Save the Date: Dream Big Collaborative Piano Conference on February 20-22, 2020 at the University of Manitoba

I'm absolutely thrilled to be a part of the upcoming Dream Big Collaborative Piano Conference at the University of Manitoba on February 20-22! Hosted by Drs. Laura Loewen and Judy Kehler Siebert, this conference will be hosting a variety of master classes, recitals, panel discussions, as well as a curated exhibition at the Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg. Here's the official press release:

We are really excited about this upcoming conference, and hope that you can join us!

Dream Big: Music Out of Bounds is a Collaborative Piano Conference at the University of Manitoba, Feb. 20-22, 2020. This three-day conference is dedicated to celebrating the contributions, creativity, and innovation that collaborative pianists bring to music performance and pedagogy.

Led by Dr. Jean Barr (Eastman School of Music) and Margo Garrett (Juilliard School), two of the most influential performer-teachers of Collaborative Piano in North America, the conference will feature keynote addresses, presentations, panel discussions, public masterclasses, and student and professional performances.

The repertoire to be performed and studied at the conference will be music that has been a response to times of war, or personal tragedy. Included in the conference will be a guided tour of the Canadian Museum of Human Rights specifically designed for our participants. We will visit the Museum exhibits which highlight the themes and events that were the impetus for the music we are studying.

Gathering together in Winnipeg, the centre of the country and the home of this museum, gives us an opportunity to examine our place and influence in the musical world and in the larger society.

Eight performing groups will be chosen to participate in the masterclasses, and the conference will culminate in a final performance by these groups. Calls for applications will go out in September 2019.

We also look forward to using this conference to launch a Canadian-based Society of Collaborative Pianists; a community that will support creativity and commissions new works. The conference will provide time to dream about ways we can work together to create this society. Dr. Christopher Foley, the founder of the Collaborative Piano Blog, will facilitate these conversations.

We have worked hard to make sure that the conference is as affordable as it is inspirational.

Conference fees are: 

$300.00/ participant 

$150.00/ student participant

We believe that community building is essential and that time over meals and receptions is a big part of creating community. To support this, the conference fee will include the majority of meals during your time in Winnipeg.

We hope that you will be able to join us! More detailed information will be coming throughout Fall 2019.

Laura and Judy

Laura Loewen, DMA
Associate Professor of Collaborative Piano/Vocal Coach
Desautels Faculty of Music, University of Manitoba

Judy Kehler Siebert, DMA
Professor of Piano, Collaborative Piano, Chamber Music
Desautels Faculty of Music, University of Manitoba

(Photo by Renee Fisher on Unsplash)