Top 10 Fine Arts stories of 2024

by | Jan 3, 2025 | Alumni, Art History & Visual Studies, Award, climate, donor, indigenous, Orion Series in Fine Arts, School of Music, Theatre, Undergraduate, Visual Arts, Writing

There’s no better time than the start of a new year for a moment of reflection on the previous year’s accomplishments. With that in mind, we’re happy to present the Fine Arts Top 10 of 2024: an inspiring series of story highlights about our students, faculty and alumni!   

Attendance at Fine Arts events cracks 20,000

It was a banner year for public participation in the Faculty of Fine Arts, with more than 20,000 people attending over 300 scheduled events. Thanks to our wide variety of cultural and scholarly offerings — including concerts, plays, recitals, exhibits, readings, poster fairs, film screenings, visiting artist talks and other special events — Fine Arts remains UVic’s largest and most consistent academic unit for public engagement.

Fine Arts is also an essential and vital cultural partner on campus and in the community, with a direct and lasting impact on the region’s quality of life. Victoria’s arts and culture sector employs over 10,000 people across the CRD and generates about $800 million GDP activity annually (2021 CRD study) — a core part of the $1.8 billion in added income UVic contributes to Greater Victoria.

The annual Visual Arts BFA show attracted over 1,000 people

A busy year for the Climate Disaster Project 

It was an incredible year for the Climate Disaster Project (CDP). Based out of our Writing department and led by Sean Holman, the Wayne Crookes Professor of Environmental and Climate Journalism, the CDP not only mounted September’s world premiere of Eyes of the Beast:Climate Disaster Survivor Stories — the first full-length documentary theatre production based upon on-the-ground climate disaster reporting — but also collaborated with UK media outlet The Guardian in November to publish a series of COP29. And in April, the CDP was named the winner of a Special Recognition Citation for exceptional journalism that doesn’t fit traditional categories at the National Newspaper Awards — Canada’s top journalism awards — and was also nominated for awards with the Canadian Association of Journalists and the Canadian Journalism Foundation. The CDP also started a new partnership with Brazil’s newspaper and presented a two-day workshop as part of the Legacy Gallery’s summer exhibit, Fire Season, on top of its regular work collecting and sharing climate-survivor testimonies by students and instructors in 13 post-secondary institutions worldwide.  

“We are entering a new era of disaster, where our seasons will become increasingly defined by the traumatic events they bring, and we need to learn how journalism can help us survive those traumas together,” says Holman, who founded the CDP in 2021. “We are so honoured the National Newspaper Awards have recognized our efforts to empower disaster-affected communities inside and outside Canada.” 

Holman at the NNAs

Student Community Impact Awards tops $13,000

The annual Fine Arts Student Community Impact Awards recognize individual achievements or outstanding efforts made by full-time Fine Arts undergraduate students beyond their traditional studies — and 2024 saw us surpass $13,000 presented to 11 students since 2021. These juried, donor-funded awards were once again presented at the Greater Victoria Regional Arts Awards in November.

This year’s recipients included Rebecca Fux (Visual Arts), Thomas Moore (Theatre) and Claire Jorgensen (Visual Arts), each of whom receives $1,000 for their individual projects. Rebecca received the award for her work mounting two exhibits of new paintings at separate local artist-run centres during her final year of studies: You Can Cry In Front of Me at Xchanges Gallery, addressing aspects of grieving and healing for young women after sexual assault, and The Weather Inside at the Fifty-Fifty Arts Collective. Thomas was recognized for his work directing and producing three shows with Timetheft Theatre Society — Of Theseus at the Victoria One Act Play Festival, the independently produced Horse Girl, and Carpet at the 2023 Fringe Festival — all of which provided opportunities for young queer and neurodivergent artists. And Claire received her award for winning a competitive commission to create a new large-scale mural embodying themes of diversity, community and wellness for UVic’s Island Medical Program — titled “A Dream of Vitality” — which she then painted live over the course of a month in the lobby of the Medical Sciences building. 

Jorgensen working on her mural

Kathryn Mockler wins Victoria Book Prize

Ww were thrilled in October when Writing professor Kathryn Mockler was named the winner of the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize for her new story collection Anecdote. Originally announced as a finalist alongside recently retired Writing professor Tim Lilburn (Numinous Seditions: Interiority and Climate Change) plus Writing alumni Ali Blythe (Stedfast) and Arleen Paré (Absence of Wings), as well as local poet Shō Yamagushiku (Shima), the prize came the same month as she was revealed to be one of three jurors for the 2024 Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry.

