Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Maisie Sum began at Grebel two years ago in a two-year contract and has been a vibrant addition to Grebel’s community during this time. She has connected with Grebel’s academic and residence students, with the Music Department and the College community in general, and has made significant connections to the University of Waterloo. The Grebel Gamelan, under her direction, has become a cause for much excitement. She has shared it through concerts and workshops at high schools in Waterloo Region including Rockway Mennonite School, to Ontario Mennonite Music Camp, and to Rockway Mennonite Church where she attends. This winter, Maisie taught, with Reina Neufeldt, a course on Music and Peace.
Maisie was the recipient of the 2014 Jaap Kuntz Prize, one of the highest honours in ethnomusicology. The prize recognizes the most significant article in ethnomusicology written by a member of the Society for Ethnomusicology and published within the previous year. Her article was “Music for the Unseen: Interaction between Two Realms during a Gnawa Lila” published in African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music 9.3: 151–182. 2013.
“Professor Sum has been a game changer for us in developing global music at Grebel/UWaterloo and in the church,” explained President Huxman. “She has also been a bridge builder for us in reaching new constituencies in the academy, the community, and in our schools around active peacemaking, global engagement and music-making, especially through the participatory gamelan ensemble.”
“Sum brings with her unique research gifts having won the Jaap Kunst prize for 2014,” noted Dean Bechtel. “She has created an impressive record of community engagement through Grebel’s first Music Symposium, her stewardship of the noon hour concert series, and connection to Mennonite churches–including a planned trip to bring the Grebel Gamelan to Mennonite World Conference. She is a valued colleague at Grebel and we are most happy to give her this position on our team.”