Fridays at 12:30 Concert Series
A Don Wright Faculty of Music tradition!
Fridays @ 12:30 Livestream
If you are unable to attend our Fridays concerts in person, you can join us live online instead!
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| Join us for the "Fridays @ 12:30" Concert Series, an eclectic mix of music featuring guest artists, faculty, and students. Concerts are planned to be less than 60 minutes in length, making them a great way to spend your lunch hour! | |
| Please visit the Audience Information page before joining us on campus, and always check the Events Calendar on the day of the event for any schedule changes. | |
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All concerts are free and open to the public in von Kuster Hall in the Music Building from 12:30pm sharp until aprox. 1:20pm. Seating is first come first served. All Fridays performances are also shared via livestream. |
Concert programs are available for download up to one week in advance. |
2024-25 Performances
*Western University faculty member
Friday, September 13
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Lucia Cervoni, mezzo-soprano
Marianna Chibotar-Rutkevich*, piano
The season begins with programmed works reflecting different experiences of love. Love catches us off guard, and as life progresses we—for better or worse—meet the many ways it expresses through us. Join us for a recital that sings about not only what we love, but also how we love. Planned program includes works by G.F. Handel, R. Hahn, E. Grieg, R. Schumann, H. Alfvén, E. Satie and F. Poulenc. Guest artist and alumna Lucia Cervoni, mezzo-soprano, will be joined by collaborative pianist Marianna Chibotar-Rutkevich*.
Friday, September 20
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Jana Starling*, clarinet
Allison Wiebe*, piano
Bright Angel
Join us for a musical offering featuring contemporary works for piano and clarinet from faculty members Jana Starling*, clarinet and Allison Wiebe*, piano. The program is in part a reflection of the architecture of Mary Jane Colter through the piece Bright Angel by Roshanne Etezady, and in theme with this American composition features additional contemporary works for piano and clarinet, including Grooves by Philip Parker.
Friday, September 27
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Deantha Edmunds, soprano, with string quartet
Joseph Lanza*, violin
Mel Martin*, violin
Sharon Wei*, viola
Isaac Lee, cello
The Fridays at 12:30 Concert Series is honoured to welcome back Inuk soprano Deantha Edmunds to share pieces of herself, her experience and reality through original selections from her award-winning Indigenous classical album, Connections. She will also sing sacred selections in Inuktitut from her album Pillorikput Inuit: Inuktitut Arias for All Seasons, as they were sung in Nunatsiavut (the ancestral homelands of Labrador Inuit) 200 years ago. This program will give audiences a glimpse into who Edmunds is, how she walks through this world, and who and what she carries with her. String quartet features faculty members Joseph Lanza and Mel Martin, violins, Sharon Wei, viola, and recent graduate Isaac Lee, cello.
Friday, October 4
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Jonathan Rowsell, tuba
Denis Jiron*, trombone
Kyung Kim*, piano
Reciprocity Recital
Guest artist Jonathan Rowsell, tuba, Denis Jiron*, trombone, and Kyung Kim*, piano with a performance including Patrick McCarty's Sonata for Bass Trombone, Eugène Bozza's New Orleans, Nathan Daughtrey's EvenStar, Steven Verhelst's Devil's Waltz, James N. Meador's Reciprocity, Cait Nishimura's she danced in the rain, and Gary Kulesha's Burlesque.
Friday, October 11
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Alma:
Amelia Daigle, soprano
Daniel Turner, guitar
Guitar and vocal duo Alma explore and perform Spanish music that ranges from Zarzuela to Spanish Art Song. Alma is a classical duo that performs music inspired by Flamenco and Folk Traditions. Amelia Daigle, a Canadian soprano, conceived the project with guitarist Daniel Turner out of her love for opera and folk music. It has since evolved into an into a unique and exciting program that has graced stages in Europe and now, Canada.
