UNews - music professor

Conservatory connects to community

trevor.kenney — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:39:25 +0000

We've all used guidebooks, maps and compasses when hiking in the Rocky Mountains, but have you ever heard of a musical guide to the Rockies? That is what creator (and Calgary native) Samantha Whelan-Kotkas has produced.

Through the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Feel the Beat concert series, Lethbridge audiences will get an opportunity to take part in the experience.

"After the success of the original Rocky Mountain Fairytales, presented as part of the U of L Conservatory of Music's Feel the Beat concert series in 2008, we knew her More Rocky Mountain Fairytales would also be a hit," says Breeanne Fuller, Conservatory co-ordinator.

Whelan-Kotkas is doing four concerts in Lethbridge on May 17 and 18 at 10 a.m. and noon each day. Tickets are still available for the noon shows at Southminster United Church.

Children of all ages are sure to enjoy the chamber jazz music performed by U of L music professor Dr. David Renter and local musicians Scott Mezei and Paul Holden in conjunction with some of Canada's finest jazz musicians, including composer Tyler Hornby and pianist Chris Andrew from Edmonton.

"The Feel the Beat series offers free concerts year round for children, providing opportunities to hear and see classical music performed live," explains Fuller. "Our programs are age appropriate, relatively short and always free."

Supported by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Feel the Beat is enjoying its third successful season.

"More Rocky Mountain Fairytales showcases jazz music, and as an educational music school in this community, it's important to show young children that jazz music owes a great deal of its legacy to the classical tradition. Duke Ellington, for example, loved classical music," she says.

"Families of all ages are invited to the concert. Although admission is free, seats must be reserved before the show," adds Fuller.

Seats can be reserved by calling 403-329-2304.

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Conservatory connects to community

trevor.kenney — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:16:01 +0000

Through the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Feel the Beat concert series, Lethbridge audiences will get an opportunity to take part in the experience.

Whelan-Kotkas is doing four concerts in Lethbridge on May 17 and 18 at 10 a.m. and noon each day. Tickets are still available for the noon shows at Southminster United Church.

Supported by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Feel the Beat is enjoying its third successful season.

"Families of all ages are invited to the concert. Although admission is free, seats must be reserved before the show," adds Fuller.

Seats can be reserved by calling 403-329-2304.

For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Steacy creates balance on and off track

trevor.kenney — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:10:48 +0000

When Heather Steacy takes the stage, it's all about technique — whether she's in a throwing circle or a recital hall.

The two-time CIS women's weight throw champion is as comfortable heaving weights around a track as she is playing clarinet to a convocation crowd. And while that might seem like a startling contrast, Steacy says the two disciplines actually feed off one another.

Heather Steacy won gold at the NACAC U23 Track Championship in Florida recently.

technique to be able to stay in control the whole time and be able to release in the sector, so I think it's quite similar to music."

Exercising proper breathing and executing technique at the time of performance are shared traits of musicians and athletes. Steacy says her early introduction to musical performance has aided her athletically in big competitions.

"I don't really get nervous. I get jitters every once in a while but I've learned how to control it over the years and it doesn't affect me very much."

That was on display in her first appearance at CIS nationals in the spring of 2007. Just 18 years old at the time, Steacy shocked everyone by winning gold in the weight throw (indoor). A year later, she'd defend her title, throwing a still personal best distance of 17.93 metres and dominating the competition by more than a half metre.

This past week, Steacy competed at the NACAC (North American, Central American, and Caribbean Athletic Association) Under 23 Championships in Miramar, Fla. Now 21, Steacy is still showing she's the best in her class by dominating the hammer throw (outdoor) event with a meet-record throw of 67.20 metres. The mark was also a personal best for Steacy and beat the silver-medal winning American thrower by just over three metres.

"My first year in CIS was pretty surprising because I didn't expect to win at all," Steacy says. "In 2008, it was nice to be able to do it a second time. I had been training really hard and throwing well and I always find I compete well at the big meets."

Steacy is on a career path that continues to take her to bigger and bigger meets. It's a journey already traveled by another Steacy, older brother Jim. The Canadian Olympian and multiple Canadian champion and record holder casts a long shadow, but Heather has learned to reap as much as she can from Jim's experience.

