Orion Lectures: Anosh Irani Author, playwright “Building Character in Fiction”

by | Feb 1, 2025 | Art History & Visual Studies, Events, Orion Series in Fine Arts, Research, Visual Arts, Writing

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:

Anosh Irani 

Author, Playwright

“Building Character in Fiction”

2:30 pm Friday , February 7
Room 103, UVic’s Fine Arts Building

Free & open to all 

Presented by UVic’s Department of Writing.

For more information, please email writing@uvic.ca

Through the generous support of the Orion Fund in Fine Arts, UVic’s Faculty of Fine Arts is pleased to present Anosh Irani, Visiting Artist. All are welcome to attend this free event.

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

 

 Anosh Irani was born and brought up in Bombay before moving to Vancouver in 1998, where he teaches creative writing at SFU’s World Literature Program. He has published four critically acclaimed and bestselling novels: The Cripple and His Talismans (2004), The Song of Kahunsha (2006), Dahanu Road (2010) and The Parcel (2016). The Parcel was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and was chosen as one of the best books of the year by the Globe and Mail, National Post, CBC, The Walrus and Quill & Quire. His work has been translated into 11 languages, his short stories have appeared in Granta and the Los Angeles Review of Books, and his nonfiction has been published in the New York Times. 

His 2006 play Bombay Black won five Dora Awards (including for Outstanding New Play) and his anthology The Bombay Plays: The Matka King & Bombay Black was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Drama. The Matka King received a Jessie Award nomination (Outstanding Original Script), as did his 2018 play, The Men in White — which was also a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Drama. 

His latest play, Behind the Moon, is running at Victoria’s Belfry Theatre from Feb 4 to March 2. 

Free and open to the public | Find more at www.events.uvic.ca

For more information on this lecture, please email visualarts@uvic.ca

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 Lectures: “Thriving in the Arts” & “Connecting Audiences”

by | Jan 20, 2025 | Alumni, Events, Orion Series in Fine Arts, Research, Theatre

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:

“Thriving in the Arts” & “Connecting Audiences” 


Sara Topham & Pablo Felices-Luna,
Visiting Theatre alumni artists

12:30-1:45 pm Wednesday , February 5

Theatre for Young Audiences playreading 

12:30- 1:45pm Friday, February 7
Both in Chief Dan George Theatre, UVic’s Phoenix building

Free & open to all 

Presented by UVic’s Theatre Department.

For more information, please email theatre@uvic.ca

Through the generous support of the Orion Fund in Fine Arts, UVic’s Faculty of Fine Arts is pleased to present Sara Topham & Pablo Felices-Luna, Visiting Theatre Artists. All are welcome to attend this free event.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Sara Topham, a graduate of UVic’s Theatre Program, has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including Broadway, where she starred in revivals of The Importance of Being Earnest and Travesties and originated the role of Sally in Leopoldstadt. With 15 seasons at the Stratford Festival, plus work with the Shaw Festival, her roles have ranged from Shakespearean heroines like Juliet (Romeo and Juliet) and Rosalind (As You Like It) to dramatic leads like Hedda Gabler. Sara has performed internationally, from London to Washington, D.C., and San Diego, while contributing as a teacher and collaborator at theatres across North America. Sara works frequently with Manitoba Theatre for Young People as a co-director and choreographer.

 

Pablo Felices-Luna, a fellow UVic Theatre Program graduate and Artistic Director of Manitoba Theatre for Young People, has dedicated 25 years to Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA). Born in Peru and arriving in Canada more than 30 years ago, Pablo’s career has championed the artistic value of TYA, directing 15 productions and premiering seven new plays during his eight years as Artistic Director of Carousel Players. At MTYP, he continues to inspire with new works and international collaborations. Pablo is a passionate advocate for integrating TYA into professional artist training, drawing on his extensive experience to redefine the relationship between theatre and young audiences.

Free and open to the public | Find more at www.events.uvic.ca

For more information on this lecture, please email theatre@uvic.ca

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

Visiting Artist: Jennifer Stillwell

by | Jan 15, 2025 | Art History & Visual Studies, Events, Faculty, Research, Visual Arts

Our ongoing Visiting Artist series continues with UVic Visual Arts professor Jennifer Stillwell, who will present a free illustrated public talk at 7:30pm Wed, Jan 22, in room A162 of UVic’s Visual Arts.

Jennifer Stillwell primarily works with sculpture and installation, and her recent work is site-responsive: found objects and manufactured materials are physically transformed in order to provoke imaginary possibilities — scale shifts, spaces collapse and meanings slip. She is currently completing a new body of work with the industrial activities around her studio space serving as the catalyst.

Stillwell received an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA from the University of Manitoba. Her work has been exhibited widely including large-scale installations at the Darling Foundry in Montreal and Triple Candie in New York. Other solo exhibitions include YYZ Artists’ Outlet in Toronto and a survey show at Plug In ICA in Winnipeg. She has attended residencies in Banff, Toronto, Rotterdam, Quebec, Montreal and Naples, and her work has been part of group exhibitions and video art screenings across the country and internationally. She has a permanent public sculpture installed in Winnipeg, within Treaty No. 1 Territory, over the left field wall of the city’s baseball park.

Her talk is part of the continuing Visiting Artist Series in UVic’s Department of Visual Arts.

Visiting Artist: Marlene Yuen

by | Jan 8, 2025 | Art History & Visual Studies, Events, Visual Arts

Our ongoing Visiting Artist series continues with Vancouver-based artist Marlene Yuen, who will present a free illustrated public talk at 7:30pm Wed, Jan 15, in room A162 of UVic’s Visual Arts building.

Marlene Yuen is a Vancouver-based multidisciplinary artist whose current focus is on illustrations, prints, comics, zines and handmade books. Her books & zines have been retained in special collections archives nationally and internationally. She has also created artworks about Vancouver’s historic Chinatown and Chinese Canadian workers for museums, galleries and public art programs.

Her mural, “The Journeys Here” will be part of the travelling exhibition Odysseys & Migration at the Royal BC Museum in April 2025. She is currently working on a comic publication Hak Chu Pak for the Burnaby Art Gallery.

Get festive with Fine Arts

by | Dec 5, 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.

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