Get festive with Fine Arts

by | Dec 3, 2024 | Events, Faculty, School of Music, Theatre

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, the winter holiday season is the one time of the year where people join together to enjoy the biggest range of festivities. From concerts, plays and readings to holiday films, it seems like there’s a bit of everything ready to deck December’s halls. Here’s what Fine Arts is serving up this year. 

Holiday concerts

The festive season starts with Jingle Brass, the ever-popular annual School of Music brass concert. This year the Faculty Trio — featuring Merrie Klazek (trumpet), Sam McNally (horn) and Scott MacInnes (trombone) — will perform solo works for the season, and UVic brass students will be joined by talented young local high-school brass players. Get ready for some beautiful and celebratory sounds of the season, with a special appearance from the UVic Vikes Band.

7pm Wed, Dec 4 • Phillip T Young Recital Hall, MacLaurin B-wing • Tickets $5/$15 or free for Music students • This concert will be available as a live stream

Then, School of Music cello professor Pamela Highbaugh Aloni brings together UVic cello students, alumni and community members for A Holiday Cellobration, an annual festive concert that celebrates community and the holiday season.

7pm Sunday, Dec 8 • Phillip T Young Recital Hall, MacLaurin B-wing • By donation • This concert will be available as a live stream.

Following a soggy performance in 2023 when the skies opened for one of the rainiest days of the year, Tuba Christmas returns for their (hopefully drier) 46th year. School of Music brass instructor Scott MacInnes directs more than 100 tuba and euphonium players from across the region as they play your favourite seasonal songs at one of Victoria’s most beloved holiday traditions! Interestingly, 2024 is the 50th anniversary for Tuba Christmas events across the world, as it dates back to 1974 where it originated in New York City: concerts now take place in over 200 cities worldwide!

1-3pm Saturday, Dec 14 • Downtown’s Market Square, 560 Johnson St • By donation to the Times Colonist Christmas Fund

Festive performances

Busy Theatre alum Zachary Stevenson returns to Victoria with Buddy’s Holly Jolly Christmas old-time rock & roll revue. Stevenson has carved out a career for himself over the years portraying rock legend Buddy Holly, and he’ll be joined at this show by the Chicago-based trio The Lovettes, who offer a salute to the female icons and girl groups of the ’50s and ’60s. Hear all the hits plus a sprinkle of your favourite seasonal tunes performed by the cast with backing provided by the Legends All-Star Band.

7:30pm Mon, Dec 9 • McPherson Playhouse, Centennial Square • Tickets $62

This year, the annual CBC Victoria charity reading of A Christmas Carol features a new face: School of Music professor and CBC Radio’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera host Marion Newman, who will join other CBC Victoria on-air personalities presenting Dicken’s holiday classic plus the Reach Choir and special guests at this annual fundraiser for Our Place.

7pm Friday, Dec 13 • First Met United, 932 Balmoral • Tickets $7 & $15

What happens when you discover that your greatest enemy is your soulmate? That falling in love with love is not real love at all? That darkness is less powerful than light? Find out when Blue Bridge Theatre presents The Shop Around The Corner just in time for the festive season. Theatre professor and director Brian Richmond presents this version of the 1940s Christmas classic film by legendary director Ernest Lubitsch, which was then adapted for the Lux Radio Theatre in 1941.

Now, Victoria playwright and Fringe Festival favourite Andrew Bailey has placed his own contemporary take on this timeless classic, which features Theatre instructor Amanda Lisman plus a cast of alumni (Trevor Hinton, Frances Matheau), students (Jack Storwick) and community players (Brian Linds,Rosemary Jeffrey, among others).  

8pm Fri-Sat, Dec 13-14 + 2pm Dec 14 & 15 • UVic’s Phoenix Theatre • Tickets $10-$35

Alumni puppet company WONDERHEADS return with their signature reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, offering an unforgettable live experience featuring spectacular giant masks, whimsical puppets and unfathomable theatrical invention.

