Changing Seasons: A Celebration of Musical Eclecticism

With the support of the ICCC, Dean McNeill (Music) arranged for Canadian solo violin virtuoso Mark Fewer to provide a two-hour string master class for students, and to join McNeill in concert performing Changing Seasons with the Saskatchewan Jazz Orchestra and the Saskatoon Brass Band. Changing Seasons is a Juno Award-winning concerto composed by Canadian music veteran Phil Dwyer that celebrates a wide range of musical styles: from Vivaldi to Coltrane. The piece features an extended violin solo that showcases Fewer’s extraordinary talents as a violinist.  

The contemporary style of the concert celebrated the blurring of the lines between musical genres and an eclectic mix of instrumentation.

“It is very unusual to have a concert that includes jazz orchestra, string orchestra, brass band and, as primary soloist, a violinist who plays classical music and improvises jazz, both at an extremely high level,” said McNeill.  

The concert also included an original composition composed and arranged by McNeill. The piece entitled Adrift was orchestrated specifically for the unique collaboration of string and jazz orchestras.

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