Ivalas Quartet headlines Quartet Fest West

by | Jun 30, 2026 | Faculty, School of Music

We are very excited to have the incredible Ivalas Quartet headlining as mentors & performers at this year’s Quartet Fest West! Don’t miss their by-donation performance at 7:30pm Friday, July 3 in UVic’s Phillip T Young Recital Hall.

Since forming in 2017, the Ivalas Quartet has been changing the face of classical music with their mission to enrich the classical music world by spotlighting past and present BIPOC composers alongside the standard repertory. Based in the US, they’ve been taking the classical world by storm with lauded performances at the likes of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, New York Philharmonic, Boston’s Gardner Museum — and they just completed a year as the inaugural Fellowship ensemble of NYC’s Kaufman Music Center.

Quartet Fest West is delighted to have Ivalas as this year’s Quartet-in-Residence, offering masterclasses and coaching to a fresh batch of string students. We’re particularly excited to hear their live performance of Deliverance by Grammy-nominated composer Derrick Skye, which they just released an audio/video recording of on the Artistician Inc label.

Deliverance is described as “a transcultural classical string quartet that blends Radif and Maqam based classical melodic systems with rhythmic elements from West and North African music . . . the inspiration behind the title originates from the deep sensation of freedom from fear and anxiety that can be achieved by embracing vulnerability, imperfection, and the unknown.”

Hailed by The Strad magazine for playing with “tremendous heart and beauty,” the Ivalas Quartet have championed the music of Eleanor Alberga, Gabriela Lena Frank, Osvaldo Golijov, Jessie Montgomery, Angélica Negrón, Iván Enrique Rodríguez, Carlos Simon, Alvin Singleton, Derrick Skye, and George Walker. Recent performances include Mondavi Center, a month-long residency for the Bravo! Vail festival, the Peoples’ Symphony and a season as resident ensemble of the Schneider Concerts in New York, and they served as Caramoor’s 2022-23 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence.

Running through July 10, Quartet Fest West is run by Lafayette String Quartet founding members and School of Music professors Ann Elliott-Goldschmid, Joanna Hood, Pamela Highbaugh Aloni and Sharon Stanis. In addition to concerts, open masterclasses will take place from 3:30-5pm in UVic’s Phillip T Young Recital Hall on June 30, July 1-3 and 7-9.

Writing students mark fatal heat dome anniversary

by | Jun 29, 2026 | climate, donor, Faculty, health, Undergraduate, Writing

To mark the fifth anniversary of BC’s fatal heat dome in 2021, a group of UVic Writing students trained to take climate-survivor testimonials are now seeing their work run in the online news outlet The Tyee in a new five-part series with created in partnership with the Climate Disaster Project. 
“Some of what they share can be difficult to read. But the survivors want you to know what happened to them for a reason,” says CDP founder and Writing professor Sean Holman. “So we can be closer together. So we can feel less alone. So you know what to do when one of the worst days of your life happens, without warning.”

The human cost of BC’s heat dome was catastrophic: over 600 people died between June 25 and July 1 2021, making it the deadliest weather disaster in Canadian history. Over 100 all-time heat records were shattered as temperatures across the province soared 20° above typical summertime averages in a brutal reminder of how warm our world is becoming.

The Tyee series offers the stories of five heat-dome survivors, as told in their own words:

