
Amid this re-opening, I have had the chance to meet with some of our amazing students and alumni, some of whom are featured here. When I attend different arts and cultural events, it is always a pleasure to see AMPD and York University listed in the biographies of our alumni. Publicly listing affiliation with our School and York not only builds connections to current and past students, but also increases the attention and opportunities for all of our emerging graduates. I hope that you will join me in proudly identifying with the great programs in AMPD and York. As was recently highlighted in Maclean’s Magazine, our School is one of the areas that is internationally renowned at York. You — our faculty, alumni, students and staff — are the reason for this reputation and success.
Those of you outside the University community can also connect with our students by becoming a mentor through the “ Connecting YU” network. This new online network builds community and offers our students the benefit of your experience and knowledge. Thanks to everyone who has already signed up to mentor. For those who have not yet joined, signing up is easy and you can set the degree of involvement that fits your schedule as we connect a global network of artists, scholars, designers, creators and leaders across our disciplines.…
And what amazing company to keep! In just the last few weeks, award-winning musician and current MA student, Sarah Slean, gloriously performed at our annual alumni awards event as did the Oscar Peterson Scholarship Trio, led by Prof. Mike Cadó. The accomplished designer, Deborah Lau-Yu continues to communicate through her elegant designs, while Corey Ross has literally immersed us in art. Across the city, Toronto theatres are led by Theatre@York alumni moving live arts back from the pandemic. Film and Media Arts students continue to define their industries and the future of entertainment for us all. Uniting these disciplines, we were honoured to recognize the music producer, philanthropist and OVO co-founder, Noah ‘40’ Shebib with an honorary doctorate for his many contributions and accomplishments in music and culture.
We are also delighted to celebrate the ground-breaking for the new Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University. Located in the heart of AMPD and the Keele campus, the ceremony itself was accompanied by the delighted sounds of students moving through the nearby passageways. It was an excellent reminder that it is the students and the dynamic, bustling interactions among faculty members, students and staff who create a great University that is enriched and enlivened through its commitment to the arts.
Of course, challenges remain. The School of AMPD, its students, faculty and staff continue to work through the effects of the pandemic. We know that students who have experienced the worst of lockdowns and lack of arts access in secondary schools can find it more challenging to navigate the rigors of university arts programs. Our international students may experience these transitions even more intensely, especially when in the midst of global turmoil.
Thankfully, we have a dedicated community that continues to unite to support each other and all our students through these transitions. Contributions from supporters like you have created emergency scholarship funds to assist students in need and to enable a supportive peer network of students who are helping each other. Your contributions to AMPD go directly to our students through scholarships, equipment replacements, new experiential education opportunities and facility upgrades.
Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for the arts at York and I look forward to welcoming you to campus again soon.
Warmly,
Sarah
Gratitude

The Dean’s Circle is the name given to our group of monthly donors, which has – incredibly – doubled in members in the last 3 years alone! Monthly gifts to AMPD provide us with a predictable, stable source of revenue that we can depend on to help support new and innovative programs and projects. If you are interested in learning how an act of giving back – at any level – can make a genuine difference in the lives of our students visit the Dean’s Circle page.
We are also so excited to invite you to join our brand new platform and help build a thriving online AMPD community, past and present, as part of Connecting YU. The private and advertising-free platform is designed for and by the AMPD community. On Connecting YU, you can seek or offer mentoring support to current AMPD students or other alumni, seek out industry peers to build your network, keep up to date on AMPD events and more.
Click here to join, and stay in touch with other alumni, current students, faculty and friends! we can’t wait to see you in the AMPD group on Connecting YU!
As always, our most sincere thanks for your support. If you have any questions about giving to AMPD, please contact Len Milley at lenm@yorku.ca or 647-285-5712.