"I don't think it's as bad for me as it is for Sean because I don't have to compete with him," she says of her other brother, another former Pronghorn thrower. "I love being able to train with Jim and see how well he's doing. Knowing that I have pretty much the same opportunity of doing everything he's doing is very encouraging."

Training five days a week, including twice daily Wednesday through Friday, you might think Steacy has little time for anything else. Add in the fact her entire family is into track and it sounds like throwing dominates her life. That's where music steps in to provide another outlet.

"It's kind of nice coming to school where there are people who have no idea what I do," she says. "It's neat being able to explain things (about hammer) but it's also nice not being asked all the time. It's nice to have that contrast in my life."

That disparity also seems to create a student-athlete balance that leads to excellence in both arenas.

GET THE FACTS

• Hammer throw is an outdoor sport where the women heave a 4kg ball (8.8 lbs) attached to a metal wire 119.5 cm in length (three feet, 11 inches). Weight throw is an indoor sport where the women toss a 20lb weight attached only to a handle.

• Heather Steacy is the third Steacy to win gold at NACAC, following Jim, who won gold in 2003 in Sherbrooke, Que. and Sean, who won the event two years ago (2008) in Mexico.

• Steacy started playing clarinet in Grade 5, taking lessons from U of L music professor Peggy Mezei.

For more on the Pronghorns' throwing program, visit this link.

Campus Kudos

trevor.kenney — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:21:49 +0000

Congratulations to Drs. Paul Vasey and Martin Lalumiere (Psychology) on their successful Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Aid to Research Workshops and Conferences in Canada application. The workshop will be held May 31 to June 2.

Dafne Carrasco (New Media student) and friends organized the Help Rebuild Haiti T-shirt Fundraiser that featured original T-shirt designs by fellow students, faculty and alumni.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) recently posted the successful Community-��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Research Alliances (CURA) program applications. U of L professor Dr. Claudia Malacrida (Sociology) is a co-applicant on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta's, six-year, $1 million grant, titled Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada.

Dr. Janet Youngdahl (Music) was a soprano soloist in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana in Calgary at the Jack Singer Concert Hall on Mar. 27. The concert celebrated the 20th anniversary of Mount Royal's Kantori and also premiers a new work by Imant Raminsh, with the composer in attendance.

Adam Chorneyko of the Pronghorns men's hockey team was named Canada West rookie of the year after a season in which he led all freshmen with 16 goals and 35 points. Defenceman Ryan Pottruff and centre Dustin Moore were named to the Canada West First All-Star Team while goaltender Scott Bowles was named to the second team.

Dr. David Renter (Music) has been invited to be the composer-in-residence at this year's prestigious Stella Royce Music Camp, July 26-30 in Grand Rapids, Mich. He will be debuting a series of original solo piano compositions of varying difficulty for students aged 8-15.

Fourth-year point guard Jeff Price was named to the Canada West men's basketball Second All-Star Team after a stellar first season with the Pronghorns men's basketball program.

Nursing student Alexandra Tritten-Champoux recently received one of seven United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) scholarships awarded to students in their first year of nursing study. The winners needed to be related to a UNA member in good standing and complete an essay on How does the UNA impact nursing worklife?

Music faculty Dr. Janet Youngdahl, Dr. Sandra Stringer, Dr. Blaine Hendsbee and retired music professor Dr. George Evelyn were soloists with the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra's presentation of Haydn's The Creation on Mar. 29.

Dr. Ed Jurkowski (Music) presented, Random Sounds or Organized Structure? What the Compositional Sketches tell us about Morton Feldman's Late Music, last month at the annual meeting of the Pacific-Northwest Chapter of the American Musicological Society.

Classical duo celebrated

trevor.kenney — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:07:07 +0000

The musical event, "Schumann and Chopin: Hearts Alive at 200" on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall pays homage to Robert Schumann and Frederic Chopin by celebrating the timeless music these composers created during their lifetimes.

