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.

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.”

Music grad finds confidence and success through voice study

by | Jun 9, 2026 | Alumni, School of Music, Undergraduate

Nadia Lurie points to a sticker of Snoopy on one in a row of bright yellow lockers.
“The infamous yellow lockers in the Music building,” she explains. “I will miss you, Snoopy!”

During the five years of her Bachelor of Music study in the School of Music, award-winning performance major Nadia Lurie was busy both on-stage and off — locally, nationally and internationally. In addition to her required classes, recitals and performances, Lurie took private voice lessons, participated in local mentorship programs, taught children’s musical theatre downtown and was accepted into a series of summer opera intensives in Salzburg, Sicily, Quebec and Edmonton.

Now, as she graduates at the Fine Arts convocation ceremony on June 10, we caught up with Nadia to reflect on her time at UVic. Nadia was chosen as one of just a handful of graduating students to be officially profiled by UVic.

Nadia Lurie with the UVic Chamber Singers in Noto, Sicily.

What moment or memory stands out most from your time at UVic?
It’s hard to pick just one, but in the summer of 2025, the UVic Chamber Singers had the opportunity to perform at the Sicily International Voice Festival. It was a beautiful week of singing in gorgeous Baroque churches, delicious food and bonding over the experience of living in a working convent with no air conditioning.

Where did you spend most of your time studying, hanging out or unwinding on campus?
Most of my downtime between classes was spent in what we music majors lovingly refer to as “the basement” of the MacLaurin Building’s B-Wing. I’ve always thought the orange floors and bright yellow lockers felt like the set of a children’s TV show. I will miss all the shenanigans we got up to down there!

“Performing opera in the round!” Nadia doing Mansfield Park at Edmonton’s Nuova Vocal Arts. (Photo credit: Nanc Price)

Which course or instructor had a positive impact on your academic or personal growth?
It has been very special to have been mentored by my voice teacher, Anne Grimm. Singing can feel so vulnerable. For all her students, Anne creates an environment that inspires confidence on and off stage. She is not only an amazing teacher but also so kind. She has supported me through all aspects of my degree.

What activity or experience outside the classroom meant the most to you?
In my second year, my “large ensemble” credit was fulfilled by participating in Pacific Opera Victoria’s Chorus during their 2022/23 season. To be able to immerse myself in the professional world of opera and apply what I was studying at school to the work I was doing on stage was so inspiring to me! I am also grateful to have been a recipient of POV’s Annamaria Bamji Award for Emerging Opera Singers.

 

“My last day at the Mozarteum International Summer Academy in Salzburg,” explains Nadia.
This trip was supported by UVic Music and the Johann Strauss Scholarship for advanced study of music in Austria. 

What are your plans for after graduation and is it the path you envisioned for yourself growing up?
I’m headed to Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music this fall to start my master’s of music in vocal performance. Having grown up in Victoria, I always dreamed of having the chance to leave the Island to pursue performance abroad.

What would you tell someone who is considering choosing UVic for their degree?
UVic is a friendly community! Your lifestyle outside of classes is as important as your studies themselves. It’s hard to beat studying on such a beautiful campus that is also within walking distance of the ocean. A beach picnic with your friends can fix a world of hurt!

Based on your experiences and training, how do you feel the arts can best benefit society?
The arts are essential! We need empathetic, curious and creative citizens, and arts education provides this. I know this from my own experience as an artist and performer, but I also see it in the children that I teach. Arts education is the way to a better future.

Music sponsors national choral conference

by | May 13, 2026 | Alumni, Events, Faculty, Research, School of Music

The School of Music is excited to be sponsoring PODIUM 2026, Canada’s national bilingual choral Conference and Festival! Co-chaired by Music professor Adam Con and presented by Choral Canada and the BC Choral Federation, this multi-day celebration runs from May 14-17 at both UVic and downtown Victoria, bringing together 400 delegates from across the country and 3,000 performing singers from dozens of choirs.

“It’s a celebration of the best of the best of what we do in Canada,” says Con in this Times Colonist interview. “We like to think that Victoria has more choirs, disproportionate to the population, than any other city . . . there’s a choir for every taste or flavour. That’s a good thing.”

But our involvement goes beyond organizing and hosting, as we’ve got Music students in the mix too: Sadie Karlsson is Podium’s volunteer coordinator, Dominic and Bree Ann Bartle-Clar are performing with the National Youth Choir of Canada, our Vocal Jazz Ensemble is doing a pop-up concert in the MacLaurin building’s A-wing (12:30pm Sunday, May 17), and we have two music education students assisting with the event’s technology. Also, 2024 Distinguished Alumna Carrie Tennant is directing a performance of the Vancouver Youth Choir, and a number of alumni are performing in the various featured ensembles.

Adam Con

Held every two years since 1982, PODIUM 2026 aims to ignite meaningful dialogue within the global choral community. Through offerings both on-site and online, we will showcase new music, bold ideas and exciting opportunities for collective singing, through participatory workshops and massed singing events. Key themes will look at the role of the choral arts in topics such as social justice, climate change action, health and wellness, diversity and inclusion.

“PODIUM 2026 is more than a national gathering — it is a moment of reflection, connection and renewal for Canada’s collective singing community,” says Con in this Victoria News article. At a time when connection and collective expression matter more than ever, PODIUM 2026 invites us all to raise our voices, not only in harmony, but in hope. In song, we find strength. In community, we find courage. And together, we shape what’s next.

Find out more

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.

Take our Spring 2026 student survey!

by | Mar 23, 2026 | Art History & Visual Studies, Award, Graduate, School of Music, Theatre, Undergraduate, Visual Arts, Writing

1969 was a year of transformation: the moon landing, the Stonewall riots, Woodstock, Ottawa’s National Arts Centre opens, Margaret Atwood publishes her first novel, Canada becomes officially bilingual . . . amidst that time of change, Fine Arts emerged as UVic’s newest Faculty.

With our 60th anniversary coming up in 2029, Fine Arts is currently doing a short survey of our community, and student opinions and experiences are an essential part of this process. We invite you to add your voices with this anonymous survey: it only has eight questions and should take you less than 15 minutes.

Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/GRDP8LX

You’ll also see an option to enter to win one of ten $50 ONECard top-ups on the final page. Your prize entry will be totally separate from your anonymous survey responses.

Deadline for entries is April 7.