Friday, October 25
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Duo Concertante:
Nancy Dahn, violin
Timothy Steeves, piano
Romancing the Rock
Duo Concertante is a JUNO-winning ensemble (Nancy Dahn, violin and Timothy Steeves, piano) with a discography of 13 award-winning CDs, including their all-Schubert album, named one of CBC’s Top Classical Recordings of 2020. Nancy and Timothy have toured globally, appearing in the Wigmore Hall (UK), Carnegie Hall (NYC), The National Arts Centre, and the Forbidden City Hall in Beijing, amongst many others. They are based in Newfoundland, where they are co-Artistic Directors of the annual Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival. We look forward to welcoming them to the stage for a program entitled Romancing the Rock featuring works by Amanda Maier, César Franck and a newly composed piece titled Iridescence by Mexican-Canadian composer Luis Ramirez.
Friday, November 1
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Hocheol Shin, cello
Kyung Kim*, piano
Music of the Americas
South Korean cellist Hocheol Shin and faculty member Kyung Kim* take to the stage with Music of the Americas featuring works that personify the diverse cultural mosaic and heritage of the Americas. Works include Le Grand Tango by Astor Piazzolla, Métis composer and Western grad T. Patrick Carrabré’s Red River, sonata for cello and piano, and Samuel Barber’s epic Sonata for cello and piano.
Friday, November 8 - CANCELLED
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
The Tafelmusik Residency, with concerts previously scheduled for November 8 & 9, was postponed.
New date: Saturday, February 8 at 4pm in von Kuster Hall with Early Music Studio.
Musicians of Tafelmusik Patricia Ahern, violin, and Keiran Campbell, cello, return to Western and take the stage with Early Music Studio faculty members Joseph Lanza*, violin, and Borys Medicky*, keyboard for a concert of baroque works.
Friday, November 22 | INTERNATIONAL WEEK AT WESTERN
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
The Mesmerizing Sounds of Asia Minor
Join us for a cultural mosaic concert delivered with sensitivity and passion by The Light of East Ensemble comprised of Panayiotis Giannarapis (oud, bouzouki, baglama, tzoura, nay), Tracey Atin (vocals), Mary Ashton (violin, harp), Jana Starling* (clarinet, accordion), Jedd House (contrabasso) Dorukhan Turan (percussion, ney, kaval), and Antonia Sidiropoulos (vocals). Their performance will include the timeless rhythms and beautiful melodies of the traditional music of Israel, Greek rembetika, folk and classical Arabic, music of the Ottoman court, and urban modern music from the regions of Armenia, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and Syria. This concert promises to leave audiences in high spirits!
Friday, November 29
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Christine Tithecott* and Friends
Andy Cloutier, guitar
Ronald George*, horn
Patricia Green*, mezzo-soprano
Annette-Barbara Vogel*, violin
Trevor Chartrand, piano
Christine Tithecott*, piano
Far and Wide 2024: Contemporary Canadian Repertoire
This week’s concert showcases contemporary Canadian repertoire performed by pianist Christine Tithecott*, who will be joined on stage by Andy Cloutier, guitar; Ronald George*, horn; Patricia Green*, soprano; Annette-Barbara Vogel*, violin; and Trevor Chartrand, piano to present a diverse musical exploration. The personnel listing was revised Nov. 25
Friday, January 10
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Susan Gouthro, soprano
Marie-Elise Boyer, piano
Singing in the Northland
Western graduate Susan Gouthro, soprano, with collaborator Marie-Elise Boyer, piano, returns to the stage to present Singing in the Northland, a recital of vocal repertoire by living Canadian composers. The planned program features works by Martha Hill Duncan, Matthew Emery, Iman Habibi, and Cecilia Livingston (subject to change).
Personnel update (Nov. 29): Rachel Wood, mezzo-soprano, is no longer performing
Friday, January 24
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Trio Uchida-Crozman-Chiu
Robert Uchida, violin
Cameron Crozman, cello
Philip Chiu, piano
JUNO award-winning pianist, Virginia Parker Prize / CBC Classical Revelation cellist, and Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s Concertmaster are Trio Uchida-Crozman-Chiu and come together to present Schubert's monumental first piano trio. Planned performance works include Ernest Bloch’s Three Nocturnes B. 56 and Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat major D. 898.
