‘What if I told you I’m a mastermind?’ The Taylor Swift effect
Dr. David Metzer, UBC musicology professor on Swift’s unique brand and music, “I always joke with my classes about Wikipedia … they’re always trying to pigeon hole things into genres. But even this one defied them…I find this quite fascinating, that she’s now in a sound world which I don’t know how to classify.” / The Ubyssey
Announcing the UBC Concerto Competition winners!
Congratulations to saxophonist Sunny Wu (BMUS ‘27) for winning First Prize for his performance of Jacques Ibert’s “Alto Saxophone & Orchestra”.
Vancouver Chamber Choir presents East / West 동과서
Program sets music from guest conductor Dr. Hyejung Jun’s native Korea side by side with Western compositions.
2024 was the ‘year of pop music.’ These are the 5 songs Vancouverites streamed most
“artists this year, and particularly young female artists, harnessed the expectations of pop music — the catchy melodies, bright vocals and conventional song structure — to deliver more sincere storytelling…” ~ UBC Professor, Musicology Dr. David Metzer / CBC News
Vancouver’s Morna Edmundson, Stan Douglas, and Ryan Reynolds appointed to the Order of Canada
Dr. Morna Edmundson (BMus’81, LittD’23) is receiving the Order of Canada during her final year as the Vancouver choir’s artistic director, after 38 years. She also serves as president of Choral Canada.
Opera West Society presents Massenet’s Manon with UBC Opera, March 28 and 30
Riveting French Romantic production stars internationally acclaimed soprano Emily Pogorelc in the titular role / Photo: Emily Pogorelc. Photo by Joe Mazza, Brave Lux Inc. / Stir Vancouver
Research and Publications: Seeing Voices by Anabel Maler
Seeing Voices by Anabel Maler looks at music creation and understanding by the Deaf community and what this can teach us about how humans engage with music.
Dr. Dylan Robinson is a new member of the Royal Society of Canada
Dr. Dylan Robinson is a new member of the Royal Society of Canada and shares about his work on addressing the appropriation of Indigenous song and culture in classical music and opera.
UBC Choirs and the VSO premiere Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion in Canada
UBC Director of Choral Activities Dr. Graeme Langager said it was an “epic performance” and a “highlight” of the decades-long collaboration between UBC’s choirs and the VSO. The two UBC ensembles came together to premiere Dun’s piece in Canada./ Fiona Sjaus for the Ubyssey/ Photo: Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. Anabel Maler and Dr. Robert Komaniecki receive Emerging Scholar Article Award
Their research looks at the rhythmic techniques of ‘dip hop’. A subgenre of hip hop that involves a Deaf or hard-of-hearing artists simultaneously performing vocalized and signed rapping over a looped background beat.