Friday, September 9, 2011

Ensemble joins music school


Photograph by: Submitted photo, for Langley Advance


Award-winning jazz musician Brad Turner and the Turning Point Ensemble kick off the LCMS season next week.

BY ROXANNE HOOPER, LANGLEY ADVANCE
It’s not very often people can eavesdrop on the dialogue between a professional composer and an ensemble developing new works.

But Langley Community Music School students, as well as members of the public, are invited to be part of that process next week, when the school hosts a reading session with alumnus Brad Turner and Turning Point Ensemble (TPE).

While bringing the award-winning composer and jazz musician back to LCMS for the Sept. 16 session is exciting, principal Susan Magnusson is even more thrilled because this will the first chance to showcase the school’s new resident ensemble – TPE.

The 18-member Vancouver-based group has agreed to be the ensemble in residence for the 2011-12 school year, giving students and the public a chance to witness the creative process of music at various events and concerts, Magnusson explained.

“We are thrilled to have this association with the TPE,” she said. “LCMS has a long-standing commitment to the creation and performance of Canadian music, and we are excited to continue this tradition throug hthe TPE residency. It’s a great opportunity for students and concert goers alike.”

Magnusson elaborated that the TPE was formed in 2002 by its musician members, and its mandate is to increase the appreciation of music composed during the past 100 years, linking the music of earlier times to the music of today through innovative programming and outstanding performance.

The ensemble, which was recently honoured with the Rio Tinto Alcan Award for Performing Arts 2011, trumpets their involvement with LCMS with next week’s reading session, which begins Friday, Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Audience members can experience first-hand the dialogue that occurs between professional composer and ensemble as a new work is developed.

This session is part of the Ensemble’s project, The Creative and the Classical, that explores the relationship and reciprocal influence between jazz and classical music.
The ensemble’s residency continues with the Creating Composers project, where students learn and participate in the step-by-step process of creative composition.

The Creating Composers sessions run on Sept. 25, Nov. 20, and 27, and culminate in an informal performance of the compositions by the ensemble for students, their families and guests on Nov. 27, as part of LCMS’ Canadian Music Week celebrations.

“Creating Composers is open to any young musician interested in exploring the composition process,” Magnusson said. “They don’t have to be a student at the school to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

During their tenure, the ensemble will pair works of Igor Stravinsky and Duke Ellington with the premiere performance of a new work by Jazz artist Dave Douglas, as well as the LCMS-commissioned work by Turner, and concludes it residency with a concert on March 30, with the final LCMS Rose Gellert Hall season performance.

“The reading session and Creating Composers project are just two of the many exciting things we have happening in September at LCMS, and throughout the year,” Magnusson said.

Anyone interested in learning more about the programs and events at LCMS should attend the school’s open house on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or call 604-534-2848.
Also on the school’s fall itinerary is the Concert Cafe Classico season opener with Duo Concertante on Friday, Sept. 30 at 10 a.m.

Langley Community Music School is located at 4899 207th St. For more information, visit www.langleymusic.com, or call 604-534-2848. © Copyright (c) Langley Advance

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