas Law, flute
Nikola Markovic, piano

School of Music alumnus, Thomas Law (BMus ’14) brings us a program of works written for flute and piano curated with a keen focus on increasing performance representation of female-identifying Asian composers. The program invites conversations about the intersection of being Asian-identifying in a Western society and the unique perspective of transience, where Asian-identifying people fit in, and yet not fit in at the same time.

The program features works by Janet Sit (MMus ’15), Chen Yi, and Yuko Uebayashi.

This concert is part of the School of Music’s Emerging Artists Alumni Series, dedicated to showcasing the talents of our alumni in the early stages of their career.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Thomas Law is an active flutist, piccoloist and educator residing in Vancouver. He was acting principal flute with the Okanagan Symphony for their 2022-2023 season. He is often spotted in orchestras such as the Vancouver Island Symphony, Symphony21, Kamloops Symphony and among many other local groups. As an enthusiastic collaborator, Thomas frequently performs recitals with his flute-piano duo with Nikola Markovic and flute-guitar duo (Med-Law Duo) with Luis Medina. Additionally, Thomas has enthusiastically participated in recording projects with the Crazy8 Band who covers sound tracks and video game music. A passionate educator, Thomas teaches at the Vancouver Academy of Music where he maintains an all-ages flute studio and leads classes in early childhood education. Thomas is also the music director for the Capilano Flute Choir. Thomas received his B.Mus from the University of Victoria and have earned his M.Mus from the University of British Columbia and flute pedagogy and literature from the Victoria Conservatory of Music.

Nikola Markovic is a Serbian-born pianist based in Vancouver. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Novi Sad studying with Rita Kinka and his master’s degree from Georgia State University, where he studied with Sergio Gallo. He is currently a Doctoral of Musical Arts candidate at the University of British Columbia under the tutelage of Professor Terence Dawson. During his studies, Nikola participated in many international masterclasses and has been able to work with: Sandor Falvai, Sergei Kurdjakov, Christoph Berner, Marina Lomazov, Rustem Hayroudinoff, Konstantin Bogino and Thomas Hecht. An active performer, Nikola has given recitals and concerto soloist appearances in Europe and in the United States. Locally, he is a frequent collaborator and plays concerts in a flute-piano duo. As a recording artist, he has made recordings for the Radio Television of Serbia and the Radio Novi Sad. Nikola has previously won 1 st prize at the International Protégé Piano Competition resulting in a debut performance at Carnegie Hall. He also has won 1 st prize winner at the Georgia State Concerto Competition and was a first prize winner at the Atlanta Music Club Competition and Prize winner at the International Piano competition “Isidor Bajic” in Serbia.

Janet Sit is currently a 4th year Ph.D. composition candidate at the University of California San Diego. Her compositions have premiered in Beijing, Berlin, San Diego, Toronto, Vancouver, and Victoria. She holds a B.Sc. in Zoology and B. Music both from the University of Toronto and a M.Music from University of Victoria, where she began developing her installation practice. She also holds a Performance Diploma in Piano from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Janet has been commissioned by Caution Tape Sound Collective, Thin Edge New Music Collective, the Gray/Constant Duo, Dave Riedstra for his cross-Canada tour Topography: new music for solo bass, and The Art Song Collaborative Project, the AIR Contemporary Music Collective, and most recently, by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as part of their centenary celebrations. Her electronic music was featured in King Britt’s The Buddy System Project’s A Re-Mix (Remix Project) on Bandcamp and she is currently part of a multi-disciplinary project, Gravebirth, with the LAMP student group at UCSD. She is currently participating in a multi-school graduate student research project as part of the ACTOR Project led by McGill University. Her research interests include combining her science and music backgrounds in areas of (underwater) acoustics, ocean humanities, and sound art. In the community, she is involved in music education programs at the International Rescue Committee in the San Diego area and she looks forward to teaching her first class this summer on sound installation practices.