Grebel on the Road
While Grebel is physically located in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, Grebel alumni can be found across the world! On occasion, Grebel staff and faculty travel beyond provincial borders to meet alumni, friends, and prospective students. At the end of October, Grebel’s presence in Winnipeg, Manitoba included both recruitment activities and a music premiere, bringing together several Grebel-related activities in one city.
Grebel’s Recruitment Coordinator Gemma Ricker-Rampersad stopped in to visit colleagues at Canadian Mennonite University, and also met with students at Westgate Collegiate and Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute who were interested in a Mennonite residence experience at a high-tech university. “It’s fun meeting high school students who are looking for a STEM-based post-secondary program but still want to live in a small, supportive community,” said Gemma. “Students who live at Grebel can study in any program at the University of Waterloo.”
Grebel Music Professor Karen Sunabacka was in Winnipeg for the premiere of her new ten-minute composition for eight cellos at the Agassiz Cello Festival. She was also a special guest in two Westgate music classes during this visit, offering a special workshop on composition inspired by the Canadian Prairies.
Titled Water, Reeling and Kin, Karen’s piece was commissioned by the Agassiz Chamber Music Series Cello Festival. “A cello encompasses the range of the human voice, from bass through soprano and has a warmth that reflects the relationships formed between peoples from different continents,” Karen explained. “The cello can also mimic the sounds of a fiddle, an instrument that became a central figure in each gathering of the Métis peoples and was a prominent soundscape in my own childhood.” The spoken text of the piece was written by Joyce Clouston, Karen’s mother, based on their ongoing historical research. “This piece tells a general story of the ancestors of my English Métis family. The tender ties formed between my Scottish/Orkney ancestors and their First Nation wives is the reason I exist. The music is inspired by my own experience with Northern lights, water, rapids, wind and paddling rivers and lakes. Along with this I include excerpts of fiddle tunes by Métis fiddler Andy De Jarlis – Moccasin Reel, Jack Pine Trail and Surveyors Reel. This is to convey families gathering and growing with fiddling, singing, and dancing.”
Grebel alumni and friends from the Winnipeg area were invited for a small reception before the concert to learn about Grebel today, enjoy treats, and meet the composer.
Karen Sunabacka (left) her sister, and her mother at the reception.