Created by acclaimed Theatre alum Kate Braidwood, any WONDERHEADS show is a feast for the eyes, ears and heart, with a generous kick to the funny bone; but their Christmas Carol is particularly astonishing, given its glowing ghosts and 10-foot-tall puppets.

7:30pm Dec 18-21 + 3:30pm Dec 21 at the McPherson Playhouse • Tickets $30-$64

Merry movies

Our friends at Cinecenta, UVic’s on-campus movie theatre, have another week-long lineup of holiday films set to entertain: from the 1970 oddball charmer Harold and Maude (Dec 17) and 1985’s endlessly debated is-it-or-isn’t-it-a-Christmas-movie Die Hard (Dec 18) to the sweetly kooky 1992 The Muppet Christmas Carol (Dec 19-20), love-it-or-leave-it 2003 UK comedy Love Actually (Dec 19-20) and finally the 1946 classic It’s A Wonderful Life (Dec 21), there’s quite literally something for everyone!

Trees tease 

Finally, our friends at UVic Athletics are back with their annual Vikes Christmas tree sale. This year, the Vikes cross-country and track teams invite you to pick up a tree from 10am-6pm Fridays to Sundays until Dec 15.

Now in its 23rd year, this cherished tradition offers locally grown Grand, Noble and Douglas firs from the Cowichan Valley, with proceeds directly supporting UVic student-athletes. Head to parking lot 4, off McGill Road, at Centennial Stadium.

Call for grad student proposals: ONC ArtScience Fellowship Program

by | Dec 2, 2024 | Art History & Visual Studies, Award, Graduate, Research, School of Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, Writing

Call for grad student proposals: ONC ArtScience Fellowship Program

2021 ONC Artist in Residence Dennis Gupa

UVic’s Faculty of Fine Arts and Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) are calling for graduate student applications for the paid 2025 ONC ArtsScience Fellowship program.

Note: the application period closes on December 23, 2024

The ArtScience Fellowship strengthens connections between art and science that broaden and cross-fertilize perspectives and critical discourse on today’s major issues, such as environment, technology, oceans, cultural and biodiversity, and healthy communities. This program is open to all current Fine Arts graduate students who have completed most of their course requirements with practice in any visual, written, musical or performance media, or art historical research. Co-led and sponsored by Fine Arts and ONC, the Artist-in-Residence program receives additional financial support from UVic’s Faculty of Science to a maximum of $14,000.  

About the ArtScience Fellowship

The ArtScience Fellowship (previously known as the ONC Artist-in-Residence program) will ignite cross-disciplinary exchanges, interacting with Fine Arts faculty members and scientists & staff at ONC, as well as with other individuals using ONC’s world-leading ocean facilities. This program is inspired by the ArtScience Manifesto of 2011, and numerous references to this concept in the literature. The Fellow will learn from and engage with the current research, connecting it to their own practice, and to wider societal and cultural aspects, creating work for public presentation at the end of the residency. The Artist will also be invited to contribute as a lead or co-author in scientific conference proceedings and/or journal articles.

The selected Fellow will actively engage with researchers on a variety of ocean science themes that may include:

  • Deep Sea Ecology
  • Seabed-Ocean Exchanges
  • Coastal Ocean Processes
  • Marine Natural Hazards
  • The Ocean Soundscape
  • Arctic Ocean Observing
  • Ocean Big Data

The ONC ArtScience Fellowship program is established to:

  • explore the potential of the arts or alternative cultural practices in the area of the visions, challenges, philosophical, aesthetic, and ethical aspects of the ocean and the impacts humans have on it;
  • add a complementary artistic and creative perspective to ocean science, the societal ramifications of its exploitation, and its cultural aspects;
  • create opportunities for potential new research questions, experimental approaches and knowledge synthesis resulting from interaction between the arts and science; and
  • help envision and communicate the potential long-term impact of ocean changes on humanity.

Learn more about previous ArtScience Fellows 

Previous ONC ArtScience Fellows include Megan Harton (School of Music, 2024), Neil Griffin (Writing, 2023), Colin Malloy (School of Music, 2022), Dennis Gupa (Theatre, 2021) and Colton Hash (Visual Arts, 2019).

