Orion Masterclass with Barbara Hannigan & Bertrand Chamayou

by | Nov 29, 2024 | Events, Orion Series in Fine Arts, Research, School of Music

The Orion
Lecture Series in Fine Arts

Through the generous support of the Orion Fund in Fine Arts, the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Victoria, is pleased to present:

Orion Masterclasses:

Barbara Hannigan &

Bertrand Chamayou


Barbara Hannigan, soprano
Bertrand Chamayou, piano

2:30pm Tuesday, December 3
UVic’s Phillip T. Young Recital Hall

Free & open to all

Presented by UVic’s School of Music and The Orion Fund in Fine Arts. Barbara and Bertrand’s visit is made possible in part with support from Pacific Opera Victoria.

For more information, please email music@uvic.ca

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
2:30PM: Voice Masterclass
Soprano Barbara Hannigan coaches UVic School of Music voice students.

3:30PM: Piano Masterclass
Pianist Bertand Chamayou coaches UVic School of Music piano students.

4:30PM: Q&A
UVic voice professor, Benjamin Butterfield hosts a Q&A with Barbara and Bertand on the topic “IMPACT: What does it take?”

All events are free and open to the public to attend.

 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Embodying music with an unparalleled dramatic sensibility, soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan is an artist at the forefront of creation. More than 30 years since her professional debut, the Grammy and Juno Award-winning Canadian musician has worked extensively with directors and conductors including Simon Rattle, Sasha Waltz, Esa Pekka Salonen, Antonio Pappano and Katie Mitchell, and with composers such as Pierre Boulez, John Zorn, György Ligeti, Henri Dutilleux, Hans Abrahamsen and George Benjamin. The late conductor and pianist Reinbert de Leeuw has been an extraordinary influence and inspiration on her development as a musician. Her operatic appearances include iconic productions of Lulu (Brussels, Hamburg), La Voix Humaine (Paris Opera), Pelléas et Mélisande (Aix-en-Provence, Ruhrtriennale), Die Soldaten (Munich), and Written on Skin (Royal Opera House and international touring). Recent conducting engagements include The Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Munich Philharmonic. She also holds positions including Principal Guest Conductor of Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (since 2019), Première Artiste Invitée of Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (since 2022), Associate Artist of London Symphony Orchestra (since 2022), Principal Guest Conductor of Lausanne Chamber Orchestra (since 2024), and will begin her tenure as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Iceland Symphony Orchestra in 2026. Barbara’s dedication to the younger generation of musicians led her to create the mentoring initiative Equilibrium Young Artists in 2018.

Bertrand Chamayou stands as one of today’s most brilliant pianists, acclaimed for his virtuosic and deeply imaginative performances. Renowned for interpreting French music, he has explored major works by Ravel, Liszt, and Messiaen. Chamayou’s collaborations with contemporary composers demonstrate his passion for innovation. Performing worldwide at esteemed venues and festivals, he has graced stages with the world’s most renowned orchestras and conductors. His acclaimed recordings, including Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus, have garnered numerous awards and accolades, showcasing his mastery. His most recent releases are CAGE2 on Erato, a masterful interpretation of John Cage’s works for prepared piano, and together with Barbara Hannigan the album Messiaen presenting Messiaen’s two major song cycles from the 1930’s on Alpha Classics. Chamayou’s artistic endeavors extend beyond performance, as he co-directs the Festival Ravel, a prominent celebration of Maurice Ravel’s legacy in France. With a multi-award-winning discography and an unparalleled dedication to musical innovation, Bertrand Chamayou continues to captivate audiences around the world.

About the Orion Fund

Established through the generous gift of an anonymous donor, the Orion Fund in Fine Arts is designed to bring distinguished visitors from other parts of Canada—and the world—to the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Fine Arts, and to make their talents and achievements available to faculty, students, staff and the wider Greater Victoria community who might otherwise not be able to experience their work.

The Orion Fund also exists to encourage institutions outside Canada to invite regular faculty members from our Faculty of Fine Arts to be visiting  artists/scholars at their institutions; and to make it possible for Fine Arts faculty members to travel outside Canada to participate in the academic life of foreign institutions and establish connections and relationships with them in order to encourage and foster future exchanges.

