Department of Music 90th Anniversary

University of Saskatchewan Department of Music Celebrates 90th Anniversary

The University of Saskatchewan Department of Music was founded in 1931 and was the first post-secondary institution in Western Canada to offer a Bachelor of Music degree. In 1936 it became the College of Music and in 1952 it was restructured as the Department of Music in the College of Arts and Science as it remains today.

String instructor, Arthur Collingwood was the first Department of Music Chair and directed the first department- sanctioned string ensemble on-campus that later became the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. Marjorie Wilson (B Mus 1934) was the department's first graduate followed by countless others who made an impact on the lives of many in the musical communities of Saskatchewan, Canada, and beyond in teaching, performing, conducting, and academia.

Prior to the emergence of the Department of Music, music activity could be found in various corners of the university. The Glee Club was organized in late 1911 and presented their first concert in 1912. This organization continued until the late 1940’s and presented a joint concert with a University Concert Band in 1949. In 1917 the Choral Society was formed to improve the singing at Sunday services and later collaborated with the young Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. An early jazz group, The Collegians: Exponents of Aristocratic Jazz was introduced in the 1926 yearbook. Before World War II, the 17-piece Varsity Band, also known as the Varsity Orchestra, established a solid presence until 1968 along with other dance bands such as the College Nine, performing at various campus social functions.

The late 1950’s was the department’s renaissance period. In 1959 the department/university became the  recipient of the Carnegie and Andrusyshen Collections of recordings and of the Saskatoon Collection of Early Manuscripts. In anticipation of the University of Saskatchewan’s 50th anniversary, Murray Adaskin organized a festival of 80 works from solo to large orchestra that was the first of its kind and scope to be held at a Canadian
university. As well, the Greystone Singers (named by Eleanor Campbell Adaskin in reference to the architecture, the yearbook, and Drama’s Greystone Theatre) was organized as a campus-wide student ensemble for the anniversary. In 1959 the College of Education Chorus, later to become Quance Chorus, was formed to develop the music education area. That same year the rare set of 17th century Amati instruments was purchased by the university from Stephen Kolbinson, a farmer and instrument collector.

The growth continued in the 1960’s with the addition of several music faculty members and course offerings, including intersession and summer sessions in the academic and performative realms. Ensemble activity expanded in the string, choral, band, and chamber areas. In 1961 the Varsity Concert Band, the first sanctioned concert band in the department, and the first of its kind in Western Canada was formed under the directorship of David Kaplan. In 1967 it became known as the University Concert Band under the leadership of Dwaine Nelson and a second band known as the Wind Ensemble was formed to be later re-named the Wind Orchestra. In 1965 Robert Solem organized the University Chorus to provide faculty, staff, students, and members of the community the opportunity to study and perform works from the large choral-orchestral repertoire. In 1969 the Stage Band was brought into the department and re- established from the Varsity Band to offer students the opportunity to perform concert jazz ensemble music.

The Department enrolled its first graduate student (M Ed in music) in 1962. The B Mus was revised, and the B Mus Mus Ed program was inaugurated in 1969 along with the B A program. Later the M A in music was added in 1978, the M Mus in 1988 and in 1989 it also offered a Ph D. Prior to 1975, the department was located in the basement of the historic Administration Building (now the Peter MacKinnon Building) with adjunct classrooms in Kirk Hall. In 1975 the department relocated to its present quarters on the first floor of the Education Building.

Since the 1970’s the department continued to expand in all areas, reaching up to 14 full- time faculty members and over 30 sessionals and applied instructors. Department ensembles for the first time travelled internationally and produced several recorded albums over the years. There was a surge of national and international guest scholars, educators, and performers who made their presence on campus. Various department initiatives and projects grew in number, several of which continue today. Faculty and graduates continued to received awards and were recognized at the national and international levels for their scholarly work, grants, innovation, and contributions to the community at large. Two department heads, David Kaplan, and Garry Gullickson received the prestigious Order of Canada. Within the last three decades, Music Theatre came into the fold and the jazz area expanded with the addition of various jazz related courses in addition to the jazz ensemble experience.

Over the past five decades many donations from alumni, memorials, faculty, educators, philanthropists, and music enthusiasts came forth and today the department annually awards over $100,000 in scholarships to students – a significant amount awarded in the College of Arts and Science. The recent Bob Xu and Ling Chen gift, one of the largest alumni donations made to the College of Arts and Science funds the David L. Kaplan Music Scholarship and the David L. Kaplan Chair in Music. Also recently, the department was graced with the David L. Kaplan Instrument Collection, an international cultural representation of over 425 instruments from around the world.

The Department of Music proudly continues its 90-year tradition of leadership and excellence. Currently the department offers degrees in the B Mus (performance or individualized, theory, and musicology), B Mus Mus Ed (elementary and secondary), B A (3 and 4-year diplomas), and the newly revised M Mus (performance, instrumental or choral conducting, theory, musicology, and music education) programs. The department culture consists of a healthy number of undergraduates and graduates from across Canada and internationally. The department also serves the general university student body with in-person and online academic classes, various ensembles, and offers a Certificate in Jazz.

The department maintains a strong connection with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, many professional music organizations, and the city and wider community. It sponsors various concert series in addition to faculty and student recitals, and a Fine Arts Research Lecture Series. Each year it offers well- over 100 events such as recitals, concerts, professional developments, clinics, conferences, and research forums to the public. Faculty continue to be engaged in academic, teaching, and performative ways (including audio and visual recordings) locally, nationally, and internationally. Various music student organizations (USMES, ASM, and ensemble executives) are prevalent and their contributions to the department are inestimable. Currently intramural performing ensembles include: the Greystone Singers, University Chorus, Wind Orchestra, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Music Theatre, Chamber Ensemble, Amati Strings, University Symphony Orchestra, Saskatoon Youth Orchestra, and various brass, woodwind, percussion, and string ensembles.

Sources

Crighton, A., Wults, P. M., & Mills, I. M. (1992) University of Saskatchewan in Encyclopedia of Music in Canada, 2nd ed. Kallmann, H. & Potvin, G. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Nelson, D. (1986). UNIFEST Program Manuscript. Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan Department of Music.

Taft, Michael. (1984). Inside These Greystone Walls: An Anecdotal History of the University of Saskatchewan. Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan.

Photos

Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra and University of Saskatchewan Choral Society in performance, ca. 1936 (Photograph Collection, A-2142)

The Collegians: Exponents of Aristocratic Jazz, 1925-26 (Photograph Collection, A- 6432)

The Varsity Band in 1955 (The Greystone, 1954-1955)
Murray Adaskin and Stephen Kolbinson with the Amati instruments, 1959 (Photograph

Collection, A-2669)

Greystone Singers 1965 Photo in front of Administration Building (University Collections)

University Concert Band, Dwaine Nelson Conducting in Convo Hall 1967 (photo provided by Randi Nelson)

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