In her acceptance speech, Mockler noted that she was “humbled to be in the company of these finalists and their beautiful books” and then went on to donate the $5,000 prize to three local charities. “No matter how solitary the act of writing can feel, a writer is always addressing a collective, shared world — describing, analyzing, critiquing, redefining and expanding it,” she noted in her acceptance speech. “Writers cannot ignore the world that shapes their words nor the world that receives them.” 

Carey Newman named Royal Society Fellow

In September, artist and scholar Hayalthkin’geme Carey Newman was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. UVic’s Impact Chair in Indigenous Art Practices and a professor with both our departments of Visual Arts and Art History & Visual Studies, Newman has a regional, national and international impact by combining art and Kwakwaka’wakw knowledges to address Indigenous and environmental injustice. His projects — like The Witness Blanket and Seedling — transform conversations around reconciliation and decolonization across social, institutional and political paradigms, driving innovation and collaboration that challenge status quo approaches to research in the arts, climate, leadership, transsystemic law, collections management, conservation, technology and more. 

“Transformative change involves reaching hearts and minds. So, when I make artwork about specific issues, rather than telling people what to think or how to feel, I want them to engage with it on their own terms and take ownership of their thoughts and realizations,” explains Newman. “When something becomes personal it becomes important, and once it is important we are more willing to change our ways. Art has this power.”

So many guests! 

We had an incredible lineup of over guest artists this year who took time to share their knowledge and experience with our students and the community through masterclasses and public talks. Our popular Orion Series welcomed award-winning filmmaker Atom Egoyan, Grammy-winning soprano Barbara Hannigan and pianist Bertrand Chamayou, authors Carleigh Baker and Zehra Naqvi, artist Crystal Mowry, scholar Anna Dymond, art historian Alice Ming Wai Jim, screenwriter Michael MacLennan, theatre artists Randi Edmundson and Shizuka Kai, documentarian Ali Kazimi plus musicians Sandeep Bhagwati, Jude Brereton, Corey Hamm, Faustino Diaz, Jonathon Adams, Chloe Kim and Tom Foster. 

Our busy Visiting Artist series welcomed the likes of Jessica Stockholder, Kemi Craig, Justin Seiji Waddell, Debra Yepa-Pappan, Gootlh Ts’milix Mike Dangeli & Sm Łoodm Nüüs Mique’l Dangeli, Sonja Ahlers, Wayne Baerwaldt, Skawennati, Tina Rivers Ryan, Robert Burke and Julia Eden Hardenberg. Acclaimed author John Vaillant was our 2024 Southam Lecturer in Writing, while Gord Hill was this year’s Lehan Lecturer in Arts & Activism, and Joseph Kakwinokansum and Jónína Kirton were the guests for 2024’s sxʷiʔe ̕m “To Tell A Story” Indigenous Writers & Storytellers Series.

Various other guests included renowned pianist Minsoo Sohn (courtesy of the Martha Cooke Fund) while the Belfry Series saw Christine Quintana and Tobin Stokes speak to Theatre students.  

Award-winning filmmaker Atom Egoyan

This year’s Indigenous Writers series

Honorary Doctorates

Fine Arts was thrilled to see two Honorary Doctorates presented at UVic’s Fall Convocation ceremonies in November: En’owkin Centre co-founder Jeannette Armstrong (above left) was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) while Puente Theatre founder Lina de Guevara received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts (DFA). As an influential advocate for Indigenous peoples’ rights, Armstrong has been a force of change and wide-scale community impact through her artistic, research and educational vision; as a writer, director, educator and actor, de Guevara has left an enduring legacy on our national theatre landscape through her active support of immigrant and refugee communities.

Armstrong (left) & de Guevara 

New faculty members

Even in times of fiscal restraint, it’s important to keep our faculty cutting-edge, so we were excited to welcome a new group of professors this year. Critically acclaimed Canadian opera singer, national CBC Radio Saturday Afternoon at the Opera host and School of Music Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Marion Newman returned to campus this year as an assistant professor in Music; Vancouver author and poet Wayde Compton joined the Writing department as an associate professor; Ts’msyen Nation dancer, choreographer, Sm’algya̱x language learner/teacher and curator Sm Łoodm ‘Nüüsm Mique’l Dangeli is now an assistant professor of Indigenous Arts with our Department of Art History & Visual Studies; and assistant research professor in composition and music technology Lauren McCall is our newest hire, starting in January 2025 at our School of Music.  