2024 ONC ArtScience Fellowship holder Megan Barton

Financial provision for the Artist

The residency period can start anytime between 1 February 2025 and 31 October 2025 and last for up to four months. A cost-of-living stipend of $3,500/month will be paid to the selected Fellow, with limited additional funds to support production or materials.

At the conclusion of the residency, the Fellow will plan and deliver a public exhibit and/or event sharing the fruits of the fellowship, which will be promoted by ONC and the Faculty of Fine Arts.

Proposal Submission

Interested applicants are to email ONC at dwowens@oceannetworks.ca with the subject line “Ocean ArtScience Fellowship,” and attach:

  1. the artist’s CV
  2. a concise portfolio of previous relevant artistic work;
  3. a letter of motivation outlining the project proposal for the Fellowship, and
  4. a 500-word project proposal with a separate project-costs budget.

The application period closes on December 23, 2024. Applications will be reviewed by representatives of Fine Arts and Ocean Networks Canada. Artists may be contacted for an interview or to supply further information before a decision is made.

Public Exhibit or Event

At the conclusion of the Fellowship, the Fellow will host a public exhibit or event within a specified budget agreed to during the residency and depending on the type of project to be exhibited. Assistance for marketing and/or ticketing could be made available from other UVic departments (Visual Arts, Theatre, etc.).

About Ocean Networks Canada

Established in 2007 as a strategic initiative of the University of Victoria, ONC operates world-leading ocean observatories for the advancement of science and the benefit of Canada. The observatories collect data on physical, chemical, biological, and geological aspects of the ocean over long time periods, supporting research on complex Earth processes in ways not previously possible. The observatories provide unique scientific and technical capabilities that permit researchers to operate instruments remotely and receive data at their home laboratories anywhere on the globe, in real time. The facilities extend and complement other research platforms and programs, whether currently operating or planned for future deployment. 

The ArtScience Fellowship was initiated by ONC’s late Chief Scientist Kim Juniper, whose leadership and transdisciplinary approaches continue to inspire many in the ArtScience space.

About the Faculty of Fine Arts

With experiential learning at its core, the Faculty of Fine Arts provides the finest training and learning environment for artists, professionals, and students. Through its departments of Art History and Visual Studies, Theatre, Visual Arts, Writing and School of Music, the Faculty of Fine Arts aspires to lead in arts-based research and creative activity and education in local, national, and global contexts by integrating and advancing creation and scholarship in the arts in a dynamic learning environment. As British Columbia’s only Faculty exclusively dedicated to the arts, UVic’s Faculty of Fine Arts is an extraordinary platform that supports new discoveries, interdisciplinary and diverse contributions to creativity, and the cultural experiences of the students and communities UVic serves.

With thanks also to the Faculty of Science for their support.

Explore UVic on Nov 30

by | Nov 21, 2024 | Art History & Visual Studies, Events, School of Music, Theatre, Undergraduate, Visual Arts, Writing

Considering a future as a student in UVic’s Faculty of Fine Arts? Join us on Saturday, Nov 30, as we open our doors as part of Explore UVic—UVic’s free, all-day open house. We’ve created a fun-filled day of student panels, sample lectures, presentations, tours and more. Check out the schedule of events, plan ahead and make the most of your visit! (Free parking too!)

This is your chance to discover what it’s like to be part of BC’s only stand-alone fine arts faculty, which means you’ll be learning as part of a dedicated arts-specific community. On Saturday, we’ll be hosting an open house (10am-3pm in the lobby of the Fine Arts building) with representatives from our departments of Art History & Visual Studies, Theatre, Visual Arts, Writing and the School of Music who can answer your program questions.