Visit our online events calendar at www.events.uvic.ca

Orion Lecture: “Composing for Voice” with Barbara Hannigan

by | Nov 29, 2024 | Events, Orion Series in Fine Arts, Research, School of Music

The Orion
Lecture Series in Fine Arts

Through the generous support of the Orion Fund in Fine Arts, the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Victoria, is pleased to present:

Composing for Voice with Barbara Hannigan


Barbara Hannigan, soprano
Bertrand Chamayou, piano

12pm Tuesday, December 3
UVic’s MacLaurin Building, B Wing, room B037

Free & open to all 

Presented by UVic’s School of Music. Barbara and Bertrand’s visit is made possible in part with support from Pacific Opera Victoria.

For more information, please email music@uvic.ca

Barbara Hannigan and Bertrand Chamayou speak to UVic School of Music composition students. Using John Zorn’s Jumalattaret as a launching point — which they will be performing in concert on December 2 — the duo will discuss techniques and approaches to composing for the voice.

Zorn’s modern and genre-defying piece is a masterwork in the avant-garde. It boldly presents a complex tapestry of sound that explores the boundaries of traditional and contemporary music.

All are welcome to attend this free event.

 

 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Embodying music with an unparalleled dramatic sensibility, soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan is an artist at the forefront of creation. More than 30 years since her professional debut, the Grammy and Juno Award-winning Canadian musician has worked extensively with directors and conductors including Simon Rattle, Sasha Waltz, Esa Pekka Salonen, Antonio Pappano and Katie Mitchell, and with composers such as Pierre Boulez, John Zorn, György Ligeti, Henri Dutilleux, Hans Abrahamsen and George Benjamin. The late conductor and pianist Reinbert de Leeuw has been an extraordinary influence and inspiration on her development as a musician. Her operatic appearances include iconic productions of Lulu (Brussels, Hamburg), La Voix Humaine (Paris Opera), Pelléas et Mélisande (Aix-en-Provence, Ruhrtriennale), Die Soldaten (Munich), and Written on Skin (Royal Opera House and international touring). Recent conducting engagements include The Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Munich Philharmonic. She also holds positions including Principal Guest Conductor of Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (since 2019), Première Artiste Invitée of Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (since 2022), Associate Artist of London Symphony Orchestra (since 2022), Principal Guest Conductor of Lausanne Chamber Orchestra (since 2024), and will begin her tenure as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Iceland Symphony Orchestra in 2026. Barbara’s dedication to the younger generation of musicians led her to create the mentoring initiative Equilibrium Young Artists in 2018.

Bertrand Chamayou stands as one of today’s most brilliant pianists, acclaimed for his virtuosic and deeply imaginative performances. Renowned for interpreting French music, he has explored major works by Ravel, Liszt, and Messiaen. Chamayou’s collaborations with contemporary composers demonstrate his passion for innovation. Performing worldwide at esteemed venues and festivals, he has graced stages with the world’s most renowned orchestras and conductors. His acclaimed recordings, including Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus, have garnered numerous awards and accolades, showcasing his mastery. His most recent releases are CAGE2 on Erato, a masterful interpretation of John Cage’s works for prepared piano, and together with Barbara Hannigan the album Messiaen presenting Messiaen’s two major song cycles from the 1930’s on Alpha Classics. Chamayou’s artistic endeavors extend beyond performance, as he co-directs the Festival Ravel, a prominent celebration of Maurice Ravel’s legacy in France. With a multi-award-winning discography and an unparalleled dedication to musical innovation, Bertrand Chamayou continues to captivate audiences around the world.

About the Orion Fund

Established through the generous gift of an anonymous donor, the Orion Fund in Fine Arts is designed to bring distinguished visitors from other parts of Canada—and the world—to the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Fine Arts, and to make their talents and achievements available to faculty, students, staff and the wider Greater Victoria community who might otherwise not be able to experience their work.

The Orion Fund also exists to encourage institutions outside Canada to invite regular faculty members from our Faculty of Fine Arts to be visiting  artists/scholars at their institutions; and to make it possible for Fine Arts faculty members to travel outside Canada to participate in the academic life of foreign institutions and establish connections and relationships with them in order to encourage and foster future exchanges.

