New competition prize for School of Music

by | Mar 25, 2026 | Alumni, Award, donor, Events, School of Music

Let’s say it’s 1912 and you’re a young, musically inclined girl who enjoys whistling . . . but your father says it isn’t “ladylike“ to whistle: what do you do? If you’re Eleanor Gray, you embrace the song in your heart and pursue singing lessons instead.

Fast-forward 113 years and that lifelong love of music has now become the foundation for the School of Music’s new $40,000 Eleanor Gray Memorial Piano & Voice Duo Competition Prize — an addition to the overall $2 million bequest created by donor Douglas Gray (LLB) to honour his mother.

The inaugural competition starts at 8pm Tuesday, March 31 in Music’s Phillip T Young Recital Hall and is free to attend. If you can’t make it, you can listen to it live here.

About Eleanor

Eleanor Gray was a talented pianist, singer and Royal (then Toronto) Conservatory of Music alumna who ensured that all five of her children were also part of the RCM piano program.

A lifelong singer and pianist, Eleanor remarkably sang in a choir and played piano for church services up to the age of 100, stopping only before her passing at 101.

About the prize

Beginning in the 2025/26 academic year and running through 2028, the Eleanor Gray Prize will be earmarked for School of Music students who take part in an annual art song competition for piano and voice, with cash prizes awarded for the duo winners in both first ($1,500 each) and second place ($1,000 each).

The remarkable Eleanor Gray at 92

A portion of this bequest will also go towards the existing donor-funded Collaborative Piano Endowment, which ensures that our 63 Steinway pianos remain concert-ready — a huge benefit to our status as the only All-Steinway School in Canada, thanks to the efforts of critically acclaimed pianist and professor Arthur Rowe. “Maintaining our excellent instruments is crucial, so these funds will help ensure the longevity and excellence of our Steinways,” says Rowe.

A piano and voice competition prize is ideal for our School of Music, given the enviable reputation of our Voice program — anchored by the likes of tenor Benjamin Butterfield, soprano Anne Grimm, mezzo-soprano Marion Newman and acclaimed vocal coach Kinza Tyrrell, plus an ever-increasing number of alumni stars like Isaiah Bell, Josh Lovell and Newman herself.

Marion Newman leading a voice recital (photo: Beth Bingham)

Had Eleanor Gray been a student a century later, her infectious enthusiasm, intellect and energy would have made her an ideal student at our School of Music. Given her deep appreciation for piano and voice duets, as well as her encouraging attitude and natural caring and warmth for others, we’re sure Eleanor would appreciate this new competition prize.

A longtime resident of Victoria who truly loved life and lived it to the fullest, Eleanor was always young at heart and was full of joy. She now rests in Ross Bay Cemetery, ensuring her spirit remains close to the city she so loved.

Win $1,000 in the Community Impact Award!

by | Mar 10, 2026 | Art History & Visual Studies, donor, School of Music, Theatre, Undergraduate, Visual Arts, Writing

Who wants to win $1,000? You do, of course!! Since 2021, we’ve given out over $15,000 to 13 students in our annual donor-funded Fine Arts Community Impact Award! If you’re a UVic Fine Arts undergrad (any year) who has been creatively active outside of your classes, then you qualify to enter the 2026 Fine Arts Community Impact Award.

This sixth annual, entry-level, juried award is designed to reward Fine Arts students who have demonstrated outstanding creative activity with Victoria’s larger creative community. The award is open to any full-time current or graduating undergraduate student registered in Art History & Visual Studies, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts or Writing. (Sorry, Fine Arts must be your declared major, not just an elective you’re taking.)

Entry deadline: A completed submission package — including the submission form and all supporting materials — must be received by 5pm Thursday, April 30.

Enter here: https://finearts.uvic.ca/forms/award/

What qualifies?

  • Any kind of art exhibit or curation project
  • Public readings or literary projects
  • Plays or performances
  • Concerts or recitals
  • Educational, digital or administrative work
  • Fundraisers or drag shows
  • Etc etc etc (we’re all about the etc!)

