From Bach to beats: How Ryan Davis is redefining the viola’s sound
Blending classical roots with the pulse of folk, electronic, and hip-hop, School of Music professor Ryan Davis—known by his moniker “Radia”—is carving out a space for the viola that is both fresh and timeless. His journey as a violist and composer defies tradition, embracing a fusion of genres to breathe new life into an instrument often overshadowed in classical music./ UBC Faculty of Arts
Vancouver violinist makes epic music for math that ‘changed the human race forever’
UBC Music Alum Jack Campbell (BMus ’24) has created music based on the mathematics used to crack the Enigma code during the Second World War. /Credit: Vancouver is Awesome
Music and Disability Studies Q & A with Dr. Anabel Maler, Professor of Music Theory
“I’d like to suggest that songs like River Song reveal that music can be better defined as organized movement, rather than organized sound. How might this change our understanding of musical expression? What does it mean for movement to become musical?” ~ Dr. Anabel Maler
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’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.