UNews - sound designer

Pianos as you've never heard, or seen, before

trevor.kenney — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 17:03:42 +0000

Hear two pianists, with very different backgrounds and styles, coming together on two grand pianos integrated with electronics and computers - a chance to see each pianist shine and to see the synergy of live collaboration.

Aaron Collier will perform a set of piano improvisations utilizing live sampling, looping and layering techniques with a computer. Jesse Plessis will play a handful of modern works, some with computer, by electronic-music pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen, one of Canada's greatest composers, Ann Southam, the young American, Nico Muhly, and one robot-inspired work by Radiohead. The duo appear in Two Pianos + Computers, Saturday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall Atrium.

Two Pianos + Computers promises to be one of the more unique musical offerings to hit the stage this year.

The duo will wrap up this unique evening with what they describe as a “turbo-rad collaborative piece”.

Aaron Collier

Aaron Collier may be known as one of Atlantic Canada’s most consistently innovative keyboardists, but the Prince Edward Island native is most recently calling Lethbridge home. Collier studied the piano privately in Prince Edward Island until his graduating year of high school before embarking on 14 years of national and international touring and recording with various rock, pop and jazz artists.

In 2001, Collier became the keyboardist for international touring and recording artists The Jimmy Swift Band. In the following decade the group released four studio albums and two live recordings. In 2006, Collier along with JSB frontman Craig Mercer created the “looping madness duo” Scientists of Sound, a theatrical and high-energy electro project which continues to create intense live shows for eager audiences worldwide.

In 2008, Collier released his first full-length album of electronic music, Love, and in September 2010 he released the improvised piano+computer recording Neo.

Collier is an award-winning sound designer in theatre and recent credits include the world-premiere of Daniel MacIvor’s I Animal at the Supernova and Summerworks festivals in Halifax and Toronto, as well as Jay Whitehead and Daniel Judes’ UNSEX’d in Lethbridge, Dublin, and Halifax. He is presently creating a new show called The Myth of Canada under his alter-ego Chandelier, and is workshopping the work as one of CASA’s inaugural resident artists in November.

www.aaroncollier.ca

Jesse Plessis

Pianist and composer Jesse Plessis recently obtained a Master of Music degree (Performance and Literature) from Brandon ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ where he studied piano with Megumi Masaki and composition with Patrick Carrabre. His Bachelor of Music degree is from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge where he studied piano with Deanna Oye and composition with Dr. Arlan Schultz and Dr. Rolf Boon.

Plessis has been awarded prizes both in piano and composition. His own works have been broadcast on CBC, and he has performed as a guest artist with several ensembles including the Musaeus String Quartet, the Land’s End Chamber Ensemble, and the International Piano Ensemble. He was recently one of 12 pianists admitted to the London Masterclasses, a program held each July at the Royal College of Music.

He has had the opportunity to give the Canadian premieres of works by Marcel Bergmann, Kaija Saariaho, John Corigliano, Nico Muhly, and Kjartan Olafsson. Recent performances include those with New West Theatre, at the Casalmaggiore Festival in Italy, the Dark Music Days Festival in Iceland and at the Banff Centre.

Plessis is also one half of the Hansen-Plessis Piano Duo (alongside Bente Hansen, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge) which explores the possibilities of popular music in the concert hall alongside the classical repertoire.

A sometime conductor, Plessis has directed performances with the Brandon ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ New Music Ensemble (BUNME), the Brandon ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Orchestra and several musical theatre productions.

Tickets to Two Pianos + Computers are available by calling the Box Office at 403-329-2616 or online at www.uleth.ca/tickets.

Festen offers dark perspective

trevor.kenney — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:29:32 +0000

Secrets, scandal and slander are the themes of David Eldridge's Festen, the next Theatre and Dramatic Arts production, playing Nov. 24 to 28, 8 p.m. nightly in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre.

This dark and intriguing work shakes the skeletons in the closet of a family's shameful past, rocking their foundation and threatening to destroy their middle-class respectability.