Visit our online events calendar at www.events.uvic.ca

Pacific Opera Victoria Presents Barbara Hannigan & Bertrand Chamayou

by | Nov 29, 2024 | Events, Faculty, Graduate, News, Orion Series in Fine Arts, School of Music, Undergraduate

Do not miss this one-night-only event! 7:30pm December 02 at McPherson Playhouse. An evening of music with renown artists soprano Barbara Hannigan & pianist Bertrand Chamayou, with special guest appearances by Terrence Tam (Principal Violin of Victoria Symphony) and Benjamin Butterfield (Head of Voice, UVic School of Music). The duo will present a concert at the McPherson Playhouse featuring Messiaen’s Chants de Terre et de Ciel, Scriabin’s Poème-nocturne and Vers la flamme, and John Zorn’s Jumalattaret. Barbara and Bertrand’s visit is made possible in part with support from Pacific Opera Victoria.

 

With a musical programme featuring Messiaen’s Chants de Terre et de Ciel, Scriabin’s Poème-nocturne and Vers la flamme, and John Zorn’s Jumalattaret, be ready to be whisked away on a fascinating and eclectic journey through diverse musical landscapes.

Messiaen’s mystical and nature-inspired compositions – rich with complex rhythms, vibrant colors, and mystical themes – create an ethereal and contemplative atmosphere. Scriabin’s metaphysical and harmonically adventurous works is dreamy and dramatic, brimming with sensuous textures, innovative harmonies, and a sense of transcendence. Zorn’s modern and genre-defying piece is a masterwork in the advent-guarde. It boldly presents a complex tapestry of sound that explores the boundaries of traditional and contemporary music.

Barbara Hannigan

Barbara Hannigan, an unparalleled artist, embodies music with remarkable dramatic sensibility. Collaborating with luminaries like John Zorn, Simon Rattle, and Sasha Waltz, she’s at the forefront of musical creation. Her commitment to contemporary music is evident in premiering over 90 new works and collaborations with composers like Boulez and Ligeti. Recently, she debuted Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine, blending singing and conducting with live video. Her conducting debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and ongoing collaborations with esteemed orchestras mark her as a leading figure in the music world. Her recordings, including the Grammy-winning Crazy Girl Crazy, showcase her exceptional talent. Barbara’s dedication to mentoring young artists led to initiatives like Equilibrium Young Artists and Momentum. Recognized with prestigious awards like the Gramophone Magazine’s Artist of the Year, Barbara Hannigan continues to inspire and innovate in the world of music from her home in Finistère, France.

Bertrand Chamayou

Bertrand Chamayou stands as one of today’s most brilliant pianists, acclaimed for his virtuosic and deeply imaginative performances. Renowned for interpreting French music, he’s explored major works by Ravel, Liszt, and Messiaen. Chamayou’s collaborations with contemporary composers demonstrate his passion for innovation. Performing worldwide at esteemed venues and festivals, he’s graced stages with renowned orchestras and conductors. This season, he’s featured in an ‘Artist Portrait’ series with the London Symphony Orchestra and anticipates the release of his forthcoming album, “Satie-Cage.” His acclaimed recordings, including Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus, have garnered numerous awards and accolades, showcasing his mastery. Chamayou’s artistic endeavors extend beyond performance, as he co-directs the Festival Ravel, a prominent celebration of Maurice Ravel’s legacy. With a multi-award-winning discography and an unparalleled dedication to musical innovation, Bertrand Chamayou continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

Orion Series presents Jude Brereton

by | Nov 10, 2024 | Alumni, Events, Orion Series in Fine Arts, School of Music

The Orion
Lecture Series in Fine Arts

Through the generous support of the Orion Fund in Fine Arts, the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Victoria, is pleased to present:

“Singing in space(s): Past, present and future“

Featuring


Jude Brereton, Professor of Audio & Music Technologies 

1:30-2:30pm Monday, November 25 

Free & open to all

Presented by UVic’s School of Music

For more information on this lecture please email: music@uvic.ca

About the event 

Music happens in acoustic space: for centuries, composers and musicians have exploited the relationship between music and acoustics to great effect. Acoustic science has moved in huge strides from the days of using canons to capture the acoustic characteristics of a concert hall for further analysis. Audio digital technology allows us to capture data on room acoustics in great detail and use this to “auralise” virtual sound environments allowing us to place a performer — virtually — in any acoustic space we choose.

This presentation will report on learnings from the ongoing interdisciplinary project Architexture, which explores the connections and interplay between architectural acoustics, musical performance, and audience engagement through the use of interactive auralisation, composition and live events. The wealth of opportunities for interdisciplinary work on virtual acoustic reconstruction will also be discussed with a focus on engagement and access to the historical, present, and future of heritage spaces.

