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Dean's Greetings August 2026
Dear alumni and friends of the Don Wright Faculty of Music,
There is something particularly meaningful about writing to you for the first time as Acting Dean of the Don Wright Faculty of Music. I have spent much of my life at Western Music, first as a student and, over the years, as a professor and colleague. I am enormously proud to be an alumna of this Faculty, and now, as Dean, I have the privilege of helping to shape the next chapter of a place that has shaped so much of my own life.
That shared connection matters deeply to me. Like so many of you, I know what it means to have Western Music as part of my own story. There is something about a music school that stays with us. We remember the people with whom we made music, the professors who challenged and inspired us, the performances that terrified or exhilarated us, and the friendships that began in rehearsal rooms and hallways. Years later, those memories remain remarkably vivid.
As I begin this new role, I want to open our doors even wider to you. I want to hear where life has taken you, what you remember about your time here, and your hopes and ideas for the future of Western Music.
Please reach out. Come back to campus, attend a concert and stop by to say hello. Send me a note or give me a call. If you are travelling through London, let us know you are coming. You remain an important part of the Western Music community, and I want that connection to remain active and meaningful. I hope you will also find new opportunities to connect with one another.
There may be no better time to come back than this year.
Our 2026–27 concert season promises remarkable variety, extraordinary artistry and an abundance of opportunities to experience music together. With more than 350 concerts, recitals and performance events each year, most offered free of charge, there is almost always something happening at Western Music. Our halls come alive with the return of our students in September, and that energy carries through the entire year.
This season will bring remarkable artists to Western while placing our students at the heart of what we do. In October, internationally acclaimed pianist Ingrid Fliter comes to von Kuster Hall as part of our Parsons and Poole Concert and Masterclass Series, created through the generosity and vision of Western alumni. In November, mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska and guitarist Sean Shibe bring their Orlando program to Western through the Vancouver Recital Society Visiting Artist Series, made possible by alumna Elaine Adair.
There will also be wonderful opportunities to see our alumni return and work directly with the next generation of Western musicians. This fall, alumnus Joel Ivany returns to direct our Opera at Western students in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. In March, alumnus Anthony Rodrigues will direct Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi. These connections across generations are an important part of our community, and I look forward to creating more of them.
Around these major events will be the constant rhythm of Western Music, with rehearsals becoming performances, visiting artists working alongside our students, and music filling our halls day after day. The breadth of what happens here is remarkable, but what excites me most is the artistry, imagination and energy of our students. I hope you will come and experience it for yourselves.
None of this would be possible without the extraordinary generosity of our donors. Your support opens doors for our students and creates experiences that can shape their time at Western and remain with them long after they leave us. You play an important part in their lives and in the futures they are building. Our students are enormously grateful, and so are we.
There is tremendous possibility ahead for this Faculty. We will honour what has made Western Music exceptional while continuing to ask what a great music faculty must be for the world our students are entering. I want us to be ambitious, curious and open to new possibilities, and to recognize the important role Western Music can and should play in our broader community. Music connects people, and our Faculty has much to contribute beyond our campus. At the same time, we must never lose sight of something music teaches us particularly well: the most meaningful things we create, we create together.
As an alumna, I could not be more proud to lead Western Music at this moment. I hope you will remain part of what comes next.
My door is open. I hope you will walk through it.
I look forward to seeing you — and sharing a little purple pride together.
Sophie Roland
Acting Dean, Don Wright Faculty of Music