Teachers and Mentors
-
Dr Gordon Fitzell
Gordon Fitzell joined the Faculty of Music in 2005. He teaches music theory and composition, and leads the interdisciplinary Experimental Improv Ensemble (XIE). Gordon has received many national and international performances, commissions and awards, including first prize in the electroacoustic music category at the CBC Radio National Competition for Young Composers. His scholarly interests include correlations between philosophy and music, notably the application of phenomenological constructs to the study of music experience. Gordon is also a guitarist, sound diffuser and electronic improviser.
-
Professor Örjan Sandred
-
Dr Michael Bass Matthews
Michael Matthews’ music has been performed in countries around the world. The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra premiered the newly commissioned work The Language of Water in September 2006. In July his work The Skin of Night was premiered at the World Saxophone Congress in Ljubljana, Slovenia. October 2005 saw the performance of Away, Tear Away at the prestigious Cervantino Festival in Mexico. In May of 2005 he oversaw the world premiere of his chamber opera Prince Kaspar, and also conducted the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra in the premiere of his Cello Concerto. In 2002 the world premiere recording of his Symphony No. 1 was released on TNC Records; Virko Baley conducted the Kiev Camerata Orchestra.
-
Constantine Caravassilis
Constantine Caravassilis is a prolific composer of solo, chamber, orchestral, electroacoustic, vocal and operatic works. Hailed as “the most important Hellenic-descent composer of his generation” (Jazz & Tzaz), commanding a “beyond the ordinary sense of musicality”, Constantine’s music is “constantly charged with emotion and energy in a profoundly individual style” (RCM). He is laureate of the 4th International Composition Competition of Volos city, Greece (three gold medals in the solo, quartet and piano-vocal categories), and won first prize in the Canadian Composers category at the 2006 Syrinx Flute Festival’s competition in Winnipeg. His music has been performed in Russia, Cyprus, Germany, France, Denmark, the U.K., Greece, Turkey and Japan, as well as throughout Canada and the United States. He has served as composer-in-residence with Open Strings in Frederiksdal, Denmark, the Contemporary Opera Lab of the University of Manitoba, and most recently, with the 2007 London Song Festival in Britain, (funded by Arts Council England). Selected compositions and arrangements appear on Marquis and have been recorded by the CBC and broadcast internationally (WGBH Radio in Boston, BBC 3 in Wales, TDK Radio in Tokyo and CNN Turk in Ankara). He frequently collaborates with the Parisian Caravassilis String Quartet and mezzo soprano Ariana Chris.
-
John Racaru
Violinist John Racaru is the Artistic Director and founder of 'Musica Speciale', one of Winnipeg and Canada's newest emerging Concert Series. He is an enthusiastic performer of compositions of Manitoba composers such Michael Matthews, Orjan Sandred, Sid Robinovitch and lately Paul Levasseur.
John Racaru was awarded the production grand from Manitoba Arts Council in 2007 for 'Musica Speciale' and in spring of 2008 he appointed Paul Levasseur composer in Residence with Musica Speciale Concert Series, whose mission is to perform unique, rarely played and unusual compositions, including new music.
He is a graduate of the University 'George Enescu' in Romania with M.M. & B.M. in violin, and studied with the renowned 'Juilliard' teacher Dorothy DeLay and famous violinist Tibor Varga in Switzerland and composition with Constantin Pautza and Anton Zemann. He held the positions of Associate Concertmaster with Regina Symphony, and violinist with Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra under Bramwell Tovey and Kazuhiro Koizumi and also with Thunder Bay Symphony. He also held the position of Assistant Professor at the University of North Dakota.
Currently, John Racaru teaches at the University of Manitoba School of Music, and is a performer (classical, jazz, folk, new age), composer and promoter of his concert series, Musica Speciale.
Other Links
-
Groundswell: New Music Now
-
Studio Flat: Studio for Computer Music
-
Giorgio Magnanensi
A composer of orchestral, chamber, electro acoustic, and multimedia works that have been successfully performed and awarded throughout Europe, in Asia and North America, Giorgio Magnanensi is also a renowned conductor of new music.
-
Vancouver New Music
-
Young Lungs Dance Exchange
Young Lungs Dance Exchange is a network of artists committed to creating and contributing to the arts in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Originally conceived in 2003 by a small group of recent graduates of Winnipeg's School of Contemporary Dancers, the goal was to provide a supportive framework for independent dancers and artists in the community. Today, Young Lungs Dance Exchange is a robust network of photographers, actors, poets, musicians and dancers. Through an exchange of skills and resources, this network facilitates a range of projects centred on promoting collaboration, new creation, and opportunity for emerging artists to explore their voice. It is through these opportunities that we hope to support the growth of performers, choreographers, teachers and the arts community at large.