We’ll also be offering behind-the-scenes tours of our facilities at these times and locations:

  • Art History & Visual Studies: 11:15, 11:45, 12:15, 12:45, 1:15, 1:45, 2:15 & 2:45 (meet in the Fine Arts building lobby)
  • Fine Arts/Writing: 11am-3pm, with live student readings at 11:30, 12:30 & 1:30 + a loop of student films (meet in the Fine Arts building lobby)
  • School of Music: 11:30, 12:30 & 1:30 with a special info session & audition demo at 12 & 1pm (meet in Music’s upstairs lobby, MacLaurin B-Wing)
  • Theatre: 11:00, 12:00, 1:00 & 2:00  (meet in the Phoenix Building lobby)
  • Visual Arts: 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 1:30 & 2:30 (meet in the Visual Arts building lobby)

You can also catch a sample lecture looking at how your brain responds to art & creativity with Art History & Visual Studies  professor Catherine Harding from 1:45-2:30pm in Sngequ House room 131. Find out how your brain reacts to paintings, music, poetry and performances: is your response to beautiful things different from your response to ugly ones?

Dr. Harding will share the latest research on how art and experiences in theatres, concerts and galleries can change the way you think and feel. You will learn how new technology in images, sounds and spaces affects your mind, body and emotions. By understanding how your brain connects with creativity, you can discover new ideas and tackle challenges. This can help you see exciting links between different things in the world around you.

Register in advance now for Explore UVic — or just drop by on Saturday: we’d love to meet you! 

UVic Symphony Orchestra: From Darkness to Light

by | Nov 19, 2024 | Award, Faculty, Graduate, School of Music, Undergraduate

When the UVic Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Giuseppe Pietraroia, presents the captivating evening of music From Darkness to Light on November 29, they’ll not only be  blending  drama, passion and rhythmic vitality, but will also feature a memorable performance by our 2024 student Concerto Competition winners.

As part of the concert, Jiran Miao — a fourth-year piano student at UVic studying under Music professor and esteemed concert pianist Arthur Rowe — will perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, op. 15 with the UVic Orchestra. Originally from Shaoxing, China, Jiran started playing piano at age five and has since dedicated herself to her craft, winning awards from the CDMF, Vienna International Classical Music Competition, Don Chrysler Concerto Competition, and Rocky Mountain Music Competition. She has also performed in cities around the world, including Vienna, Salzburg, Shanghai, and Vancouver, and has given solo recitals in her hometown.

When Professor Rowe first suggested she take on Brahms’ concerto, Jiran was hesitant due to the short preparation time ahead of the competition date. However, her love for Brahms and his “gentle portrait of Clara Schumann” in the second movement motivated her to complete the work. Jiran expresses deep gratitude for the support of her UVic professors, especially the mentorship of Professor Rowe, which has greatly shaped her growth as a musician. “From the day I first stepped into UVic for my audition, I knew I wanted to study here,” she explains.

Looking ahead, Jiran plans to pursue advanced studies, aiming to blend her musical insights with composers’ intentions and, as an international student, to eventually share her knowledge and experiences with other musicians in China. Her performance of the Brahms’ Piano Concerto — considered a masterpiece of the Romantic era — will offer powerful orchestral textures and intricate piano passages that will take you on a memorable journey from turbulent passion to serene introspection.

The concert will also include Franz Schubert’s Fierabras, D. 796: Overture and will conclude with Antonín Dvořák’s lively Slavonic Dances, Op. 72. Inspired by the folk traditions of Dvořák’s homeland, these dances brim with infectious rhythms, vibrant melodies, and the spirit of Czech folk music, promising a joyous and exuberant finale to the evening. Also, be prepared for turn at the baton by Arturo García Cuéllar, our Graduate Assistant Conductor.

Don’t miss this unforgettable concert that showcases the beauty and power of orchestral music and emerging student performers at their finest!

Coming up in 2025 will be two more performances by our other two Concerto Competition winners: second year Master of Music soprano Olivia Charette, performing W.A. Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate (Exult, rejoice), K. 165 with the UVic Symphony Orchestra on February 13, 2025; and second-year music education student Spencer Leong Cowie, who will perform his winning concerto with the UVic Wind Symphony in our 2025-26 season.