Marion Newman

Alumni achievements

Back in March, UVic announced the recipients of the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards and Fine Arts was once again proud to see three of our outstanding graduates included among the 18 recipients being recognized across the three categories: Presidents’ Alumni Award recipient Carrie Tennant (Music), Emerging Alumni Award recipient Dennis Gupa (Theatre) and Indigenous Community Alumni Award recipient Ivy Martin (AHVS/CRM). “This diverse group of graduates contribute their skills, passions and leadership to many different fields, including the arts, education, law, science, engineering and business,” says UVic President Kevin Hall. “Advocacy, community building and climate action are common threads woven through their work. In that sense, they shine a light on the values and priorities that define and unite us at UVic.” Read about their individual accomplishments on the alumni awards webpage. 

In other outstanding alumni news, viral internet comedy sensation Laura Ramoso (Theatre) mounted a global tour which included appearances at LA’s Netflix is a Joke festival, an appearance on CBC Radio’s Q and a sold-out performance at Victoria’s 1,400-seat Royal Theatre; 2024 graduate Sie Douglas-Fish (Visual Arts) made news by getting hired straight out of the program by Montreal-based Acrylic Robotics and saw their art featured on CBC TV’s national Dragon’s Den show; actor and playwright Medina Hahn (Theatre) filmed a movie version and recorded an interactive audio book of her Governor General’s Award shortlisted play Inheritance: A Pick-the-Path Experience; poet Cara-Lyn Morgan (Writing) published her latest collection Building a Nest from the Bones of My People, which explores her Indigenous (Métis) and immigrant (Trinidadian) roots; and CBC “30 Under 30” award-winning violinist Chloe Kim (School of Music) returned to campus as an Orion Lecturer.     

Martin (left), Tennant & Gupa

Fantastic philanthropy

We’ve saved the best news for last: despite being hit with the same budget cuts that have impacted UVic as a whole, we are thrilled to announced that we have raised over $4.8 million for the Faculty of Fine Arts this year—exceeding our 24/25 academic goal by nearly $1 million  . . . and with three months left in the fiscal year! Congratulations go out to hard-working Fine Arts Development Officer Samantha Krzywonos for her dedication and passion in working with our donors to ensure that our students have the best possible experience during their studies here.

The arts have always been and continue to be intimately linked to philanthropy—think of folks like Peggy Guggenheim, Alice Massey or Gertrude Vanderbilt—so it’s no exaggeration to say that we couldn’t do this without our generous donors. Whether it’s individual donations that fund projects like the Bruce More Chamber Singers Legacy Fund, the Student Community Impact Awards or the sxʷiʔe ̕m “To Tell A Story” Indigenous Writers & Storytellers Series, family memorials that create opportunities like the Lehan Family Activism & the Arts Lecture Series, or estate gifts that create exciting inititatives like the Martha Cooke Fund, our donors are an integral part of the Fine Arts  experience.

Finally, we would be remiss to not acknowledge the more generous philanthropic donations that have led to named professorships like the Jeffrey Rubinoff Nexus for Art as a Source of Knowledge fund, the Wayne Crookes Professorship in Environmental and Climate Journalism, the Audain Professorship in Contemporary Art Practice of the Pacific Northwest, the Harvey Stevenson Southam Lecture Fund in Journalism & Non-Fiction and the Williams Legacy Chair in Modern & Contemporary Arts of the Pacific Northwest. These foundational gifts create positions for key faculty members to share their specific knowledge and experience with our students, the community and the world.

Thank you all!

Fine Arts development officer Samantha Krzywonos

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

Orion Lecture: “Composing for Voice” with Barbara Hannigan

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:

Composing for Voice with Barbara Hannigan


Barbara Hannigan, soprano
Bertrand Chamayou, piano

12pm Tuesday, December 3
UVic’s MacLaurin Building, B Wing, room B037

Free & open to all 

Presented by UVic’s School of Music. Barbara and Bertrand’s visit is made possible in part with support from Pacific Opera Victoria.

For more information, please email music@uvic.ca

Barbara Hannigan and Bertrand Chamayou speak to UVic School of Music composition students. Using John Zorn’s Jumalattaret as a launching point — which they will be performing in concert on December 2 — the duo will discuss techniques and approaches to composing for the voice.

Zorn’s modern and genre-defying piece is a masterwork in the avant-garde. It boldly presents a complex tapestry of sound that explores the boundaries of traditional and contemporary music.

All are welcome to attend this free event.

