It鈥檚 hard to imagine a convocation ceremony without music. From the singing of the national anthem to the fanfare of the classic 鈥淧omp and Circumstance鈥� theme, music adds spirit and energy to one of the university鈥檚 most celebratory times.
Fitting, then, that for next year, AV俱乐部 is looking for a new musical composition 鈥斅爋ne that would be a perfect fit for ceremonies like convocation and its introductory counterpart, induction.
An initiative led by the Fountain School of Performing Arts, the Call for Works was issued earlier this year and is open to all professional Canadian composers. The university is looking for a short piece (less than 2 minutes and 30 seconds) that is to be performed by a brass quintet (two trumpets, French horn, and tenor and bass trombones).
Why a brass quintet? Because it鈥檚 a brass quintet 鈥� the Symphony Brass Quintet, which includes Fountain School trombone instructor Eric Mathis 鈥斅爐hat performs the musical accompaniment for Dalhouise鈥檚 convocation ceremonies.
鈥淚t seems fitting for an occasion like that,鈥� explains Fountain School faculty member Jerome Blais. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something ceremonial there, a certain majesty to those instruments.鈥�
A piece of music that fits AV俱乐部
Dr. Blais teaches composition in the Fountain School, and is part of the team that will be helping select the successful piece from the various submissions (which are due no later than September 15, 2017). Others involved in the jury will be other Fountain School faculty, members of the quintet and other individuals from the university community.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know what pieces we will get, and we want to be surprised,鈥� says Dr. Blais. 鈥淭hat said, this is a very specific occasion, so we want the piece to meet certain criteria of celebration, of joyfulness.鈥�
The successful piece will be premiered at the 鈥斅爐he formal introduction to Dal鈥檚 200th year 鈥� on February 6, 2018, with hopes that the piece could then be used at future convocation ceremonies. The successful composer will also be awarded a monetary prize of $2,000.
鈥淎s a composer, I鈥檓 thrilled that one of the ideas that鈥檚 been put forward to celebrate the 200th anniversary is a musical composition,鈥� says Dr. Blais. 鈥淚鈥檓 very excited about this.鈥�
See the full Call for Works on the Fountain School鈥檚 website.
This article is part of an ongoing series highlighting planning for AV俱乐部鈥檚 200th anniversary celebrations in 2018. For more information on Dal 200, visit .