It doesn’t matter if you were paid or volunteered, organized or participated, are a continuing or graduating student — if you did something creative in Greater Victoria (between Sidney and Sooke) between Jan 2025 & April 2026 and it wasn’t for course credit, then you qualify!

Helpful hints

Our first helpful hint is simple: enter! We usually get less than 15 entries for this award, and give out two $1,000 prizes, so your odds are very good! Other suggestions:

  • if you’ve applied before but didn’t win, you can apply again (as long as your project falls into the current timeframe)
  • you can nominate yourself or be nominated by an organization or other person
  • speak to the awards criteria in your application
  • capture the immediate & overall impact of your project (remember, the jurors don’t know you or what you did, so make sure it’s clear)
  • include reference letters that speak about your involvement (rather than the overall organization or event)
  • help the jury get to know you as a student: what you’re studying, how this project fits into your creative practice or academic journey
  • include some photos of your nominated activity
  • if you received a grade for your activity, it probably doesn’t qualify for this award
  • read about our previous winners: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021.

Previous winners

Previous students have won for a wide variety of projects, including:

  • directing plays for Sooke Youth Theatre
  • working with the Early Music Society of the Islands
  • creating & painting a large-scale mural for the Island Medical Program
  • producing shows with Timetheft Theatre Society
  • mounting art exhibits at Xchanges Gallery & the fifty-fifty arts collective
  • coordinating youth workshops for Music Discoveries
  • setting up a livestream system for Christ Church Cathedral
  • creating The Vault Gallery at the Rockslide Studios
  • organizing an art show for the ArtSea Community Arts Council
  • working with the Victoria Children’s Choir
  • performing with Pacific Opera’s “Pop-Up Opera” initiative
  • volunteering with VOS Musical Theatre Society
  • interning with Open Space Artist-Run Centre

The fine print

Entry deadline: A completed submission package — including the submission form and all supporting materials — must be received by 5pm Thursday, April 30.

Enter here: https://finearts.uvic.ca/forms/award/

What you’ll need:

  1. A description of your community-engaged creative activity (maximum 500 words), including a title page with your contact information & declared program as of April 30 (ie: Writing, Visual Arts, etc)
  2. A letter from the organization or individual explaining how you were involved (maximum 300 words)
  3. Two letters of endorsement of the project (maximum two pages and from different people than #2: letters must be written by people who are not related to the nominee)
  4. Your resume, CV or short portfolio.

Questions? Email johnt@uvic.ca

About the award

Fine Arts has been the city’s artistic incubator for well over 50 years, helping to produce creative and scholarly talents across the cultural spectrum. Our campus community continues to contribute to the arts locally, nationally and internationally — with many of our students, alumni and teaching faculty now working in forms and mediums undreamt of when we were established in 1969. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, our Community Impact Awards put the spotlight on current students who are reaching beyond their full-time studies.

Read about our previous winners here: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021.

The awards will be presented as part of the ProArt Alliance’s annual Greater Victoria Regional Arts Awards gala in fall 2026. Winners are expected to attend and receive their awards in person from the Dean of Fine Arts.

2025 Impact Award winners Sophie Hillstrom (left) and Sage Easton-Levy (right) with Fine Arts Dean Allana Lindgren

T’uy’t’tanat Cease Wyss speaks at Activism & the Arts lecture series

by | Feb 13, 2026 | donor, Events, indigenous, Research, School of Music, Visual Arts

Save the date for our annual donor-funded Lehan Family Activism & the Arts Lecture Series: this year, we present ethnobotanist, artist and community-based educator T’uy’t’tanat- Cease Wyss speaking on the topic of “Diaspora of Ancient Technologies and the Future Herstory of IndigiFuturisms”.

Technology has been part of humanity since the earth was formed, yet many people have lost their connectivity to “temexw” or “earth” and have attempted to find their way through digital technologies. But the connections have always been there on both ends of the technological spectrum: how we play and create today reflects this, and how we interact is our connection to the beginning.

