Lecture Series Bringing Jim Cuddy to Campus

By Kirk Sibbald

A letter written to a young, aspiring artist nearly 50 years ago helped inspire one of the campus’s most prominent and popular lectureships.

Jim Cuddy—who rose to fame as lead singer of Blue Rodeo and has also launched a successful solo career—will be coming to campus Oct. 18 as the keynote speaker for the Gail Appel Lectureship in Literature and Fine Arts.

This year marks a decade since the lecture fund was established, and Cuddy is the latest arts and cultural icon to visit campus as a result of the lectureship. Previous speakers have included Buffy Sainte Marie, Alan Lightman and Sir Ken Robinson.

Gail Appel (BA’66) established the lectureship along with her husband, Mark, in 2002. As a young College of Arts and Science student—juggling work with academics and living away from home for the first time—Gail said she would often refer to a letter written by her father, in which he urged her to follow her passions.

Through this lecture series, Gail says she hopes to inspire current students in much the same way her father’s words motivated her.

“I want to encourage students. If it’s your passion, just keep doing it,” she said.

Cuddy’s lecture, titled Canadian Music: The Dawning of Independence, will take place Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. in Convocation Hall. It is a free public lecture, although seating is limited and arriving early is recommended. The lecture is facilitated by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Culture and Creativity (ICCC) in the College of Arts and Science.

“As part of Blue Rodeo, Jim Cuddy was recently inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. He has a great artistic career to reflect back upon in the lecture, and it will be wonderful to hear him do that,’ said Peter Stoicheff, dean for the College of Arts & Science.

“A graduate of this college and an artist herself, Gail Appel has permitted us to bring in world-class talent for the university community and public to hear. This has been an extraordinary gift from her to all of us.”

While many local music fans have likely seen Jim Cuddy and Blue Rodeo perform in Saskatoon, few and far between are opportunities to hear prominent artists speak at length about their careers and how they achieved success. Sabrina Kehoe, associate director of the ICCC, says this is what makes the lecture series unique and consistently fills Convocation Hall to capacity.

“We seldom get an opportunity to hear the ideas and perspectives of internationally-renowned thinkers, creators and artists, and we rarely have the opportunity to engage meaningfully with them. This lecture offers both experiences and….not only supports, but truly extends and strengthens, the mandate and goals of the ICCC.”