the broken typewriter

Fort St. John

Beginning today, musicians, singers and dancers from throughout the Peace Region will be in Fort St. John for the annual Peace River North Performing Arts Festival.

First up is Band, with groups from as far away as Fort Nelson travelling to the city to perform at the North Peace Cultural Centre. This year’s Band and Instrumental Adjudicator is the renowned Dr. Scott MacLennan from Vancouver.

Dr. Scott MacLennan is an active adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor who frequently works with ensembles, schools, honour groups, and festivals across Canada. He is an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia. He has also been the Music Director of the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Wind Ensemble, as well as the Music Director at the Byng Arts Academy in Vancouver, B.C.

For over 30 years, MacLennan has taught bands and orchestras at all levels from elementary to post-secondary and performed extensively on bassoon. He has conducted his award-winning ensembles in various locations throughout Europe, China, the US, and Canada. His ensembles have performed in such notable venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, and Santa Maria della Pieta (Vivaldi’s Church) in Venice, Italy. In March 2011, with Johan de Meji’s endorsement, Dr. MacLennan conducted the Canadian premiere of his composition At Kitty O’Shea’s.

MacLennan holds a Bachelor of Music (1988) and a Bachelor of Education (1990) from UBC; a Master of Music (2010) in Conducting (Wind Band) from Sam Houston State University in Texas; and a Ph.D. (2015) also from UBC. He studied conducting with Ken Hsieh, Morihiro Okabe, and Wayne Toews and participated in numerous conducting master classes given by Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Anthony Maiello, Ralph Hultgren, and Robert Ponto.

As an active music educator, MacLennan has worked for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to edit and draft curriculum for their VSO Connects (Secondary) program, chaired the BC Music Educator’s Association’s Conference Pulse 2006, and currently sits as a board member of the Chamber Music in the Schools Society, and the BC Band Association. He is a recipient of the BC Music Educators’ Association’s Outstanding Professional Music Educator’s Award in recognition of exemplary commitment, talent, and leadership for music education in British Columbia. (Source: PRNFA website)

Sessions started at 9:30 this morning with Beginning Bands, followed by Woodwind Solos and Duets at 3 p.m. This evening, the more senior bands, including the Senior Jazz band and Northwinds Community Band will perform, starting at 6 p.m. The day is scheduled to end at 8:30 p.m.

Tomorrow, April 15, will begin at 9:30 a.m. with Strings, switching to Choirs for the 6 p.m. session. Festival Passes and Programs are available at the North Peace Cultural Centre.