June 1, 2017
Dear Students,
I trust that you have had a wonderful year
of growth, achievement, fun and music making. It was a pleasure meeting so many
of you in workshops throughout the year and hearing many of your performances.
Manitoba is certainly blessed with many outstanding school programs and
talented students and teachers.
I am writing to invite you to consider an
opportunity to continue playing after high school. The University of Manitoba Concert Band is open to students from
across campus and the greater Winnipeg community. The ensemble this past year
consisted of 75 players from ages 17 – 37 and only 12 of them were music
majors. Many of our instrumental music majors are in the orchestra or wind
ensemble. The concert band members are incredibly dedicated, passionate and enthusiastic
people who love making music together once a week. Concert Band is a wonderful
way to continue playing, meet new people and get involved in U of M activities.
The group rehearses on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 – 9:30 and performs in four
concerts per year. There is a $60 registration fee for the year applicable to
members not taking concert band for credit. Students enrolled in the course do
not pay the annual fee. The ensemble plays music from level 4-6 and a diverse
range of styles and composers.
New and exciting for the 2017-2018 season
is the opening of the new U of M state of the art rehearsal facilities,
boasting the finest in acoustics and structural engineering. We are very excited
to move into this space in August and start making beautiful music.
Acceptance is determined by audition which
is based on the Manitoba Senior Honour Band etudes which can be found on this
link https://www.mbband.org/honour-concert-bands.
Official audition dates are in late August/early September but if students
prefer to audition before summer holidays begin, this can be arranged. Please
feel free to share this letter with friends at school or in the community. The
concert band has no cap and we welcome players of all ages and backgrounds.
Current high school students are also welcome and encouraged to audition!
I hope you will consider this opportunity
available at the University of Manitoba Desautels
Faculty of Music! If you would like to audition or would like more
information, please email me at Jacqueline.dawson@umanitoba.ca.
You can also visit our website to learn more about the faculty, course offerings
and ensembles http://umanitoba.ca/music/.
I look forward to hearing from you and wish
you much success with the end of the school year! Have a wonderful summer.
Best Wishes,
Prof. J. Dawson
