海角社区

As we approach the close of another remarkable year at the Schulich School of Music, we want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible achievements of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. This year, their dedication, creativity, and passion have brought music to life in ways that have inspired our community. From breathtaking performances to groundbreaking research, from personal milestones to collective successes, we have so much to be proud of.听

Sean Ferguson, Dean of the Schulich School of Music, shares: 听

鈥淭he holiday season offers a time to reflect on the year that has passed and recharge for the year ahead. However you celebrate, I encourage you to prioritize rest and time with those who matter most鈥攆amily, friends, and loved ones. Music is at its heart a celebration of connection, and this is the perfect moment to embrace that spirit in your own way!听

As we look ahead to the new year, I am filled with excitement for what鈥檚 to come. The semester ahead promises new opportunities, performances, and discoveries that will continue to showcase the exceptional talent within our community. Together, we will continue to create and inspire and shape the future generations of music makers.鈥澨�

To mark the end of the year, we鈥檝e gathered a list of some of our highlights from 2024鈥攁 small glimpse into the incredible accomplishments of our community over the past year.听

We look forward to hearing about your own successes and new endeavours. Do you have news to share?听Let us know what you鈥檙e celebrating!听

Awards and Competitions听

• Alexander Belser (DMus鈥�24) placed third in Early Music Vancouver鈥檚 second annual Emerging Artist Competition.听Belser鈥檚 research includes a focus on the rediscovery and dissemination of 17th and 18th century Qu茅bec religious orders musical activities. .听

• DownBeat Magazine awarded the 海角社区 Jazz Conglomerate for Outstanding Performance (Small Ensemble Category 鈥擴ndergraduate College) and the 海角社区 Jazz Choir for Outstanding Soloist Award (Large Vocal Ensemble category) in the 47th Annual Student Music Awards. 听

• Composer and saxophonist听Alex Ambroise won the Oliver Jones award at the Montreal Jazz Festival. .听

• Nora and Otto Popescu won 2nd Prize as a piano duo at the Virtuoso & Bel Canto Festival Chamber Music Competition in Lucca, Italy. The win exemplifies their talent and synergy, standing out among participants in a highly competitive field.听.听

• Researcher and Schulich Associate Professor Nicole Biamonte is one of seven 海角社区 researchers that have been awarded Connection Grants by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). To learn more about Professor Biamonte read our In Conversation. 听

• Astrid Nakamura (BMus鈥�22) and Jayden Lee (MMus) were named 2024 laureates of the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation. Astrid鈥檚 award will fund her participation in lessons, auditions, and international competitions over the 2024-25 season. Jayden will use his award to pursue additional studies in New York City with Robert Langevin, Principal Flute of the New York Philharmonic, and to participate in professional orchestra auditions. .听

• Soprano Bridget Esler (BMus 鈥�21) and Jazz bassist Mason Jeffery-Off (BMus) have been听selected听as laureates of the Hnatyshyn Foundation鈥檚 Developing Artist Grant. The $10,000 grant they鈥檒l receive is designed to provide assistance to the most promising young Canadian performing artists. 听

• Professor Dorian Brandy has been awarded the 2024 Marjorie Weston Emerson Award for his article, 鈥淭hema da capo: Another Look at Mozart鈥檚 Embellishments,鈥� published in听Eighteenth-Century Music听in 2022. .听

• Roger Reynolds Wind Concertos, a recording with Professor听Jacqueline Leclair named a top 5 album of the year by Danish Radio P2 Award. Read more about the project. 听

• Pianist Alexey Shafirov (MMus鈥�22, DMus) won the 2024-2025 Classical Concerto Competition and his prize for winning will see him perform at the听Maison symphonique on Friday, February 28, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. Read more.听

• The Horatio Quartet - Justin Saulnier, violin (BMus), Joey Machin, violin (BMus), Alexander Beggs, viola (MMus), and Gabriel Vincent, cello (BMus) - were named the winners of the 2024-2025 Chamber Music Competition. Their prize includes a 5-to-7-day residency at a chamber music festival and performance opportunity at the Canadian Centre for Architecture. Read more.听

• Violinist Justin Saulnier听won the 2024-2025 Golden Violin Award competition and has been awarded a $30,000 scholarship and the opportunity to听perform a recital听at the Canadian Centre for Architecture as part of the Schulich @ Bon-Pasteur series on February 26, 2025.听Read more.听

Appointments听

• Althea SullyCole and Elliot Briton have been appointed as Associate Professors in the Ethnomusicology and Music Composition areas of the Schulich School of Music respectively.听

• Ryan Davis (BMus鈥�14) has been appointed Assistant Professor of Viola at the University of British Columbia School of Music. He was a Golden Violin Award nominee in his final year at the Schulich School of Music in 2014 and Artistic Partner with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra in the 2022-2023 season.听

• Wilhelm Magner (BMus鈥�22, GDP鈥�22) has been appointed the new Assistant Professor of Viola at the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin. He is the first violist in 111 years to receive the prestigious Prix d鈥橢urope and recipient of the Sylva Gelber Award in 2023.听

• Leandro Cardoso (DMus鈥�24) was appointed assistant conductor in residence of the Orchestre Symphonique de Qu茅bec. He also holds the position of Assistant Conductor for the Orchestre 脿 Vents Non Identifi茅.听

Alumni in the News听

• Jingjing Xu (MMus鈥�23) was announced the winner of the 9th Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition in Helsinki this past June. She will be competing in the final rounds of the Neue Stimmen competition at the beginning of October. 听

• Stick&Bow, a cello and marimba duo comprised of Schulich graduates Juan Sebastian Delagado (MMus鈥�13, DMus鈥�17) and Krystina Marcoux (MMus鈥�13), received recognition for their innovative approach to synthesizing classical and contemporary music styles. The duo has a live album to be released in March 2025. 听

• Soprano Henna Mun has been named winner of the 2024 John Christie award after having participated in Glyndebourne鈥檚 2024 festival as a Jerwood young artist. .听