York University and the Art Gallery of York University are celebrating the official groundbreaking for the new Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University (GGYU)
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Read articleOVO’s Noah “40” Shebib offers a message to AMPD grads about the power of hard work
Noah Shebib offers a message to grads about the power of hard work Actor, cultural leader, multiple Grammy Award-winning music producer and philanthropist, Noah “40” Shebib, was at York University …
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Corey Ross brings van Gogh to life with immersive exhibitions
When Corey Ross (BA ’95, MBA ’00) was an undergrad, he bought a reproduction of Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night at York University’s annual poster sale. Now van Gogh …
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Canadian recording star Sarah Slean prepares at AMPD for tribute concert series
Canadian recording star Sarah Slean is back as a student at York, polishing her composition skills while preparing to tour the country with a series of Joni Mitchell tribute concerts …
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Deirdre Kelly talks the analogue revolution
When everyone got bored of staring at their screens during the lockdowns, an arts and crafts revival movement took hold – a rebellious reaction to the dominance of the digital …
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Theatre @ York gracefully tackles bespoke David Yee play “Love in the Time of Werewolves”
Theatre @ York returns to the traditional way of theatre-making with playwright David Yee’s new play, Love in the Time of Werewolves. Maggie Basset Award-winning director Diana Belshaw led 30 …
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140 high school students visit AMPD for a day of musical exploration with Music alumni homecoming
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Embodying climate change: Dance Innovations 2022 showcases inspiring new student work
Dance Innovations 2022: Escalate featured new choreographic works by 23 fourth-year dance BFA students. Performed by students in all years of York’s undergraduate program in dance, this series engages with social …
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Alum Michelle Peraza wins 2022 Petry Award
Nancy Petry Foundation and the Joe Plaskett Foundation announced AMPD alum Michelle Peraza (MFA 2022) as the recipient of the 2022 Petry Award. The award recognizes Peraza as an outstanding …
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Over 200 film lovers gather for CineSiege 2022
In its 20th year, 200 community members and film lovers celebrated cinema in-person at Paradise Theatre on October 24, 2022 with CineSiege 2022. The event featured a juried selection of shorts …
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Over 25 AMPD community members dazzle at TIFF
Over 25 AMPD community members premiered pieces at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). From Lina Rodriguez’s (MFA’ 20) sensitive and subtle return to the screen to Antoine Bourges’ (MFA’ 18) portrait of Toronto’s …
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AMPD alumni, students, faculty receive over 20 Dora award nominations
Over 20 AMPD community members were named nominees by Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) at the 42nd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards nomination ceremony on August 29, 2022. …
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AMPD students join award-winning Fae Pictures’ newest production at York Motion Media Studios at Cinespace Studio
AMPD students join award-winning Fae Pictures’ newest production at York Motion Media Studios at Cinespace Studio Five AMPD students will be working on-set with Fae Pictures’ newest feature film, Queen …
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Vania Lizbeth Chan joins Vancouver Playhouse’s CHINATOWN
AMPD alum Vania Lizbeth Chan (BFA, PhD) joined the Vancouver Playhouse’s CHINATOWN, with libretto by Madeleine Thien, music by AlicePing Yee Ho, and Hoisan translation by Paul Yee. CHINATOWN examines …
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Celebrating Christina: Christina Petrowska Quilico in Recital
For over 35 years, world-renowned pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico has been instrumental in developing future generations of music industry changemakers at the York University School of Arts, Music, Performance and …
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AMPD and the Allan I. Carswell Observatory welcome attendees of all ages to their Halloween Astronomy Extravaganza
It was an evening of fright-filled, inspirational and educational in equal parts. The Halloween Astronomy Extravaganza comprised of two ticketed events, the first – Herschel 200th Anniversary: Astronomy, Music, Extraterrestrials …
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Eric Armstrong and York faculty create Open Educational Resources, advancing UN SDGs
Faculty develop innovative Open Educational Resources (OER) that are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and reveal the positive impact on teaching and learning. Faculty members who are …
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The Inaugural York University Game Jam addresses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
On November 4 to 6, the first-ever York University Game Jam offered students the opportunity to conceptualize, design, and build a functioning game as a team. Participants created a game …
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AMPD celebrates a ‘Year of the Arts’
From September 2022 to May 2023, the York University School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (AMPD) will host a Year of the Arts to celebrate the power of …
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Philippine consulate general in Toronto and York University sign deed of donation to implement a Philippine studies program
The Philippine Consulate General in Toronto and York University signed a Deed of Donation to implement a Philippine Studies Program. The Philippine Government will donate around $116,000.00 to York University …
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Prof. Ali Kazimi’s documentary explores little-known struggle of the Sinixt people
Twenty-seven years in the making, School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design Film Professor Ali Kazimi’s documentary about an autonomous Indigenous people’s struggle to overturn their legal extinction is set …
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Prof. Christina Petrowska Quilico named 2021 Order of Ontario appointee
The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Chancellor of the Order of Ontario, announced AMPD Professor of Musicology and Piano and world-renowned pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico’s appointment to …
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CERLAC Resource Centre hosts ‘Black and Women’s Voices’ digital collection
A sample of documents that represent “Black and Women’s Voices” is now available in digitized format from the Resource Centre collections of York’s Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean …
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How “Groundworks” re-stories land through creative reclamation
“Groundworks”, produced by AMPD Professor Ian Garrett with Toasterlab for Vision Maker Media, follows four California Native dance professionals as they create “Groundworks”, a dance performance on Alcatraz Island for …
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York-led symposium explores Indigenous media art archives
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Research supports development of inclusive technologies to enhance quality of living
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York U hosts Ontario’s only in-person National Portfolio Day event following two-year hiatus
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Nuit Blanche + RUTAS Symposium: A Home for Our Migrations
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Toronto’s premiere international dance festival and AMPD explore post-pandemic dance evolution
The York University School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design (AMPD) is delighted to be partnering with Toronto’s premiere international dance festival, Fall for Dance North (FFDN), for a …
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Shital Desai named York Research Chair in Accessible Interaction Design
Eight researchers across York University will join the York Research Chairs (YRC) program – the University’s internal counterpart to the national Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program which recognizes outstanding researchers. …
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Patrick Alcedo recognized with Top 25 Canadian Immigrant award
Chair Patrick Alcedo has been named one of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants of 2022. Alcedo was selected from a list of 75 finalists nominated by the Canadian public for …
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AMPD welcomes five new staff members
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