  • a Surrey mother whose newborn was struggling, and so was her ailing cat
  • a Vancouver homeowner who had to find a new home when her condo turned into a greenhouse
  • a Lower Mainland firefighter who answered emergency calls as extreme heat buckled the province’s health-care system
  • a retired school principal who was forced to evacuate when that heat turned to flame in Lytton
  • and a Kamloops councillor who could do little but watch as fire scorched one of the city’s outer neighbourhoods.
“These stories aren’t just an account of the harm caused by an environment we have harmed and are still harming,” says Holman, explaining how the CDP’s climate-survivor testimonies differ from traditional news stories. “They are early warning systems and emergency preparedness plans. Because the survivors of past climate disasters carry with them knowledge and wisdom needed to help us confront the extreme events that have now become seasonal. Reading their testimonies now isn’t just about memorialization. It’s about preparation. An opportunity to change what will happen today and tomorrow.”
The Climate Disaster Project was established in 2022 by Sean Holman — UVic’s donor-funded Wayne Crookes Professor of Environmental & Climate Journalism — and has since grown into an award-winning international teaching newsroom with partners in multiple countries around the world, tackling projects ranging from journalism and documentaries to a theatrical play, museum exhibit and a pending literary anthology. It also gives our students the chance to see their work appear in professional media like The Guardian UK & The Tyee, among many others.

Music student launches Canadian Doctors Orchestra

by | Jun 25, 2026 | Alumni, Faculty, health, School of Music

The newly formed Canadian Doctors Orchestra, a non-profit symphony orchestra founded by UBC and UVic students, will make its debut in Victoria this December, showcasing healthcare professionals bridging medicine and musical performance.

Founded by UBC student Andrew Loe, a longtime classical viola player,  the emerging national ensemble — a first in Canada — is holding video auditions for musicians until July 1: healthcare professionals are invited to submit digital auditions on their website. The  project-based ensemble is open to any healthcare professionals, including (but not limited to) physicians, residents, nurses and medical students from across Canada.

Currently a student in UBC’s Island Medical Program, which is based at UVic, Loe is also taking classes in our School of Music. “When I got into medical school, I was excited to meet people who were also pursuing a dual music and medicine path,” he says. “I want to create a space where people with both passions can give back to their community and indulge their love for music.”

The link between music and wellness is well-founded, as proven by countless music therapy programs, but Loe also hopes the new orchestra will promote physician wellness, as well as encourage national healthcare collaboration.

Led by acclaimed composer, conductor and School of Music professor Ajtony Csaba, the ensemble will bring together over 60 medical students, physicians and healthcare professionals from across Canada for an intensive weekend of rehearsals on December 18 and 19, followed by a matinee performance on December 20 at UVic’s Farquhar Auditorium. Proceeds from the concert will be donated directly to Canadian health initiatives.

It was during Loe’s UVic music studies that his viola professor, Joanna Hood, introduced him to the World Doctor’s Orchestra, which features 100 physicians from several countries who perform series of charity concerts after several days of intensive rehearsals. Founded in 2008, the WDO began with 60 physician musicians from 12 countries and now boasts membership by 2,000-plus doctors from 60 countries; they’ve since performed 48 concerts globally, and raised more than 2 million Euros.

“When I did my undergrad, I did a minor in music,” Loe tells the music blog Ludwig Van Toronto, noting that he’s still taking UVic music classes during his medical training. He says Hood is “super supportive” of both his combined studies and this new initiative. “She’s a great mentor and teacher.”

Hood also connected Loe with other musical doctors, including violinist and Victoria Symphony concertmaster Terry Tam, a graduate of the Glenn Gould School and an ER physician with Saanich Peninsula Hospital.

Another notable School of Music alumni who fuses her performance and health care practices is Victoria-based Dr. Jill Wiwcharuk — best known as “Street Doctor Jill” for her Street Medicine 101 social media videos — who graduated with a Bachelor of Music in violin performance before going on to earn her medical degree.

Loe says he already has over 150 people interested in joining but is eager to hear from more. “[Auditions are] by video, but if people only have audio recordings, or group recordings [that’s okay too]. It’s for us to get a sense of where the collective orchestra is at.”

Conference marks Canadian Association for Theatre Research’s 50th anniversary

by | May 29, 2026 | Alumni, Events, Faculty, indigenous, Research, Theatre

Keynote speaker Nininsky Lee Aquino

Our Department of Theatre was proud to support the 50th annual Canadian Association for Theatre Research conference, which took place at UVic from May 26-29 and welcomed an exciting mix of theatre artists, scholars and researchers from across Canada plus Phoenix students, faculty & alumni.