The year 2010 marks the bicentennial birthdays for both composers, making it the perfect time to enjoy their exceptional contributions to classical music.

"These composers wrote some of the most beautiful melodies of all time," says music professor Glen Montgomery. "There are many layers to the music they composed; it shows the richness of the minds of both Schumann and Chopin."

The variety of work being presented promises to highlight the evening.

"The program features an array of pieces, performed by faculty in the Music Department," says Montgomery. "Schumann's Frauenliebe und Leben is a beautiful series of pieces to be performed along with the 1st Violin Sonata played by Peter Visentin and a set of 3 Fantasy Pieces performed by Peggy Mezei."

The evening concludes with the B Minor Sonata by Chopin, performed by Montgomery.

Tickets are available for $15 regular and $10 student/senior at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Box Office (403-329-2616).

Events Calendar - November

trevor.kenney — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:12:30 +0000

Pronghorn Athletics

Men's Hockey

Nov. 13-14 | Alberta vs. Pronghorns
7 p.m. nightly, Nicholas Sheran Arena

Nov. 27-28 | Alberta vs. Pronghorns
7 p.m. nightly, Nicholas Sheran Arena

Women's Hockey

Nov. 20-21 | Manitoba vs. Pronghorns
7 p.m. nightly, Nicholas Sheran Arena

Basketball

Nov. 6-7 | Regina vs. Pronghorns
Women's game, 6 p.m.; Men's game, 8 p.m. nightly, 1st Choice Savings Centre gym

Nov. 13 | Trinity Western vs. Pronghorns
Women's game, 6 p.m.; Men's game, 8 p.m., 1st Choice Savings Centre gym
Nov. 14 | Fraser Valley vs. Pronghorns
Women's game, 6 p.m.; Men's game, 8 p.m., 1st Choice Savings Centre gym

Nov. 20-21 | Manitoba vs. Pronghorns
Women's game, 6 p.m.; Men's game, 8 p.m. nightly, 1st Choice Savings Centre gym

Lectures

Nov. 4 | Art Now: Vancouver artist Isobelle Pauwels | Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Nov. 5 | What I've Learned about being Human from Studying . . .
Lecture Series | Organizations: How Collectives Shape Who We Are and What We Do | Dr. Janelle Enns Gordon, Management, U of L
7 p.m., Lethbridge Public Library

Nov. 6 | Art Now: Dana Claxton
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Nov. 9 | Art Now: Cameron Bailey
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Nov. 9 | Architecture & Design Now: Toronto architect Stephen Teeple
6 p.m., C610

Nov. 12 | What I've Learned about being Human from Studying . . . Lecture Series | Canadian and Northwest Coast Native Art: Sometimes It's Necessary to Trespass Borders | Dr. Les Dawn, Art, U of L
7 p.m., Lethbridge Public Library

Nov. 16 | Architecture & Design Now: Toronto architect Ian MacDonald | 6 p.m., C610

Nov. 17 | Women Scholars Speaker Series – Deborah MacLatchy
From Lab Coat to Business Suit: Perspectives on Science and Academic Administration
12 noon to 2 p.m., AH100

Nov. 18 | Aboriginal Speakers Forum – Sharon Goulet | The Power of Stories in Aboriginal Research
9:30 to 11 a.m., B716

Nov. 18 | Art Now: Tor Lukasik-Foss
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Nov. 20 | Art Now: Tricia Middleton
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Nov. 23 | Art Now: Kathryn Walter
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Nov. 23 | Architecture & Design Now: Kathryn Walter
6 p.m., C610

Nov. 25 | Art Now: Rebecca Miller
Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Nov. 27 | Art Now: Montreal painter Etienne Zack | Noon, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Nov. 30 | Architecture & Design Now: Esther Shipman
6 p.m., C610

Performances

Nov. 5-7 | Positive Space by Ian McFarlane | A unique performance exploring various aspects of theatre
8 p.m. nightly, David Spinks Theatre. Matinee, 2 p.m., Nov. 7

Nov. 7 | Dale Ketcheson & Friends
Classical guitar from U of L music professor Dale Ketcheson
8 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall

Nov. 10 | Music at Noon: Gerard Gibb (oboe), Sarah Gieck (flute), Margaret Mezei (clarinet), Glen Montgomery (piano) | 12:15 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Nov. 17 | Music at Noon: Musaeus String Quartet with Jesse Plessis (piano) | 12:15 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Nov. 23 | Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra | With special guests and U of L music majors Matthew Blackburn (piano) and arranger Jesse Plessis | 8 p.m., Southminster Church

Nov. 24 | Music at Noon: Arthur Rowe (piano) | 12:15 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Nov. 24-28 | Festen by David Eldridge | A time of celebration is undermined by revelations that pierce and destroy the veneer of middle-class respectability
Nightly, 8 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Theatre

Nov. 27 | Wind and Song
Featuring U of L Wind Orchestra and Vox Musica | 8 p.m., Southminster Church

Nov. 28 | Season of Joy
With the U of L Singers and Women's Chorus | 8 p.m., Southminster Church

Dec. 1 | Music at Noon: Dr. Brian Shaw (trumpet) | 12:15 p.m., ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Recital Hall, W570

Miscellaneous

Nov. 3 | Keys to Living Well – Student Workshop | The Road to Happiness – how to buffer yourself against stress and depression | 12:30 to 1:20 p.m., AH119

Nov. 6 to Jan. 8, 2010 | To Mark on Surface | Dana Claxton new video installation | U of L Main Gallery
Opening reception, 4 p.m., Nov. 6

Nov. 12 to 14 | Darwin Symposium
International Symposium on Darwinism

Nov. 17-21 | The Monotheatrum
Hamilton artist Tor Lukasik-Foss creates a performance space for a single musician | U of L Atrium

Nov. 21 | Culture Vulture Saturday
Luck of the Draw – Colour by Numbers | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., U of L Main Gallery

Through Jan. 3, 2010 | art + people = x continues | Darcy Logan presents recent paintings | Helen Christou Gallery | Opening Reception, 4 p.m., Nov. 6

Steacy comfortable on any stage

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:43:20 +0000

When Heather Steacy takes the stage, it's all about technique – whether she's in a throwing circle or a recital hall.

"I think there are a lot more similarities with hammer (and weight) throw and music than there are with other sports," the 20-year-old, third-year music major says. "In hammer, you have to have pretty much perfect technique to be able to stay in control the whole time and be able to release in the sector, so I think it's quite similar to music."

"I started playing piano when I was five and have been doing Kiwanis Music Festivals ever since, so I've never really had an opportunity to develop big issues with nervousness like some people have," she says. "I don't really get nervous. I get jitters every once in a while, but I've learned how to control it over the years, and it doesn't affect me very much."

That was on display in her first appearance at CIS nationals in the spring of 2007. Just 18 years old at the time, Steacy shocked everyone by winning gold. A year later, she'd defend her title, throwing a still personal best distance of 17.93 metres and dominating the competition by more than a half metre.

"My first year was pretty surprising because I didn't expect to win at all," Steacy says. "Last year, it was nice to be able to do it a second time. I had been training really hard and throwing well, and I always find I compete well at the big meets."

Steacy is on a career path that will lead to bigger and bigger meets down the road. It's a journey already traveled by another Steacy, older brother Jim. The Canadian Olympian and multiple Canadian champion and record holder casts a long shadow, but Heather has learned to reap as much as she can from Jim's experience.

Steacy is preparing for her third CIS championship appearance, Mar. 12-14 in Windsor, Ont. She opened the season with a secondplace showing at the Golden Bear Open meet in January and while not taking gold is somewhat of an oddity, Steacy says she welcomes more challengers to a relatively unknown sport.

"There's getting to be a lot more girls competing now, which is a good sign," she says. "There will actually be people to compete with now instead of just going and throwing by yourself, competing against yourself all the time."

"It's kind of nice coming to school where there are people who have no idea what I do," she says. "It's neat being able to explain things (about hammer), but it's also nice not being asked all the time. It's nice to have that contrast in my life."

That disparity also seems to create a student-athlete balance that leads to excellence in both arenas.