 

 

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

Pacific Opera Victoria Presents Barbara Hannigan & Bertrand Chamayou

by | Nov 29, 2024 | Events, Faculty, Graduate, News, Orion Series in Fine Arts, School of Music, Undergraduate

Do not miss this one-night-only event! 7:30pm December 02 at McPherson Playhouse. An evening of music with renown artists soprano Barbara Hannigan & pianist Bertrand Chamayou, with special guest appearances by Terrence Tam (Principal Violin of Victoria Symphony) and Benjamin Butterfield (Head of Voice, UVic School of Music). The duo will present a concert at the McPherson Playhouse featuring Messiaen’s Chants de Terre et de Ciel, Scriabin’s Poème-nocturne and Vers la flamme, and John Zorn’s Jumalattaret. Barbara and Bertrand’s visit is made possible in part with support from Pacific Opera Victoria.

 

With a musical programme featuring Messiaen’s Chants de Terre et de Ciel, Scriabin’s Poème-nocturne and Vers la flamme, and John Zorn’s Jumalattaret, be ready to be whisked away on a fascinating and eclectic journey through diverse musical landscapes.

Messiaen’s mystical and nature-inspired compositions – rich with complex rhythms, vibrant colors, and mystical themes – create an ethereal and contemplative atmosphere. Scriabin’s metaphysical and harmonically adventurous works is dreamy and dramatic, brimming with sensuous textures, innovative harmonies, and a sense of transcendence. Zorn’s modern and genre-defying piece is a masterwork in the advent-guarde. It boldly presents a complex tapestry of sound that explores the boundaries of traditional and contemporary music.

Barbara Hannigan

Barbara Hannigan, an unparalleled artist, embodies music with remarkable dramatic sensibility. Collaborating with luminaries like John Zorn, Simon Rattle, and Sasha Waltz, she’s at the forefront of musical creation. Her commitment to contemporary music is evident in premiering over 90 new works and collaborations with composers like Boulez and Ligeti. Recently, she debuted Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine, blending singing and conducting with live video. Her conducting debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and ongoing collaborations with esteemed orchestras mark her as a leading figure in the music world. Her recordings, including the Grammy-winning Crazy Girl Crazy, showcase her exceptional talent. Barbara’s dedication to mentoring young artists led to initiatives like Equilibrium Young Artists and Momentum. Recognized with prestigious awards like the Gramophone Magazine’s Artist of the Year, Barbara Hannigan continues to inspire and innovate in the world of music from her home in Finistère, France.

Bertrand Chamayou

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’s 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’s graced stages with renowned orchestras and conductors. This season, he’s featured in an ‘Artist Portrait’ series with the London Symphony Orchestra and anticipates the release of his forthcoming album, “Satie-Cage.” His acclaimed recordings, including Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus, have garnered numerous awards and accolades, showcasing his mastery. Chamayou’s artistic endeavors extend beyond performance, as he co-directs the Festival Ravel, a prominent celebration of Maurice Ravel’s legacy. With a multi-award-winning discography and an unparalleled dedication to musical innovation, Bertrand Chamayou continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

Orion Series presents Jude Brereton

by | Nov 10, 2024 | Alumni, Events, Orion Series in Fine Arts, 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:

“Singing in space(s): Past, present and future“

Featuring


Jude Brereton, Professor of Audio & Music Technologies 

1:30-2:30pm Monday, November 25 

Free & open to all

Presented by UVic’s School of Music

For more information on this lecture please email: music@uvic.ca

About the event 

Music happens in acoustic space: for centuries, composers and musicians have exploited the relationship between music and acoustics to great effect. Acoustic science has moved in huge strides from the days of using canons to capture the acoustic characteristics of a concert hall for further analysis. Audio digital technology allows us to capture data on room acoustics in great detail and use this to “auralise” virtual sound environments allowing us to place a performer — virtually — in any acoustic space we choose.

This presentation will report on learnings from the ongoing interdisciplinary project Architexture, which explores the connections and interplay between architectural acoustics, musical performance, and audience engagement through the use of interactive auralisation, composition and live events. The wealth of opportunities for interdisciplinary work on virtual acoustic reconstruction will also be discussed with a focus on engagement and access to the historical, present, and future of heritage spaces.

About the artist

 Jude Brereton is Professor of Audio and Music Technologies in the School of Arts and Creative Technologies at the University of York (UK) and currently Orion Visiting Scholar at UVic’s School of Music. Her research centers on the analysis and perception of music performance in real, virtual and augmented acoustic environments; she is particularly interested in the role of spatial sound to enhance performer and listener experience and interaction.

For over 20 years she has been active in seeking to improve inclusion and diversity in audio engineering and creative technologies education, and is currently co-investigator of an AHRC funded project to develop and evaluate co-created EDI interventions in virtual production.  As a musician, linguist and audio/acoustics specialist, her research and teaching is inherently interdisciplinary; she finds the greatest inspiration in collaborating with  musicians, scientists and engineers and seeks to work across and beyond disciplinary boundaries to gain a deeper understanding of our human relationship with sound and audio.

