A studio of one’s own
Music production has seen a huge technological shift in recent years, but what has not been as quick to change is the diversity of the people behind the soundboard. Innovators Hildegard Westerkamp (BMus’72) and Kiran Bhumber (BMus’14) talk about tech, gender, and trusting your inner voice. By Aryn Strickland When Hildegard Westerkamp (BMus’72) looks back on her […]
“You don’t have to fit in a box”: Debi Wong on opera’s potential to create spaces for underrepresented voices
By Aryn Strickland Mezzo soprano Debi Wong (BMus ’08) believes that opera has the potential to create dialogue about underrepresented groups that all too often it goes unrealized. Even at major houses like the Metropolitan Opera, modern productions are still trapped in traditions and tropes which she says have consequences for our society. “If we […]
Composer and conductor Hussein Janmohamed on choral singing, identity, and fostering cultural understanding
By Aryn Strickland As a composer, conductor, and teacher, Hussein Janmohamed (BMus’96, MMus’98, MMus’14) has built a career using choral music to challenge cultural stereotypes and reframe the conversation about race in Canada. Growing up as an Ismaili Muslim in rural Alberta taught him that discrimination was an unfortunate fact of life, even in a […]
Pianist Lucas Wong on finding new ways to inspire audiences and students
Note: This is the first story in a new series that profiles UBC School of Music alumni who have followed interesting and innovative paths to career success. By Andrew Hung It is difficult to give Lucas Wong (BMus’04) a specific label or title. The UBC School of Music alumnus is a concert pianist and recording artist, […]
Engineering’s loss is music’s gain
Kathleen Allan (BMus ‘11) talks about her love of singing, conducting, and writing music; the three-headed monster that is her career; and her return to the West Coast. By Emma Lancaster Math and science whiz Kathleen Allan was anticipating a career in engineering when she stumbled across the composition program at the UBC School of […]
Teaching at the heart of giving
Musicologist Elizabeth Lamberton (MA’78, PhD’88) fondly recalls her time at UBC. She credits her inspiring professors with helping her to discover her own lifelong passion: teaching. By Michelle Keong “I immediately felt that being in front of a class was where I was meant to be,” says Lamberton, who began her career as a sessional […]
A daughter’s privilege: advancing the arts, forestry and medical discoveries
For Dr. Irene Bettinger, the job of giving away money is a privilege, as she gets to choose projects of great consequence in keeping with her parents’ final wishes. Edwina and Paul Heller, a UBC pianist and BC lumber mill owner, were great supporters of music, education and Vancouver’s Jewish community. Having fled Europe shortly […]
Austrian-Canadian Joseph Kandler built musical ties between beloved countries
by Michelle Keong For aspiring classical musicians and performers, there is no better place to learn than in Austria, a country deeply rooted in the traditions of Western music. During her final year of studies at UBC, mezzo-soprano Evanna Chiew (BMus’13) travelled to the Mozarteum International Summer Academy in Salzburg to train with renowned teachers, […]