Co-chaired by Theatre professor Sasha Kovacs & University of Toronto’s Sarah Robbins, CATR50 brought together over 200 people to investigate questions of inheritance, transition, transformation and change. The conference was highlighted by passionate conversations — kicked off by keynote speaker Nininsky Lee Aquino — and performances by Git Hayetsk dancers, Theatre SKAM’s Aster Brae plus drag performances at The Vicious Poodle. Other highlights included the conference exhibition, panel, roundtable, praxis workshop, seminar and working group contributions.

The Canadian Association for Theatre Research was originally created in 1976 under the name “The Association for Canadian Theatre History.” Since its inception it has been the principal catalyst for expansion of theatre research in Canada, as evidenced by the change in name in 1990. It aims to shape Canada’s theatrical present and future by preserving and interpreting our theatrical past and investigating areas of contemporary theory and performance. Specifically, the Association works to promote research and publication of the results of this research into Canadian theatre and drama, to encourage the collection and analysis of Canadian theatre materials, and to maintain a communications network for the exchange of information and research in progress.

Sasha Kovacs & Sarah Robbins

This event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada Connections grant program, the Gatherings: Archival and Oral Histories Partnership, Canada’s Theatre Museum, Playwright’s Guild of Canada, Playwright’s Canada Press, Professional Association of Canadian Theatres, Talon Books, Belfry Theatre, the Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre plus numerous other departmental and community sponsors.

Special appreciation to Kurt Archer and previous co-chair Kara Flanagan for facilitating community artist engagement in this year’s event, Jenn Boulay for supporting accessibility plus all members of the incredible programming and local arrangements team for contributing to this memorable gathering!

Act 2 continues online June 11-12. See the CATR website for more info to join the digital act of the event.

Students & volunteers participating in Git Hayetsk performance

Three instructors earn teaching accolades

by | May 27, 2026 | Alumni, Art History & Visual Studies, Award, Faculty, Visual Arts

Congratulations go out to three Fine Arts instructors who earned accolades for their teaching this month: Ambreen Hussaini (left) won the Andy Farquharson Teaching Excellence Award at UVic’s REACH Awards, while Michael Reed received the Fine Arts Award for Teaching Excellence (Sessionals & Music Performance Instructors) and Laura Dutton earned the Fine Arts Award for Teaching Excellence & Educational Leadership.

Hussaini (AHVS) is recognized for advancing innovative, learner-centred teaching and mentorship. She fosters creativity, dialogue and critical thinking through reflective writing, visual analysis and community-engaged learning. Grounded in equity, curiosity and compassion, she brings decolonial frameworks and experiential practices — such as personalized territorial acknowledgments — into culturally responsive classrooms. By mentoring peers and TAs, facilitating workshops and developing curricula, Ambreen strengthens teaching practices across the university and inspires students to engage deeply with art, culture and one another.

Dutton (VISU) cultivates classroom environments in which students feel empowered, supported and recognized as individuals: her teaching approach fosters intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and professional confidence, supporting students as emerging artists with distinct voices and ambitions. Her dedication to teaching extends well beyond the classroom, serving as undergraduate curriculum representative, working closely with the program committee to develop curriculum and program navigation strategies. She is also one of the department’s strongest advocates for equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.

Reed (AHVS/Medieval Studies) mobilizes his expert knowledge of medieval art, culture, and history with innovative teaching strategies that continually engage students, connecting the past to the present and showing the value of understanding history in the context of challenges facing us today. Grounded in the principles of EDI and intersectionality, his course design and dialogic pedagogy respond to the urgent call to replace colonial approaches to the European past; his desire to actively connect students to the past is enhanced by his embrace of technology, such as his use of an LTI grant to contribute to the Medievalism Mapping Project.