Photo credit: Kippa Matthews

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 Series presents Virtuosic Technologies

by | Oct 15, 2024 | Alumni, Events, indigenous, Orion Series in Fine Arts, 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:

 

 

 

 

“Virtuosic Technologies:

Indigenous and European

musical storytelling in the

17th century”

 

Featuring
Jonathon Adams, baritone
Chloe Kim, violin
Tom Foster, harpsichord/organ

 

7–9pm Monday, October 21 

Free & open to all

Presented by UVic’s School of Music 

For more information on this lecture please email: arthistory@uvic.ca

About the event 

 

Part conversation, part listening circle and open rehearsal, this session will approach works from this virtuosic European oeuvre, sharing specific technical challenges, comparing resources, and revealing moments of personal joy. They will also share early recordings of florid Cree singing, and examples of other highly ornamented traditional storytelling mediums, illuminating similarities between Indigenous modes of storytelling and the “geistliches Konzert” form.

As an ensemble, they consider the following questions: What technologies do we rely on to learn and share stories of deep spiritual resonance in a good way? What curatorial accountability do we accept when programming ancient European repertoires today, on stolen land? As we share these 350 year old sonic gems of world-bending grief, world-making ecstasy, world-affirming faith with you, can we do so in a musically curious and generative way? Inviting any voice, any body, any way of knowing into the circle?

About the artists

 

Jonathon Adams is a Cree-Métis two-spirit baritone from amiskwaciwâskahikan  (Edmonton, AB). They have appeared as a soloist under Masaaki Suzuki, Philippe Herreweghe, Laurence Equilbey, and Alexander Weimann, among others, with the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and Toronto Symphony Orchestras, the Washington Bach Consort, Tafelmusik, Ricercar Consort, B’Rock, Vox Luminis, the Netherlands Bach Society, and il Gardellino. In 2021 they were named the first artist-in-residence at Early Music Vancouver. They have lectured and led workshops at the Universities of Toronto, Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta (Augustana), Bard College, Festival Montréal Baroque, and the Juilliard School. Jonathon was featured in Against the Grain Theatre’s 2020 film MESSIAH/COMPLEX, in Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s MEA CULPA with Ballet Vlaanderen, and on Jessica McMann’s most recent album ‘Prairie Dusk’. They attended the Victoria Conservatory of Music, the Royal Academy of Music, and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, studying with Nancy Argenta, Emma Kirkby and Rosemary Joshua.

Praised as a “rising superstar” (The Georgia Straight) who performs with “passion and intensity to electrifying effect” (The Vancouver Sun), CBC’s 30 under 30 violinist Chloe Kim (UVic BMus ’18) has performed internationally with leading ensembles such as Voices of Music, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and The English Concert. Chloe has shared the stage with celebrated figures including Rachel Podger, Masaaki Suzuki, and Pablo Heras-Casado. She is the recipient of several awards, most recently including the 2021 American Bach Society Grant, 2020/21 Mercury-Juilliard Fellowship, as well as nominations for Canada’s prestigious Sylva Gelber Award and the 2024 WMCT Career Development Award. Chloe has served on the panel for the BC Arts Council and is also a Fellow of The English Concert in America, elected in 2021. Collaborations with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants have brought her to concert venues across France. In the summer of 2019, Chloe performed across Scandinavia with Yale’s Schola Cantorum and served as concertmaster of Juilliard415 for multiple productions of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in London’s Holland Park and the Opéra Royal de Versailles. Chloe is indebted to her dear friends and mentors Elizabeth Blumenstock, Jeanne Lamon, Christina Mahler, and Heilwig von Königslöw.

Praised for his “dazzling virtuosity” (The Spectator), Tom Foster has a busy career as a continuo player on organ and harpsichord and as a harpsichord soloist. Respected for his sensitive and inventive continuo playing, Tom is the principal keyboard player of the English Concert and is a regular guest with The Academy of Ancient Music, Arcangelo, The Dunedin Consort, Early Opera Company, The Mahler Chamber Orchestra, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The Scottish Ensemble and The Sixteen. These collaborations have taken him to concert halls throughout Europe, the United States, Australia, Russia and South Korea. He has performed concertos at the Edinburgh International Festival and made his US solo-debut at Carnegie Hall in 2020. Tom began his musical education as a choirboy at Manchester Cathedral, then as a pianist and harpsichordist at Chetham’s School of Music. He holds a first-class degree in Music (BA) from St. Catherine’s College, Oxford and gained a Distinction in Performance (MA) from the Royal Academy of Music under the tutelage of Trevor Pinnock.

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