Events

In October 1998, university student Matthew Shepard was targeted for his sexuality. He was kidnapped, severely beaten, tied to a fence and left to die in a lonely field.

Twenty years after that terrible event, we perform Craig Hella Johnson’s bold and transcendent work, which incorporates a variety of musical styles and texts, including passages from Matthew’s personal journal.

Gamelan is the traditional ensemble music of Java and Bali in Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments.  It is taught without notation, which means the students have to memorize their parts.  Directed by artist-in-residence I Dewa Made Suparta, the group plays both traditional Balinese music and modern compositions.

While the term “empire” has come to have strong political connotations, an archaic use of the word simply means to hold absolute power over something or someone. Few who listen to or participate in music could deny its empire!

This is a concert about storytelling.  Surprisingly, Rossini's Barber of Seville is not a story about a rabbit masquerading as a barber but a love story complete with disguises and mistaken identity and love triumphs in the end.  The overture was written for a different opera actually, "Aureliano in Palmira". Rossini borrowed it as he had run out of time.

The UWaterloo Jazz Ensemble consists of approximately 20 jazz aficionados playing standard and non-standard jazz instruments.  Directed by Michael Wood, this ensemble will play a wide selection of popular jazz music.  this concert will feature the music of Sonny Rollins, Ralph Towner, Joe Sealy, Leonard Bernstein and Rodgers & Hart.

Admission is $10/$5 students & seniors

Reception to follow 

Six different Instrumental Chamber Ensemble groups of three to five members will play a lovely selection of classical music.

Pieces will include:

Soprano Bethany Hörst and pianist Mary Castello perform a selection of German lieder.  Exploring themes of birth, love and death, this concert features works by Brahms, Wolf and Schumann.

Cellist Tom Wiebe and pianist Chiharu Iinuma will perform pieces by Chopin, Debussy and Takemitsu.  Thomas Wiebe is Associate Professor of Violoncello at the Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University in London.

This concert is dedicated to the female singers and singer-songwriters who have been influential both to Joni and I as artists, but also to the culture at large. For Joni and I, as female leaders in this music business, paying tribute the female musical heroes who have come before us is both an honour, and feels extremely important and relevant in this current awakening of women's voices, with #metoo and #timesup.

THIS CONCERT IS CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER

A native of Belgium, Steven Vanhauwaert was hailed by the Los Angeles Times’ Mark Swed for his “impressive clarity, sense of structure and monster technique.”  Since then, Mr.