Notice Board

The public presentation of Music at Noon has been cancelled. Students involved in the for-credit course will receive further information from faculty.

For more information: Update from the Dean - Faculty of Fine Arts cancellations

Music at Noon: Sarah (Gieck) MacDonald, flute; Deanna Oye, piano
12:15 pm, March 24, 2020
University Recital Hall
Free admission, everyone welcome

Sarah (Gieck) MacDonald, flute
A native of Calgary, Sarah (Gieck) MacDonald is a prominent freelance orchestral, chamber and solo musician in southern Alberta, a musical community she has been active in for over a decade. As a teacher Sarah’s experience and reputation is widely recognized, drawing students from well outside her hometown in pursuit of musical careers and excellence in music education. Sarah has extensive orchestral experience, playing regularly with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra since 2009. Although she most often plays 2nd flute, she has significant experience playing all positions including a job share with the principal/assistant principal flute position in the 2016/2017 season and the position of acting principal flute/piccolo during the 2018/2019 season.

As a chamber musician Sarah has performed alongside some of the worlds finest musicians including Robert Aitken, Rivka Golani, Barry Shiffman and Paul Edmund-Davies. In recent years she has been featured as a soloist with the Instrumental Society of Calgary, University of Lethbridge Faculty Artists and Friends Series, Kensington Sinfonia, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Luminous Voices, Red Deer College MusiCamp Alberta, Waterton Lakes Opera House Concert Series and Lethbridge Community Flute Day.

Many of Sarah’s former students hold prominent positions in the musical community in Lethbridge including the Lethbridge Symphony flute section and teaching posts at the University of Lethbridge Music Conservatory, at Casa. Sarah has been on faculty of MusiCamp Alberta, hosted by Red Deer College since the summer of 2007 where she teaches and performs as part of a summer band workshop for young students. Sarah is a proud co-founder of Green Banana Flute Studios along with fellow flutist Sara Hahn. Through Green Banana Sarah is able to maintain a private flute studio within the city of Calgary.

Deanna Oye, piano

Pianist Deanna Oye is an Associate Professor in the Department of Music at the University of Lethbridge where she teaches Studio Piano and Collaborative Piano, and also teaches for the U of L Conservatory of Music. She holds a doctorate in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music from the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY), and has given solo and collaborative performances throughout Canada, the U.S., Scotland, Germany, and Japan.

In addition, her work has been broadcast on CBC Radio Two and National Public Radio in the United States. Recent performances have taken place at the University of Toronto’s Walter Hall, Bemidji State University (Minnesota), Texas Tech University, New Mexico State University, Lakehead University, along with mixed solo and chamber music at the Watanabe Junichi Museum of Literature (Sapporo, Japan). As a performing member of the SoWeCa Chamber Music Festival, Deanna has shared the stage with internationally-renowned violist Rivka Golani, Israeli flutist Noam Buchman, and members of the Calgary Philharmonic and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras.

A strong commitment to teaching and innovation led to the development of the unique Collaborative Piano/Guitar course series at the U of L, which gives undergraduate pianists and guitarists the opportunity to learn fundamentals of collaborative music-making, and develop skills of high-level musical partnership in preparation for intensive training at the graduate level. Deanna’s piano students have achieved success in a variety of endeavours, including performance and musicology studies at masters and doctoral levels, as well as staff pianist positions and competitions. In addition to frequent master class teaching and adjudicating, she is often invited to give career talks to aspiring young musicians.

As part of the wider music community, Deanna is an active member of the Canadian University Music Society, serving as its president from 2008-2010, the Alberta Registered Music Teachers Association, and the Canadian Music Centre Prairie Region. She is an enthusiastic advocate for new music and music in interdisciplinary contexts, with special interest in helping her students make connections between piano performance and their other passions.