Most outstanding music graduate composes own path at USask

In a family of science majors, Rochelle Wright decided to try something different — music.

“It definitely is a very different career path than the rest of my family,” she said. “It’s not generally what the community expects you to do—it is not a traditional path.”

Her mother earned degrees in science, her father was an engineer, one sibling went into engineering, and her other sibling ventured into computer science.

“I definitely feel supported by my parents—my parents told me I could do anything I wanted,” Wright said.

While both parents held degrees in STEM fields, they also decided to try something different. Her father had been an engineer throughout her childhood and later went back to law school. Her mother stayed at home to look after Wright and her siblings, designed websites and worked in the Vanscoy and Delisle communities.

“There’s a whole lot of unknowns in what a career in music can look like,” she said. “But it’s served me well so far, and I’ve really enjoyed the experience that I’ve had so far. And I look forward to the opportunities it’ll bring me in the future.”

Wright will be graduating with a Bachelor of Music (Individualized), a Certificate in Jazz and a Certificate in Drama at this year’s USask Spring Convocation on June 2. She will also be receiving the Arthur Collingwood Prize in Music—which is awarded to the most outstanding graduate in the music program—and the University of Saskatchewan Film Society Prize from the College of Arts and Science.

“I feel very honoured and grateful for the experiences that have led me to these awards,” she said. “It’s also really encouraging for me because it means that I’m doing well and that I should definitely keep up the hard work in the future.”

Wright grew up on an acreage with her family in the RM of Vanscoy. She chose USask because both her parents and her older brother completed programs at the university.

“I chose music because I’d been studying piano from quite a young age,” Wright said.

All three Wright siblings achieved their Conservatory Canada Level 1 piano. After completing the first level, Wright continued. She played trumpet in high school and went on to complete all levels for piano within the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) program.

She graduated from the RCM program in 2023. At graduation, Wright was awarded the National Diploma Gold Medal for Music Theory. This award is presented to students who have earned the highest mark of their examinations for their discipline across Canada.

“It made sense after all these years of (playing) music, to put it towards something else and keep working at it,” she said.

Wright had initially started at USask in the music education program, majoring in trumpet. She started experiencing embouchure issues while performing.

“I ended up switching to piano, which I had been playing for longer anyways,” she said. “I switched out of (music) education into the individualized (program) because I wanted more artistic freedom, which has been great.”

One of the most rewarding parts of her music degree has been being able to connect with other like-minded students and share experiences in music, she said.

Throughout her journey at USask, Wright had numerous opportunities to perform in different ensembles at the university and throughout Saskatoon. She has performed with the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra and at smaller events like the On-Campus Jazz Jam Sessions at Louis’ Pub.

Wright was commissioned by a professor to compose new music for the Strata Festival of New Music in Saskatoon. Her work, Paintings from a Deaf Man’s Villa, was written for Saskatchewan’s Lowest Acoustic Instrument Ensemble. It premiered in June 2024.

In July, Wright will also be performing at this year’s Sask Jazz Fest with her own group — the Rochelle Wright Trio — featuring Ronin Sawitsky on bass, and Max Agnew on drums.

Having the opportunity to perform in various ensembles kept Wright busy. As a result, she ended up taking classes over five years.

“I ended up benefitting a lot (from) that because it meant I had more time to pursue things outside of my classes, like working with the drama program, as well as pursuing more opportunities to perform at different events for the university and in Saskatoon,” she said.

Wright took drama classes while pursuing her music degree.

“Talking to the (drama) profs there, they led me into the field of design and drama,” she said. “Then being a music major, they asked me if I wanted to get into sound design.”

Wright had the chance to do sound design for a few productions for the USask Drama Program.

“It’s been really neat to be able to sort of dip my toes into different areas of music, whether that’s composition, or performance, or teaching, or even just applying my musical expertise in other areas at the university,” she said.

“It’s helped me feel better prepared for a career moving on in any sort of arts and collaborating with any artist or person.”

After graduation, Wright plans to keep studying music privately—especially jazz. She’s aiming to apply for grants to pursue projects in the Saskatoon community and potentially pursue a master’s degree.

Wright recommends that future and current USask students make their degree their own.

“Pursue opportunities outside of your classes at the university, in the community, and take your time,” she said. “There’s so much you can do on campus. Take those opportunities – it really makes it a much more fulfilling experience.”