Blog

In Conversation with Marie-Chantal Leclair

Schulich Communications — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 17:46:09 +0000

Congratulations to Professor Marie-Chantal Leclair, winner of the 2024-2025 Schulich Teaching Award in the Part-Time category!

Students praise Marie-Chantal for her deep commitment to their growth, her dedication to the field, and her ability to provide individualized instruction to each member of the saxophone studio. The 2024-2025 academic year marks her tenth year of teaching at Schulich as well has her thirtieth year with the Quasar saxophone quartet.

In Conversation with James Clemens-Seely

Schulich Communications — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 14:49:23 +0000

Congratulations to Professor James Clemens-Seely, winner of the 2024-2025 Teaching Award in the Part-Time category!

In Conversation with Trio Timia

Schulich Communications — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 19:35:25 +0000

Trio Timia is a piano trio at the Schulich School of Music, where they are coached by renowned violinist, Professor Violaine Melançon. The trio is comprised of Jueun Lee (violin), François Lamontagne (cello), and Itamar Prag (piano). The ensemble recently won the Bronze medal at the 2025 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition – one of the most prestigious competitions of its kind.

In Conversation with Eliot Britton

Schulich Communications — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 13:58:33 +0000

From gramophones to video games, Eliot Britton’s (MMus'09, PhD'15) work embraces a vast and unconventional range of sonic influences, but at the heart of it all is a deep commitment to teaching. A Schulich alum and passionate advocate for creative risk, Eliot returns to 9I�� not only as a composer and producer but as a catalyst for imaginative, boundary-pushing exploration.

In Conversation with Edmund Paquin

mikaela.germani@mcgill.ca — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 20:43:15 +0000

In recognition of Edmund Paquin’s (BMus’25) exceptional academic performance across disciplines, he was awarded the Governor General’s Silver Medal, presented annually to the undergraduate student with the highest academic standing in a Bachelor's degree program across the university.

In Conversation with Ellis Reyes Montes

mikaela.germani@mcgill.ca — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 23:46:40 +0000

Ellis Reyes Montes is a PhD researcher in Musicology and recipient of the 2024-2025 Research Alive Student Prize. His research focuses on the pipe and tabor— a flute and drum played in tandem—through pre-contact Peruvian iconography and the Codex Trujillo (c.1782), a collection of over 1,400 watercolour depictions and musical transcriptions documenting music-making, dance, and rituals in the colonial era Viceroyalty of Peru.

In Conversation with Ben Duinker

mikaela.germani@mcgill.ca — Sun, 09 Feb 2025 22:34:07 +0000

Dr. Ben Duiker (MMus'09, MA'11, PhD'20) is a Montreal-based music researcher, percussionist, educator, and choral singer with a PhD in Music Theory and an MMus in Percussion Performance from the Schulich School of Music (SSoM). He is currently a postdoctoral researcher with the ACTOR (Analysis, Creation, and Teaching of Orchestration) Project.

In Conversation with Ninad Puranik

mikaela.germani@mcgill.ca — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 17:36:48 +0000

Ninad Puranik is a harmonium player and PhD researcher in Music Technology at the Schulich School of Music. As a finalist of the 2024-2025 Research Alive Student Prize, he’ll be presenting his innovative research that seeks to modernize the harmonium, an instrument integral to the performance of Hindustani music. Ninad’s research combines historical analysis with physics and music technology to develop a digital harmonium capable of executing the varied temperaments, pitch glides, and ornamentations characteristic of the Hindustani musical genre.

In Conversation with Kalen Smith

mikaela.germani@mcgill.ca — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 21:44:35 +0000

Kalen Smith (MMus, BMus ‘23) is a harpist and composer at the Schulich School of Music. His piece, Distant Paths, was written as a composer-in-residence and was premiered by the Contemporary Music Ensemble (CME) on December 4, 2024 (read the concert review here). As the title suggests, the work juxtaposes tonality and atonality, movement and stasis, weaving a vivid tapestry of textures and colours.

Althea SullyCole Joins Schulich School of Music Faculty

mikaela.germani@mcgill.ca — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 15:37:41 +0000

From conducting fieldwork in Senegal to podcasting, Dr. Althea SullyCole’s career in music has been incredibly diverse. She studied her primary instrument, the kora, a 21-stringed West African harp, for three years in Dakar, Senegal, and has performed both as a soloist and alongside renowned musicians from around the world. Her passion in organology led to her work with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and currently, Dr.

In Conversation with Charlotte Van Barr

devon.wilkinson@mcgill.ca — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 22:15:34 +0000

Charlotte Van Barr's journey at the Schulich School of Music and 9I�� is a testament to her diverse passions and commitment to interdisciplinary learning. Beginning her studies in violin performance due to her love for orchestra and music, she soon found herself yearning to explore beyond her program. This curiosity led her to pursue a minor in Psychology, which eventually evolved into a double degree, allowing her to merge her interests in the two fields.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Schulich

devon.wilkinson@mcgill.ca — Sun, 25 Aug 2024 19:21:58 +0000

The Schulich School of Music's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee continues to champion an inclusive and equitable environment. The committee's mission is to foster an educational space where all students, faculty, and staff feel valued and supported, regardless of their background or identity. You can learn more about the mandate of the EDI committee on our website.

Schulich alumni making their mark at voice competitions around the world

janet.edwards@mcgill.ca — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 14:17:40 +0000

In Conversation with Dorian Bandy

Tiffany Oto Alo'o — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 17:21:25 +0000

With a repertoire spanning four centuries and six instruments, and leading a fiercely varied career as a conductor, baroque violinist, and historical keyboardist, Professor Dorian Komanoff Bandy has an extensive record of musical excellence.

2023-2024 Teaching Award Winner: Theodora Nestorova

Tiffany Oto Alo'o — Thu, 09 May 2024 18:05:49 +0000

Congratulations to Theodora Nestorova, graduate instructor in the Performance & Research Departments, winner of Schulich's 2023-2024 Teaching Award in the Graduate Instructor Category!