Music at University of Calgary

Music at University of Calgary

University of Calgary. Non-denominational institution founded in 1945 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta and granted autonomy as the University of Calgary in 1966. It has developed a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs.

A Dept of Fine Arts was created within the university in 1959, with Frank Churchley as chairman; Churchley was succeeded in 1964 by A. Malcolm Brown, and Brown by Zoltan Roman, acting chairman 1967-8 during a period of reorganization. The department was redefined as a Faculty of Fine Arts in 1968, with Richard Johnston as dean. Johnston was succeeded by J. Marchbank Salmon in 1973, Salmon by Alan Robertson in 1980, and Robertson by John Peter Lee Roberts in 1987.

Music courses, which had existed at the university since its founding, were consolidated into a Dept of Music within the Faculty of Fine Arts, with Ward Cole as head 1968-73. Subsequent heads were Stanley G. Finn 1973-81, Christine Mather 1981-4, and Eugene Cramer 1984-.

In 1990-1 the Music Dept offered a B ED and a B MUS (school music, elementary or secondary; performance; theory and composition; history and literature). A graduate department, inaugurated in 1979, offered an MA (musicology), an M MUS (composition, school music) and two graduate level diplomas, one in the Kodály concept of music education and one in conducting. In the 1989-90 academic year the department had 165 students and 47 teachers (26 full-time and 21 sessional). The university has conferred honorary degrees on Ernesto Vinci and Violet Archer.

Other prominent faculty members have included Allan Bell, Donald Bell, Lois Choksy, Victor Coelho, Eugene Cramer, Quenten Doolittle, Lise Elson, Marilyn Engle, Charles Foreman, Alexander Gray, William Jordan, and John Searchfield.

In 1990 facilities included two concert halls, a library, a music resource centre and listening laboratory (of which a component was the record collection of the broadcaster Allan Sangster), an electronic music studio, and a computer music studio. The university library tower became the home of the Canadian Music Centre (Prairie region), opened in 1980. Concerts and recitals at the university have been presented in student series, faculty series, and the Celebrity Series. Visiting performers and teachers have appeared frequently. Performing groups under department sponsorship have included the Chamber Choir, Women's Choir, University Chorus, University SO, University Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Camerata and the Blue Band and Red Band Jazz Ensembles. There have been numerous opera productions. The department hosted a festival and symposium, 'Music in the Age of Galileo,' in April 1989 and hosted the 10th International Kodály Symposium in 1991.

The Banff SFA was affiliated 1966-78 with the University of Calgary, the university acting as steward for the school during those years.

See also Archives; Libraries.