Robotics artist plots course for the future  

by | Nov 11, 2024 | Uncategorized

When it comes to transformational educational experiences, it’s hard to top that of Sie Douglas-Fish. Prior to arriving at UVic, they had never even left their 2,000-person hometown before — but now, as they graduate with a BFA in Visual Arts, they’re not only already living and working in a city of 4.2 million but also had their art featured on national TV and have a piece hanging in the Montreal offices of Amazon Web Services. That’s pretty impressive for a person who was roundly mocked in high school for simply wanting to be an artist.

“I grew up being told that my art was a waste of time and that my style wasn’t something people would want to buy,” Douglas-Fish recalls about their high-school years in the small BC town of 100 Mile House.

Dragon’s Den calling

But that didn’t stop them from choosing UVic as their degree destination and following a creative path that eventually saw their work featured on a 2023 episode of the national CBC TV show Dragon’s Den . . . on their birthday, no less. “Here’s these multimillionaires holding a piece of my art and saying, ‘Wow!’ It felt very validating to be acknowledged like that — and on my 21st birthday too.”

Not only did their time at UVic exponentially expand their creative, technological and entrepreneurialhorizons, but it also increased their confidence in their art, career and themself.

“The advantage of going to a university is that you have access to all these other experiences,” they say. “I had never engaged with other people about art before, let alone experienced an in-person critique of my work or had a life-drawing class. The first time I was actually able to see my own potential was at UVic.”

One of Sie’s pieces seen on Dragon’s Den

Sie officially graduates as part of UVic’s fall convocation ceremonies on November 13, which you can watch live here.

The future looks robotic

Hired straight out of school to work at Acrylic Robotics in Montreal — the robotic art company where they interned remotely during their final year of studies and also created the set of portraits seen on Dragon’s Den — Douglas-Fish is now doing things they never imagined they could. But their current path is a natural progression from both the digital art and graphics they did during three years as design director for UVic’s Martlet student newspaper.

Being at UVic also allowed them to gain experience as a freelance artist: not only by contributing art for the children’s book Sharks Forever by Writing instructor (and Fine Arts alumnus) Mark Leiren-Young, but also by setting up their first “artist alley” display at Victoria’s comic con — something they’ve since continued to do at other in cons in Calgary and Toronto. “I’m getting to the point now where I can travel to do them,” they say. “They’re really long days but are a lot of fun!”

Now based in Montreal, Douglas-Fish is currently seeing their art going out on a global tour with Acrylic Robotics and Amazon Web Services. “We’re taking one of our large robots to a bunch of different cities across the world: San Francisco, London, Seoul . . . my art is going to be seen in South Korea! How cool is that?”

As a full-time internal artist at Acrylic Robotics (a 10-person tech start-up whose motto is “Helping Robots Paint with Humans”), Douglas-Fish both creates original art and works with other artists to robotically reproduce their own pieces in sizes both small and large.

“We work with global companies like hotels where they need a duplicate of the same painting in every single room — like 500 of the same 20 paintings — or individual artists who want to create identical limited-edition paintings, kind of like what you’d do with prints,” they explain.

“I work with Adobe Illustrator and either create an original design or recreate the work of another artist . . . but a big part of my job is also preserving the artistic intention of the artist. There’s a lot of trial and error, but also a lot of artistic intuition: it’s fascinating!”

Showcasing their work at Toronto’s comic-con

They’ve also released their own collection with Acrylic Robotics, two pieces from which are now part of the permanent collections for both the American LGBTQ+ Museum and  Museum of Art & Design, both in NYC.

Building on their skills

Looking to the future (as only a robotics artist can), Douglas-Fish can see themself pursuing art direction in tech or maybe with a video game publisher like Ubisoft. But as a former high-school mentor and a three-year volunteer with UVic’s Peer Support Centre, they also like the idea of working with emerging artists.

“I can see myself teaching art at some point,” they conclude. “Maybe because I didn’t have an art community and nobody really cared about art in my town, it’s important to me to be in a position where I can support other artists. That was just something that I never had growing up.”

Sie’s work seen in the 2024 BFA exhibit