A previous REACH Award winner (2022) who has also received a teaching excellence award from Humanities (2021), to the best of our knowledge that makes Michael Reed the only UVic instructor to win three teaching awards in three different units on campus. A hearty congratulations on earning this remarkable milestone!

Research funding focuses on Indigenous artistic responses to plastic pollution

by | May 15, 2026 | Award, climate, Faculty, indigenous, Visual Arts

While there is a growing awareness of the global impact of plastic pollution, the most ubiquitous visuals we have of the harms of litter and microplastics alike may be of tropical sea turtles, polluted beaches, and damaged coral reefs. Few consider the critical impact it has on Northern regions, where microplastics contaminate oceans and sea ice, the landscape, and even the food chain, posing a threat to community health and biodiversity.

Now, $475,000 in new funding from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) offers Department of Visual Arts professor Heather Igloliorte the opportunity to create a series of new art-science collaborations while also increasing national awareness around the issue of plastic pollution in rural, remote, Subarctic and Arctic regions.

Titled “As It Melts: Northern Indigenous Artistic Perspectives on Plastics Pollution”, this two-year project will be led by Igloliorte — who is also UVic’s Canada Excellence Research Chair in Decolonial & Transformational Indigenous Art Practices — and Kirsty Robertson (Western University’s Canada Research Chair in Museums, Art & Sustainability) in partnership with the Inuit Art Foundation.

Announced on May 11, As It Melts will bring together a diverse group — including Indigenous artists, Indigenous and settler scientists, plastics and arts-based researchers, students, museum professionals, community members, Elders and knowledge keepers — to address the presence of plastic pollution in and around Indigenous communities, through the lens of contemporary art research-creation.

For this ambitious project, Indigenous artists will work with and learn from plastics pollution researchers and scientific labs across Canada, participate in knowledge exchange workshops, and ultimately create major research-based artworks, culminating in a nationally significant public exhibition and symposium aligning with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“This project is truly a testament to the strength of our collaboration, and the significance and urgency of the work before us,” says Igloliorte. “By harnessing the power of art to investigate plastics pollution — while also informing communities and the broader public of its harms — As It Melts will help people imagine cleaner, safer and more sustainable futures for our lands and waters.”

Fine Arts also recently announced $250,000 in funding from SSHRC’s New Frontiers in Research Fund and the Tri-Agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS) for Visual Arts professor Carey Newman’s two-year project focused on “Robotic Carving to Augment and Preserve Intergenerational Kwakwaka’wakw Knowledge Transfer.” Both these projects engage innovative new creative technologies to address concerns around the environment and the ongoing climate crisis while also forefronting Indigenous knowledge and practices.

Heather Igloliorte (photo: Julie Grenier)

“These grant successes by Carey and Heather highlight the remarkable trajectory that Fine Arts is on,” says Kirk McNally, Associate Dean Creative Activity, Research & Administration for UVic’s Faculty of Fine Arts. “They build on our reputation for excellence in creative activity and research that explores the potential of creative technologies, and our deep engagement with the environment and the climate crisis. They also highlight UVic’s commitment to Indigenous-led scholarship and creating an environment where Indigenous ways of knowing and being can thrive.”

By engaging with community-monitoring of plastics pollution and on-the-land research in Northern, remote and rural Indigenous communities, As It Melts intends to dramatically shift both awareness of and response to the impacts of plastic pollution on wildlife, the environment and humans in Canada. This project will effectively respond to Phase 2 of the Canada-Wide Action Plan on Zero Plastic Waste, while also establishing decolonial methods for further research.

As It Melts will be guided by an advisory committee made up of Indigenous community leaders and arts professionals. It will also be supported by innovative partnerships with organizations and labs across the country — including UVic’s Taqsiqtuut Indigenous Research-Creation Lab and Western University’s Centre for Sustainable Curating — in parallel to Indigenous knowledge and artistic and cultural approaches, linked with lived and embodied experience of the impacts of plastic pollution.