About the artist

 Jude Brereton is Professor of Audio and Music Technologies in the School of Arts and Creative Technologies at the University of York (UK) and currently Orion Visiting Scholar at UVic’s School of Music. Her research centers on the analysis and perception of music performance in real, virtual and augmented acoustic environments; she is particularly interested in the role of spatial sound to enhance performer and listener experience and interaction.

For over 20 years she has been active in seeking to improve inclusion and diversity in audio engineering and creative technologies education, and is currently co-investigator of an AHRC funded project to develop and evaluate co-created EDI interventions in virtual production.  As a musician, linguist and audio/acoustics specialist, her research and teaching is inherently interdisciplinary; she finds the greatest inspiration in collaborating with  musicians, scientists and engineers and seeks to work across and beyond disciplinary boundaries to gain a deeper understanding of our human relationship with sound and audio.

Photo credit: Kippa Matthews

About the Orion Fund

Established through the generous gift of an anonymous donor, the Orion Fund in Fine Arts is designed to bring distinguished visitors from other parts of Canada—and the world—to the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Fine Arts, and to make their talents and achievements available to faculty, students, staff and the wider Greater Victoria community who might otherwise not be able to experience their work.

The Orion Fund also exists to encourage institutions outside Canada to invite regular faculty members from our Faculty of Fine Arts to be visiting  artists/scholars at their institutions; and to make it possible for Fine Arts faculty members to travel outside Canada to participate in the academic life of foreign institutions and establish connections and relationships with them in order to encourage and foster future exchanges.

Visit our online events calendar at www.events.uvic.ca

Jeannette Armstrong and Lina de Guevara awarded Honorary Doctorates

by | Nov 10, 2024 | Alumni, Award, indigenous, News, Theatre, Writing

The Faculty of Fine Arts is thrilled to announce that Jeannette Armstrong will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) and Lina de Guevara will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts (DFA) at the Fall 2024 Fine Arts convocation ceremony.

You can watch as part of the UVic convocation livestream starting at 10am Tuesday, Nov 12 (Armstrong) and 2:30pm Wednesday, Nov 13 (de Guevara). 

Armstrong

About Jeanette Armstrong 

Jeannette Armstrong is an associate professor in Indigenous Studies and the coordinator of Interior Salishan Studies Centre at UBC Okanagan. She is a member of the Royal Society of Canada and an Officer of the Order of Canada. Born on the Penticton Indian Reserve in the Okanagan, Armstrong is a multi-faceted writer, visual artist, researcher, educator, leader and activist.

She received a Diploma in Fine Arts from Okanagan College, then earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Victoria in 1978. In 2009, she received her doctorate in Indigenous Environmental Ethics from the University of Greifswald in Germany.

Armstrong is one of the founders of the En’owkin Centre (originally named the Okanagan Indian Curriculum Project) to provide students with strong cultural and academic foundations for success. The Centre includes Theytus Publications, the first Indigenous-owned publishing house in Canada.

The En’owkin International School of Writing, founded by Armstrong in a partnership with UVic’s Faculty of Fine Arts, has served Indigenous artists and writers for over 40 years. Armstrong was a co-founder of En’owkin’s Certificate in Aboriginal Language Revitalization which operates in partnership with UVic’s Department of Linguistics serving Indigenous communities throughout Canada.

As an influential advocate for Indigenous peoples’ rights, Armstrong has been a force of change and widescale community impact through her artistic, research and educational vision.

de Guevara

About Lina de Guevara 

Lina de Guevara’s career as a director, writer, actor, and teacher has left an indelible impact on Canada’s theatre community. As the founder and former artistic director of Puente Theatre, she dedicated 25 years to sharing the stories of immigrant and refugee communities.

Having fled a military coup in her native country of Chile before settling in Victoria in 1976, de Guevara drew upon her own lived experiences to produce dozens of critically acclaimed plays and collaborations that have toured nationally and internationally.

Visionary productions such as I Wasn’t Born Here, Crossing Borders and Familya shed light on issues such as discrimination, social justice, and employment barriers. By exploring these themes, de Guevara’s work has both entertained and educated audiences for decades.

Trained at the Instituto del Teatro (University of Chile), she has used her skills to teach, mentor, and create space for emerging Indigenous artists and artists of colour across Vancouver Island. As a workshop facilitator at the University of Victoria and instructor at institutions like Royal Roads University, Camosun College, and the Canadian College of Performing Arts, de Guevara has left an enduring legacy on the national theatre landscape through her active support of the next generation of artists.