"This is one of those plays actors starve for," says Director Jay Whitehead. "The cast has truly embraced the challenges of this play – to go to the dark places the material takes them. We've spent a great deal of time preparing relationships, as there is a great deal of love among the hate within each of the characters."

The play begins at patriarch Helge's 60th birthday party as family members gather to celebrate and to smooth over the cracks left by daughter Linda's recent suicide. As Helge's eldest son, Christian raises the first toast, and guests are rocked by revelations he is determined to expose.

"The play is so confronting," says Whitehead. "We want the audience to be right in the middle of it."

Quite literally, the audience will feel like guests at the table as seating is set on stage – an intimate and eye-opening spectacle as the plot unravels. From the revealing lighting to the stark set, the elements of the production add to the emotional character of the play.

"The lighting, sound and set are innovative and interesting," says Whitehead. "The look and feel of the production very much aligns with the mood and tone of the play."

The set was designed by James McDowell, with Kelly Roberts as sound designer and Mike Takats as the lighting designer.

"This is an emotional night at the theatre," adds Whitehead. "The themes revolve around relationships that are universal. Festen exposes the big pink elephants in the room, which all families can identify with."

Audiences are warned that the subject matter is very mature, and may be unsuitable for audiences under 18 years of age. Seating is very limited, and tickets are on sale at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Box Office.

Festen offers dark perspective

trevor.kenney — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:39:34 +0000

This dark and intriguing work shakes the skeletons in the closet of a family's shameful past, rocking their foundation and threatening to destroy their middle-class respectability.

"The play is so confronting," says Whitehead. "We want the audience to be right in the middle of it."

"The lighting, sound and set are innovative and interesting," says Whitehead. "The look and feel of the production very much aligns with the mood and tone of the play."

The set was designed by James McDowell, with Kelly Roberts as sound designer and Mike Takats as the lighting designer.

Campus Kudos

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:20:11 +0000

Dr. Noella Piquette-Tomei (Education) is one of 400 participants worldwide who will attend the Global Conference on Inclusive Education, Oct. 21-23 in Salamanca, Spain. She, along with her colleagues, will be writing the position paper for the United Nations over the three-day event. Piquette-Tomei is one of only three Canadians attending.

Ron Chambers' (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) play Marg Szkaluba (Pissy's Wife) is presented by New West Theatre until Oct. 10. Several fine arts alumni and staff are involved in the production, including actor Erica Hunt, BFA (Dramatic Arts); director Lindsey Zess-Funk, BFA (Dramatic Arts); set designer Ian McFarlane, BFA (Multidisciplinary); and sound designer Kelly Roberts (Theatre & Dramatic Arts staff).

Gerard Gibbs (Conservatory of Music) General/Executive Director of the Empress Theatre in Fort Macleod, received the Innovation Award at the 2009 Rozsa Arts Management Awards in conjunction with Alberta Arts Days.

Don Gill's (Art) exhibition The New Flâneurs: Contemporary Urban Practice and the Picturesque is at the Art Gallery of Alberta until Dec. 13. This exhibition in the RBC New Works Gallery is inspired by street cultures like parkour, graffiti and skateboarding, and relates them to contemporary art and historical work from the AGA's permanent collection.

Mary-Anne McTrowe (Art) has two exhibitions going on this fall, Crocheting the Database at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Oct. 9 through Nov. 22, and Decorate and Protect at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery, Nov. 28 through Jan. 17, 2010. While in Victoria for the opening of her exhibition, McTrowe is speaking at Camosun College as part of their visiting artist lecture series.

Dr. Arlan Schultz (Music) did a summer residency at the Center for Research in Computing and the Arts at UC San Diego in La Jolla, California. Schultz was engaged in research at CRCA's large-speaker array audio spatialization lab where he designed and tested computer algorithms that spatialize (in 6 to 9 channels) live or recorded audio and interact with live performers in real-time.