All are welcome to join us for this free public talk in UVic’s gorgeous new Indigenous Law Wing: 5pm Wednesday Feb 25, in room B142 of the Fraser Building.

T’uy’t’tanat-Cease Wyss (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh/Sto:Lo/Hawaiian/Swiss) is an Indigenous matriarch and interdisciplinary artist who works with digital media, writing, performance and land-based remediations in her multi-disciplinary arts practice. A community-engaged public artist, Indigi-Futurisms developer and ethnobotanist/permaculture designer, for more than 30 years her works have focussed on sustainability, permaculture techniques and Coast Salish cultural elements, including themes of ethnobotany, Indigenous language revival, Salish weaving and digital media technology. She currently holds the MST Fieldhouse artistic residency in Vancouver’s Stanley Park.

Wyss is currently working on bridging the healing sounds of plants and fungi with Indigenous languages, and creating conversations between them all using biosonification with modular synthesizers. During her time on campus, she will also be visiting various classes and engaging with our students.

Wyss and her IM4 Media Lab — which cultivates Indigenous innovation at the intersection of tradition and technology — will also be holding a ReciprociTea & VR Workshop from 1-4pm Tuesday, Feb 24, in UVic’s Taqsiqtuut Indigenous Research-Creation Lab in the Visual Arts building. Come experience her storytelling told through a ceremony of tea and seen through an oculus lens.

Previous guests in our Activism & the Arts series include Charles Campbell, Gord Hill and d’bi.young anitafrika, and you can watch their public talks here.

Uplifting Indigenous voices on Giving Tuesday

by | Dec 1, 2025 | Alumni, Award, donor, indigenous, Writing

Giving Tuesday is coming up fast on December 2! We encourage you to join UVic’s campus community and grads from around the world by pitching in to support student success, health, well-being and the programs that help make UVic the special place it is.

This year, the Faculty of Fine Arts is raising funds to honour and celebrate Indigenous voices through the sxʷiʔe ̕m “To Tell A Story” Indigenous Writers & Storytellers Series.

About the series

Created by acclaimed Métis poet and Department of Writing professor Gregory Scofield in 2023, this annual series is an inspiring way of uplifting Indigenous literary achievements and engaging with our local community of writers and readers. To date, the sxʷiʔe ̕m series has featured a mix of Writing alumni (Syilx Okanagan multidisciplinary author Jeannette Armstrong, award-winning WSÁNEC poet Philip Kevin Paul) and guests (Icelandic/Red River Métis poet Jónína Kirton and Cree author Joseph Kakwinokansum).

“My goal is to honour the nations on whose territory we live, and to celebrate and honour the writers and storytellers in our communities,” says Scofield.

Join us in uplifting Indigenous voices with this important series on Giving Tuesday!

UVic actually has 25 causes to choose from, ranging from the food bank to experiential learning and emergency bursaries — but know that whichever fund you choose to support will have a lasting impact on campus and beyond. Every single dollar counts!

Two students win 2025’s Community Impact Awards

by | Nov 26, 2025 | Alumni, Award, donor, School of Music, Theatre, Undergraduate

Sophie Hillstrom (left) with Dean Allana Lindgren and Sage Easton-Levy

Congratulations go out to the recipients of our fifth annual Faculty of Fine Arts Student Community Impact Awards: just-graduated School of Music student Sophie Hillstrom and current Theatre student Sage Easton-Levy — each of whom receives $1,000 for their work with local community organizations.

Each was chosen from a field of applicants and selected by a juried committee based on their nomination packages. The awards were presented live as part of the annual Greater Victoria Regional Arts Awards gala on November 26. “The recipients of these awards are definitely talents to watch,” says Fine Arts Dean Allana Lindgren. “Over the past five years, it’s been exciting for us to see previous winners further their creative achievements locally, with some continuing their artistic development as graduate students farther afield.”