GET THE FACTS

• The hammer throw is an outdoor sport where the women heave a 4kg ball (8.8 lbs) attached to a metal wire 119.5 cm in length (three feet, 11 inches). The weight throw is an indoor sport where the women toss a 20lb weight attached only to a handle

• Steacy won the CIS weight throw gold last year with a throw of 17.93m, nearly two metres better (15.97m) than her win in 2007

• Her summer competition schedule could include trips to Prince Edward Island (Canada Games), Serbia (World ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Games) and Lebanon (Francophone Games)

• Steacy started playing clarinet in Grade 5, taking lessons from U of L music professor Peggy Mezei

Aguilar headlines International Dinner lineup

trevor.kenney — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:26:10 +0000

Mexican exchange student Cesar Aguilar came to Canada under inconspicuous pretence – he just wanted to learn English. When he opened his mouth however, everyone quickly took notice.

Blessed with a singing voice as melodic and pure as it is unique, the 18-year-old first-year ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge music student will highlight the ethnic entertainment at the 17th Annual International Dinner, Feb. 12 in the U of L Atrium.

Aguilar has been in Canada since September 2006, turning what was a planned six-month stay into a now burgeoning career as a classical vocalist. He initially shuffled between Sundre and Olds, Alta. as a foreign exchange student who was supposed to spend one semester learning English and Canadian customs. It turned out he liked the Alberta way and decided to stay. He also let us in on a secret – his voice.

"I used to sing a lot and I would sing traditional Mexican music, what they call ranchera," Aguilar says of his childhood in Cuernavaca, Morelos, a city of approximately 400,000 people just 45 minutes south of Mexico City. "I would be all dressed up like this charro with a big sombrero, and I just loved it."

His vocal styling at that time was in a low pitch he used to imitate other popular singers, but under the tutelage of a Mexican teacher, he was encouraged to sing in his natural pitch, which was considerably higher. His sound would mature over time, but as he went through a natural voice change, he somehow maintained a high pitch in his singing. Now he trains as a counter-tenor, an exceedingly rare gift.

"At the beginning, you can see people's reaction when I perform, the looks on their faces," Aguilar says. "I talk low, but then when I start singing high, people aren't sure what they are listening to."

U of L music professor Blaine Hendsbee knew what he was hearing when he adjudicated Aguilar in a 2007 Kiwanis Music Festival. The two struck a chord and it eventually led to Aguilar coming to the U of L.

"I loved how he adjudicated me," says Aguilar. "I asked him at the end, are there universities here in Canada where you would suggest to pursue my singing?
"He told me of several that are good and have very good music programs but I found they are also very expensive. I had heard the U of L was very good and the only person I really knew was Blaine and the cost of the university was so much better I decided to try and go here."

Having completed his first semester, Aguilar is making the most of his U of L experience. He sang with Vox Musica prior to Christmas and is currently performing with the U of L Singers. All the while he continues to train in opera, knowing full well there are few parts written for counter-tenors.

"For tenors and baritones there is a lot of chances to get into the classic operas," he says. "For counter-tenors it's really hard because you are reduced to a certain narrow repertoire, from the Baroque mainly."

Still, it does not dissuade him from his goal, to be a performance artist.

"I want to go as far as I can in performance," Aguilar says. "I do not need to be rich, it's mainly about enjoying what I do. If you are going to pay me enough to live, then that's fine. I want to travel around and sing."

GET THE FACTS

• Aguilar has already recorded three CDs, including an English recording last summer of Canadian gospel songs he learned while living in Olds

• His mother arranges international student exchanges and has been to Canada to visit Aguilar

• Aguilar distinctly remembers seeing snow for the first time, Sept. 15, 2006, while he was living in Sundre

• Other performances at the International Dinner include belly dancing by Ammena Dance Company, the U of L Global Drums and Japan's Makoto Sakurada

UNews - music professor

Conservatory connects to community

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Conservatory connects to community

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Steacy creates balance on and off track

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Campus Kudos

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Classical duo celebrated

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Events Calendar - November

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Steacy comfortable on any stage

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Aguilar headlines International Dinner lineup

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