Campus Kudos

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:42:00 +0000

Former Pronghorn swimmer Richard Hortness, swimming for his hometown Alberta Marlin Aquatic Club out of Medicine Hat, set a new Canadian record at the 2009 Short Course Spring Nationals in Toronto in March. Hortness, who was with the Pronghorns in 2004-05, teamed with Brent Hayden, Rory Biskuspi and Tommy Gossland to set a new 4 x 50 metre freestyle relay record.

Lisa Lambert (BA '91, MA '07) was recently honoured as a YWCA of Lethbridge, 2009 Woman of Distinction for her work as a social advocate. Currently teaching a Canadian Politics course at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Lambert is also working on her doctorate degree.

Winners of the U of L Plays and Prose Writing Competition were: Plays – James Forbes (1st), Adam Beauchesne (2nd), Trista Green (3rd) and Prose – Dave Bryant (1st), Adam Sarjeant (2nd), Henry Heavy Shield (3rd).

Several drama faculty, staff, and alumni were involved in the recent New West Theatre production of The Drawer Boy. Ron Chambers (Theatre & Dramatic Arts), Marek Czuma (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) and Jeremy Park (BFA '08) acted; Gail Hanrahan (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) directed; David Barrus (staff) was set designer; Rebecca Toon (BFA '06) designed the costumes; Kelly Roberts (staff) designed was sound designer and Lindsey Zess-Funk (BFA '07) was stage manager.

The U of L's 07/08 Report – Rethink About It – received a silver award in the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) 2009 PRIX D'EXCELLENCE awards program in the best institutional annual report category.

The Report, which is the U of L's annual report to the community, was distributed to 335,000 households in October 2008. The Report is produced by the Communications Office within ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Advancement.

This is the third consecutive year that the Report has received an award from CCAE. In 2006/2007 the Report received a silver award, and in 2005/2006 the Report received a gold award.

To view the 07/08 Report online, visit: www.ulethbridge.ca/report

Dr. Anne Dymond (Art), Dr. Shelley Scott (Theatre & Dramatic Arts), Dr. Anonymous Will Smith (New Media) all wrote books that were acknowledged at the recent U of L Book Award Celebration.

Dr. Josephine Mills (Art Gallery) wrote an essay entitled, "The answer is two years spent baking vulva-shaped cookies, or On Understanding Lesbian Representation," which appears in the catalogue for Toronto artist Allyson Mitchell's latest exhibition, Allyson Mitchell: Ladies Sasquatch. The catalogue has just been launched and Mitchell's exhibition is on tour across Canada and comes to the U of L Art Gallery, Sept. 18 – Oct. 30, 2009.

Dr. Rolf Boon's (Music) composition, Bike Ride, has been selected for publication in the Canadian National Conservatory of Music's Northern Lights Level 5B Musical Discoveries collection. This is the eighth of Rolf's works that CNCM has published.

Dr. David Renter (Music) recently recorded with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan Jazz Ensemble in Saskatoon. The group recorded one of Renter's big band compositions called Kukai and he was the featured soloist on several other selections during the recording. The CD will be released later this year.

Dagmar Dahle (Art), Don Gill (Art), Mary Kavanagh (Art), and Tanya Harnett (Art) had exhibition publications recently released by the Southern Alberta Art Gallery.

Dr. Josephine Mills (Director/Curator U of L art Gallery) has been accepted into the Getty Leadership Institute's museum program. The program is an intensive three weeks in Los Angeles during July in the Museum Leadership Institute 2009.

Richard Epp (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) acted in Theatre Calgary's recent production of An Ideal Husband, by Oscar Wilde.

Lisa Doolittle (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) and Jean Harrowing (Health Sciences) have recently received an Award of Distinction from the Internationalizing the Teaching and Learning Practice program for their work with students in Malawi last summer. The award is presented by Advanced Education and Technology.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Music Department at Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, distinguished alumni are being invited back to perform. Dr. Blaine Hendsbee (Music) was the tenor soloist in a concert of Mozart's Requiem, Apr. 7, in Halifax. He also presented master's classes at Dalhousie during the week.

UNews - sound designer

Pianos as you've never heard, or seen, before

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