Extraordinary circumstances have brought out extraordinary responses from members of our USask community. From frontline health-care workers to researchers looking for a solution to this global health threat, there are so many stories about people are working to make our home communities safer and healthy. Here are a few of the inspiring stories of our students, staff, faculty and alumni.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has halted live concerts and performances across the world, two USask music students have found a way to perform their year-end recitals for family, friends and audiences across Canada.
On June 10, vocal music students Jayden Burrows and Angela Gjurichanin were able to showcase the performances of their graduating recitals in a unique way—to virtual audiences of opera connoisseurs across the continent as part of Opera NUOVA’s Coast to Coast Virtual Recital Series.
Burrows and Gjurichanin, accompanied by USask music lecturer and pianist Kathy Gable, sang selections from composers Mozart, Berg, Purcell, Zografski, and Poulenc, while being recorded on June 1 at the President’s Residence in the presence of President Peter Stoicheff and his wife Kathryn Warden.
Gjurichanin, who was recently profiled in a feature article for USask’s On Campus News, knew she had to jump at the opportunity to be a part of the national series.
“I knew that, even in that two-month period, I was able to put something else into that repertoire, add a layer to it,” Gjurichanin said in a recent interview with the Saskatoon StarPhoenix. “I really wanted to share that with somebody.”
Opera NUOVA—Newly United Operatic Vocalists Association—is a charitable organization established in 1998, offering training to emerging artists to bridge the gap between academia and professional careers.
Due to Gable’s longtime involvement as an instructor with NUOVA, she and her husband, Usask music professor Garry Gable, were able to organize the Saskatoon-based recital.
“The recital series is really to highlight students right across the country and keep creating an excitement for live music,” Gable told the StarPhoenix. “That’s what this recital has provided: another huge growth in their artistry.”
See more about these performances at NUOVA.
Share your stories with us: We are collecting the stories of resilience and good spirit from our USask community. Please send story ideas and photos to news@usask.ca.
As a community it is critical that we support each other and remain respectful during what is a difficult time for all of us. Please follow all guidelines and take all precautions to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in our community.
How you can help our students during the COVID-19 pandemic: https://alumni.usask.ca/news/2020/covid-19-how-you-can-help-our-students.php
For the latest developments and information about the University of Saskatchewan's response to COVID-19, please go to www.usask.ca/updates.
The University of Saskatchewan is undertaking critical research and contributing to global efforts to combat COVID-19. The University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO-InterVac) is a world leader in developing vaccines and technologies to combat infectious diseases. Your support of the COVID-19 Research Fund supports the increased efforts of researchers at the University of Saskatchewan to develop vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. Donate now.