Duo Concertante performs in Recital, January 8, 2010

Duo Concertante—pianist Timothy Steeves and violinist Nancy Dahn—gave a memorable concert in the Lyell Gustin Recital Series, January 8, 2010, at St. James Anglican Church. The Duo performed an exciting and demanding program of sonatas for violin and piano by Mozart, Beethoven and Prokofiev, as well as arrangements of works by Canadian composer Clifford Crawley. Gustin House welcomed Duo Concertante for a second appearance in the Recital Series (their earlier performance took place in January 2006). Timothy Steeves is a native of Saskatoon and a Gustin “musical descendant;” both he and Nancy Dahn are professors of music at Memorial University, St. John’s, NL.

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Christine Vanderkooy, Pianist, in Recital, March 5, 2010

Christine Vanderkooy gave an all-Romantic solo recital on Friday, March 5, performing Schubert’s late Piano Sonata in B-flat, D. 960, and Robert Schumann’s Davidsbündlertänze. The latter work, a group of 18 pieces that has been described as “full of fire, poetry and genius,” was chosen to mark the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Dr. Vanderkooy, who has studied with prominent Gustin graduate Boyd McDonald, enthralled the audience with her performance of these monumental piano compositions. Gregory Schulte, pianist and organist, gave a pre-concert talk. The recital took place at Augustana Lutheran Church.

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Contours: Music for Cello, and Small Metal Sculpture, April 11, 2010

A program celebrating the arts and springtime was held on Sunday afternoon, April 11, 2010 at Gustin House. Cellist Christina Bakanec and pianist Gregory Schulte performed the Sonata for Cello and Piano in A major by Beethoven and Le Grand Tango by Piazzolla. Ms. Bakanec also performed the Spanish-flavoured solo Suite for Violoncello by Cassado.

Douglas Bentham, one of Canada’s most prominent sculptors, spoke of joy and engagement in life as the inspiration of artists in all disciplines. He illustrated his talk with a number of his small metal sculptures, displayed throughout Gustin House for the occasion.

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Music for Flute, and Heritage Architecture: Celebrating Legacies. June 13, 2010

A festive gathering at Gustin House on Sunday afternoon, June 13, marked the 115th birth anniversary of Lyell Gustin and the fifth anniversary of the inauguration of the restored Gustin House (the actual date of both anniversaries was May 31, 2010).  Ross Carstairs, flautist, and Gregory Schulte, collaborative pianist, gave a wonderful performance of a sonata by J.S. Bach and selections from the French flute repertoire.

Allan Duddridge, Principal at Stantec Architecture, and member of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, spoke on built heritage. Mr. Duddridge led the restoration of Gustin House during 2005; he, along with the Gustin/Trounce Heritage Committee Inc. and the contractor, D2 Construction of Saskatoon, were recognized in 2006 with city and provincial awards for this project of heritage restoration.

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Fifth Anniversary Recital, Laura Jones and Boyd McDonald, August 23, 2010

A celebratory evening of music for cello and piano marked the fifth anniversary of the inauguration of Gustin House, an event of Saskatchewan’s centennial year in 2005.  On August 23, 2010, cellist Laura Jones of Toronto and pianist Boyd McDonald of Kitchener performed a beautiful program of sonatas by Beethoven and Brahms, and works by Schumann and Chopin in the bicentennial year of their birth. The recital was held at the historic Grace-Westminster United Church, located across the street from Gustin House; among those present were audience members from other centres, including Langham, Rosetown, North Battleford, Regina, and Winnipeg. 

In introductory remarks, Dr. Joan Halmo, representing the Gustin/Trounce Heritage Committee, thanked the public agencies, organizations, businesses, and the many individual donors and volunteers who have assisted Gustin House in so many ways during the years. She noted that, with the presence of Boyd McDonald on stage, the Lyell Gustin Recital Series had come full circle for the occasion, as it was he who performed the inaugural concert of the Series in May of 2005.

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Romantic Literature and Music of the 19th Century, October 3, 2010

The new season at Gustin House opened with a joyful evening celebrating the 19th century, a golden era in literature and in music. Lisa Hornung, mezzo-soprano, and Jaya Hoy, both of North Battleford, performed lieder by Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms, along with a set of Debussy songs; Ms. Hoy, a Gustin graduate, performed an intermezzo by Brahms.  Professor Douglas Thorpe of the Department of English at the University of Saskatchewan spoke about the cross-pollination of British Romanticism and German Romanticism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, focusing on Sir Walter Scott, whose work was greatly influential throughout Europe.

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Science of the Spheres, Music of the Heavens, November 21, 2010

The program “Science of the Spheres, Music of the Heavens” was held at Gustin House on Sunday, November 21, 2010.  Sylvia Shadick-Taylor, Edmonton pianist and composer, performed works inspired by the ever-changing skies. Her repertoire included  “Nemesis” by Paul William Pura, a composition written for Ms. Shadick-Taylor and given its Saskatchewan premiere on this occasion. The all-Canadian music program marked the opening of Canada Music Week (Nov. 21-27). Stan Shadick, lecturer in astronomy at the Physics and Engineering Department, University of Saskatchewan, spoke about our evolving understanding of stars, planets and nebulae.  Stan Shadick and Sylvia Shadick-Taylor had both studied music in Saskatoon with Gustin graduates, and they recall being at Gustin House in their youth for piano examinations.

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Gustin House, c/o 47 Pony Trail, Riverside Estates, Saskatoon SK S7T1A4, Canada

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