This concert is supported by a generous gift from Brenda Rolfe and the Dorothea & Orrin Rolfe Memorial Music Fund.
Friday, January 31
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Thomas Wiebe*, cello
Angela Park*, piano
American Voices
Cellist Thomas Wiebe* and pianist Angela Park* present American Voices—a program featuring selections that delve into the world of American music from the 20th and 21st centuries by Pulitzer Prize winning composers Samuel Barber, Elliott Carter, and Jennifer Higdon.
Friday, February 7
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Kathryn Patricia Cobbler, composer and violist
Unyielding Roots
Composer and violist Kathryn Patricia Cobbler brings Unyielding Roots, a programme of musical works that reflect upon elements of the Caribbean immigrant and African diaspora experience to the series. The art explores a multicultural lens and definitions of beauty against a North American colonial landscape.
Friday, February 28
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Sébastien Malette, bassoon and contrabassoon
Allison Wiebe, piano
Western alumni Sébastien Malette and Allison Wiebe* join together for a performance of all-Canadian repertoire for bassoon/contrabassoon and piano. Works include Élégie for Bassoon and Piano by Jacques Hétu, Lyric Sonatina for Bassoon and Piano by Jean Coulthard and movements 1-5 from A Village of Landscapes by Frank Horvat, a piece that was commissioned by Sébastien Malette and inspired by Michelle Valberg's stirring natural Canadian landscape photography.
Friday, March 14
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
The Looking Glass Ensemble
Shannon Litzenberger, choreographer/dance
Christine Carter, clarinet
Vernon Regehr, cello
Gregory Oh, piano
The Looking Glass Ensemble (Shannon Litzenberger, choreographer/dancer; Christine Carter, clarinet; Vernon Regehr, cello; and Gregory Oh, piano) presents a program of newly imagined interdisciplinary creations including Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel and Randall Woolf’s breathtaking Everything is Green, along with featured repertoire for the clarinet, cello, and piano trio combination.
Friday, March 21
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Theodore Baerg*, baritone
Mark Payne, piano
A Life of Song
Western’s renowned baritone Theodore Baerg* performs some of his favourite art songs, opera arias and musical theatre pieces with the multi-talented Mark Payne at the piano!
Friday, March 28
12:30 pm | von Kuster Hall
Stéphan Sylvestre*, piano
The final concert of the “Fridays” season brings pianist Stéphan Sylvestre* performing a selection of piano masterpieces reflecting the transition and coexistence of two artistic movements throughout the 19th century, Romanticism and Impressionism.
Recent Fridays @ 12:30 Recordings
"Poetic Partnerships"
Exploring the union of poetry and music in gems of Art Song, featuring Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe
Emily Hamper, piano
Phillip Addis, baritone
Concert Program (PDF)
Chamber Music, Friendship, and Mendelssohn's Octet
String Octet in E flat Major, Op.20
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Violins: Scott St John, Erika Raum, Annalee Patipatanakoon, Mark Fewer
Violas: Annemarie Moorcroft, Sharon Wei
Cellos: Thomas Wiebe, Mischa Meyer
Concert Program (PDF)
Watch the "Chamber Music, Friendship, and Mendelssohn's Octet: A Conversation" Talking Music session
Subscribe to our monthly events email for event notifications year-round, or visit music.uwo.ca/events for more information.
Contact Info
Fridays @ 12:30 Concert Series Coordinator/Booking inquiries
Todd Wieczorek
Assistant Professor of Music
519-661-2111 x85398
twieczor@uwo.ca
General event inquiries
519-661-3767
musicevents@uwo.ca
Group/School inquiries
Sasha Gorbasew
Student Recruitment Coordinator
519-661-2111 x80532
agorbase@uwo.ca