“Winning one of the Student Impact Awards is a great honor,” says Sophie. “I always enjoyed being an active member of the arts community in Victoria and never expected to be recognized for it . . . I’m incredibly grateful to all who have contributed and made it possible for me to win this award. It is truly incredible.”

“I’m incredibly appreciative and excited by this opportunity,” Sage says. “This award is not only financially helpful as a student but speaks to the recognition that art and theatre are important and beneficial to communities as a whole.”

Alumni winners at the 2025 GVRAAs included Kathleen Greenfield and Ingrid Hansen for their work with SNAFU Dance Theatre, and Tiffany Tjosvold for her work with Embrace Arts. 

Essential additions to the community

A second-year theatre student at UVic with the goal of obtaining her MFA, Sage Easton-Levy earned her prize for her work as director of the Sooke Youth Theatre Company — specifically for their 2024 production of Disney’s Newsies Jr., but her involvement with the company goes back to 2019. As artistic director, choreographer and costume designer — or often all three — Sage has been described as both “the backbone and the fire” behind 13 different productions.

As board member Melanie Nelson points out I the nomination package, “Sage’s impact has been nothing short of extraordinary. Since joining the company, her growth as a director has been evident in the increasing quality of our productions — not only to myself as both a board member and a parent of a participating child, but also to the wider audience and our cast members themselves. Sage has a rare ability to identify and showcase each child’s unique strengths. Her productions shine not only because of her talent but also because she fosters an environment where young performers can thrive and feel valued. It is truly special to witness Sage’s work.”

Music’s Sophie Hillstrom is recognized not only for her work as the Student Director with the Early Music Society of the Islands during their recent 40th anniversary season but also for her enthusiastic “I can do anything I put my mind to” attitude. As EMSI’s Student Director, Sophie participated in board meetings, volunteered at concerts, drove performers to hotels, connected with audiences and donors, helped plan media engagement strategies, and organized outreach to other UVic students and professors.

As Society president Joanne Whitehead notes, “Sophie has demonstrated a keen interest in engaging her fellow students — and the community at large — in the wonderful sounds of early music. As an active participant in all aspects of the Society’s workings, Sophie is developing a strong sense of the importance of the social context required to support a thriving arts scene, alongside her growth as a performer of baroque music. I am confident that she will become a strong positive contributor not just to the early music world, but also to the broader music and arts ecosystem.”

About Sage Easton-Levy

Sage is a second-year theatre student at UVic with the goal of obtaining her MFA in directing. She recently moved to Victoria from Sooke, which she’s called home for over 10 years. Sage has been a director and choreographer for the Sooke Youth Theatre Company since 2018, enabling her to follow her passion of working with children in performance.

In addition to her work with SYTC, Sage also volunteers with the Sooke Harbour Players as secretary of the board, as well having recently directed her first adult-cast show, Frankenstein, with the group; she was also recently onstage for the second time with VOS at the McPherson Playhouse in their production of Legally Blonde.

Sage is profoundly grateful to be honoured for her staged production of Newsies with this award and the ability to encourage and uplift youth performers and curate a positive experience showcasing theatre in her town.

“Connecting and networking in the greater arts community is so important,” she says. “There are plenty of opportunities off-campus and, in a city like Victoria, there is a lot of crossover in these fields. I’ve made some wonderful friendships and memories being involved in many groups by performing, volunteering and reaching out.”

Immediate future plans for her include directing and choreographing SYTC’s production of Grease: School Edition in January 2026, before mounting Singin’ in the Rain in June. “I would also love to get back onstage, as I am equally enthusiastic about acting,” she says. “I’m very excited for the prospects ahead!”

About Sophie Hillstrom

Before moving to Victoria to attend UVic, Sophie grew up in nearby Seattle and graduated in June 2025 with a Bachelor of Music in Musical Arts. Currently, she is continuing her involvement in the Victoria music community, teaching, performing and volunteering. She continues to serve on the board for the Early Music Society of the Islands, ushering at concerts, sharing her wisdom, putting up posters and doing anything she can to help cultivate a community of early music lovers in Greater Victoria.

