Music News

Where does a composer look for inspiration? For York University Professor Stephanie Martin, an accomplished composer and conductor in the Department of Music, history provides fertile ground. Captivated by the true story of a Canadian hospital ship, the Llandovery Castle, torpedoed by a German U-boat in the Celtic Sea on June 27, 1918, she chose to write an opera, with librettist Paul Ciufo, to commemorate the nurses of the ill-fated ship.

A new, full-year capstone course is being pilot tested this fall at York University. C4: The Cross-Campus Capstone Classroom brings together third- and fourth-year students from different faculties into multidisciplinary teams focused on solving pressing, real-world challenges posed by organizations operating in both the for-profit and not-for-profit worlds. C4 partners include the Yonge Street Mission, the Al and Malka Green Artists’ Health Centre, Glendon’s Globally Networked Learning Project, and Panoplo Inc.— among many others.

The purpose of the awards are to raise awareness on the important work that sustainability champions are doing at York, to provide much deserved recognition of their work, and to encourage others to get involved in sustainability initiatives on our campuses.

Bruce Cassidy, a musician and composer who has been a fixture in Toronto’s jazz scene for decades, has earned a Master’s degree at the age of 81. Audra Brown with what the York University student says he plans to accomplish next.

Paul Gross, an eminent Canadian actor, writer, director, producer, musician and arts supporter, received an honorary doctor of laws from York University on June 17 during afternoon convocation ceremonies for graduands of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.

York doctoral student in music Heidi Chan has been chosen to participate in the highly competitive International Doctoral Workshop in Ethnomusicology, held at the Center for World Music at the University of Hildesheim and Hanover University of Music, Drama & Media in Germany.

Now celebrating it's 40th anniversary, The Dora Mavor Moore Awards are Canada's longest-running professional theatre, dance and opera awards. The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts rolls out the red carpet Tuesday, June 25 at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts and many alumni from the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to the hottest shows in Toronto last year. 

A northern light will shine through the performance of Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, May 25.

York University music Professor Lisette Canton will conduct the New England Symphonic Ensemble; vocal soloists Danielle Talamantes, soprano, and Rob McGinness, baritone; and a choir, more than 165 voices, including The York University Singers, the Philharmonic Choir of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Coro Vivo Ottawa, and the Grand Choeur du Conservatoire de Musique de Gatineau.