Musical union benefits scholarship

Naden band practices with the University of Victoria Symphony in preparation for their Feb. 7 concert.

A long anticipated collaboration between the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy and the University of Victoria’s (UVic) Wind Symphony, will come together next week for the first time in history.

The two groups have been great acquaintances in the musical industry for a long time, but have never performed together quite like this.

“This is going to be such a unique experience and a night people will remember for a long time,” says Eugene Dowling, Canadian Tuba professional, Juno Award Nominee and conductor of the UVic Wind Symphony.

On Feb. 7 at the university’s Farquhar Auditorium the two bands unite to raise awareness of the Naden Band Scholarship, established in 1994.

PO2 Robyn Jutras, a recipient of the Naden Band Scholarship in Music Performance, returns to the stage as a bassoon soloist.

“It is very exciting having a previous recipient of the scholarship and former UVic graduate play on our stage again. It is great to have her give back to the scholarship for future recipients,” said Dowling.

Lt(N) Matthew Clark, Director of Music and Naden Band Conductor, is thrilled to produce an evening of music of such aptitude and raw talent.

“I know this night will be inspiring to all. Not just for listening pleasure but also for the musicians in the audience and University of Victoria students performing along side us. A lot of people are unaware that the Canadian Armed Forces is the largest employer of musicians in Canada. This night will showcase the level of professionalism the Canadian Armed Forces can offer for music enthusiasts seeking a respectable, professional future in music.”

One of the awaited works on the program is the massive reproduction of David Maslanka’s Symphony No. 8; a work that has only been performed once in all of Canada. It was Lt(N) Clark who imagined tackling the in-depth masterpiece, and with Dowling on board, the vision of performing a symphony of this complexity became more realistic.

“Together we do great things!” Dowling said enthusiastically.

With 35 Naden Band members and 45 UVic Wind Symphony members, an astonishing 80 talented musicians will fill the auditorium with powerful music sure to please this coming Friday.

The concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are available by phone at 250-721-8480, online at https://tickets.uvic.ca or can be purchased at the door. Ticket prices are $14 regular, $12 seniors and alumni or $5 for UVic students.

The concert will be available for live broadcasting at http://finearts.uvic.ca/music/events/live/

-Kara Tibbel, Staff Writer