“As a student, it’s quite easy to get swept up in everything happening on campus and forget there is a world outside of UVic that is also interesting, informative and fun,” says Sophie. “But one of the greatest benefits for students being involved in an off-campus community is simply getting to interact with a wider net of people — especially for a niche interest like early music . . . I’ve been meeting hundreds of people who all have unique perspectives and a love of early music, which is incredibly special.”

Future plans include continuing to serve on the board of EMSI and teaching strings with Harmony Project Sooke. She also teaches private students, and is freelancing as a performing violist. “I intend on continuing my education in either a performance certificate program or a Master’s of Music in Viola Performance,” she says. “All I really hope for my future is that it is full of inspiration, love, and my ‘I can do anything I put my mind to’ attitude!”

About the awards

Fine Arts has been the city’s artistic incubator for well over 50 years, helping to produce creative and scholarly talents across the cultural spectrum. Our campus community continues to contribute to the arts locally, nationally and internationally — with many of our students, alumni and teaching faculty now working in forms and mediums undreamt of when we were established in 1969. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, our Community Impact Awards put the spotlight on current students who are reaching beyond their full-time studies.

Since 2021, we’ve awarded over $15,000 to 13 students from across Fine Arts for projects ranging from murals, theatre productions, music performances, art shows, curatorial projects and more, all within the regional boundaries of Greater Victoria (Sidney to Sooke).

As the name implies, the Community Impact Awards highlight the efforts of undergraduate Fine Arts students who have demonstrated an outstanding effort by engaging with Victoria’s wider creative community over and above their course work.

Read about our previous winners here: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021.

Nominations for next year’s Community Impact Awards will be live in early 2026. Stay tuned to the Fine Arts Instagram account for the announcement.

Visual Arts MFA student earns Audain Award

by | Oct 6, 2025 | Award, donor, Graduate, Visual Arts

Edith Skeard (centre) receiving the Audain Award

Congratulations go out to Visual Arts MFA candidate Edith Skeard on being named one of five BC graduate students to receive a $7,500 Travel Award from the Audain Foundation on Sept 26. As a complement to the prestigious $100,000 Audain Prize (this year awarded to BC-based Dane-Zaa sculptor Brian Jungen), the Audain Travel Awards were established in 2019 to carve new pathways for student artists by supporting access to career-enriching international art experiences.

Skeard will use the award to travel to a month-long Sound Lab residency in Struer/Copenhagen for an exploration of sound art within a sculptural context.

“I feel very grateful to receive this award and very privileged to represent UVic at the Audain Prize,” says Skeard. “Denmark has a really vibrant experimental sound-art culture, and this residency is a way to deepen my practice within both sound and sculpture, and to pull my practice into an international space.”

Visual Arts chair Megan Dickie says, “Skeard produces multi-component installations with visual elements, sculpture, light and sound. They seek to create immersive environments that offer the viewer opportunities for transcendent experiences. In this work, the environment around us is transformed in ways that remind us that our own interpretations and experiences are like shadows of the real world.”

Skeard with Megan Dickie (left) 

Edie Skeard is a multimedia artist, woodwind player, and composer working primarily within sound art and sculpture. Their work focuses on building installation spaces through the intersection of light, sound, people, duration and tactility.

They are interested in collecting and collaging field recordings and improvisational sound, how sound and light creates/erases spatial boundaries, contemporary sculpture, tenderly noticing their environment, future archives, dreams, and the weaving together of different sensory mediums. They engage playfully with materials to understand the relationships between sound and objects and their ontological implications.

Skeard is our seventh Visual Arts MFA student to receive an Audain Travel Award, and our ongoing partnership with the Audain Foundation also includes the rotating Audain Professorship in Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest and our own contemporary Audain Gallery (established 2010).

Don’t miss Edith Skeard’s October 6-10 solo exhibit in the Visual Arts building’s Audain Gallery, with a public reception running 6-8pm Thursday, October 9. 

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