THE UVIC VOCAL JAZZ MAINSTREAM & IMPROVISATIONAL ENSEMBLE has established a reputation for artistic excellence, stylistic flexibility and performances of original and inspiring arrangements. In addition to highly successful performances at the Powell River Vocal Summit and the Frank Demiero Jazz Fest, UVJMIE was the choral ensemble for The Best of Queen concert series with JEANS 'N CLASSICS and the VICTORIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA under Maestro Giuseppe Pietraroia. The Ensemble is well known for its fun-filled, filled-to-capacity audience engaging concerts. Our Autumn and Spring Vocal Jazz Showcases feature the Signature Studio Ensemble and various Spotlight Combos including Ellavation, and the UVic Vocal Jazz Stage Orchestra. The Ensemble has opened for the internationally acclaimed vocal groups GROOVE FOR THOUGHT and THE REAL GROUP, Canadian sensation COUNTERMEASURE, and has received high praise from legends Kirby Shaw and Dave Barduhn, and from master educators Vijay Singh, Peter Taylor and Janet Warren. Among our many distinguished alumni are MIKE EDEL and TWIN KENNEDY.

Signature Ensembles

Signature Ensembles
2023

Monday 2 April 2012

Powell River and Vocal Summit

Ready to Sing • Saturday Night
 Wow!... fantastic... great work!...
You put UVic on the map!...
Cool!... you guys were awesome!
That was amazing - you took what Vijay said
in the clinic and immediately put it into action
on the concert!

Just a small sampling of the exuberant comments praising the performances of the Ensemble at the recent Vocal Summit in Power River.

After a highly successful daytime performance and clinic with Vijay Sing, the Ensemble was offered the privilege of performing on the Saturday evening headliner concert as a featured group. UVic opened for the sensational vocal group Groove For Thought, and received an exuberant standing ovation.

The host of the Summit, noted jazz educator Peter Taylor, offered gracious and enthusiastic praise and appreciation of the Ensemble's performances. Peter very graciously supplied the Ensemble with several charts at our group's inception, as did Vijay.

Celebrated educators and choral gurus Janet Warren and Scott Leithead offered their own high praise for the Ensemble's presentations.

A few more words about the exceptional clinic. The Ensemble members were treated to a forthright, incisive, inspiring clinic by Vijay. Focussing on fundamentals such as timbre and rhythmic precision for blend, as well as providing biographical  sketches of the composers and arrangers of the works we presented, Vijay led the Ensemble in a detailed exploration of the music. His comments were unanimously and throughly appreciated by all the singers. He acknowledged the excellence of the Ensemble while providing entirely constructive comments for our continued improvement.

Immediately after the daytime performance for the adjudicators, the Ensemble was offered an invitation to the prestigious MusicFest Canada.

Many, many middle school and high school singers expressed their ecstatic appreciation of our performances. Perhaps we'll see more than a few of them in the Ensemble in the coming years!

More to come as the photos arrive.

Rehearsal on the Ferry to Powell River
Celebrity Cruise
Left to Right: Stephen Fong (tenor)
and Matt Foster (bass)
Photo by Alicia Baas
Left to Right: Monique Du Plessis (swing),
Chelsea Kanstrup (alto) and Josh Lovell (tenor)
Photo by Alicia Baas
Posing

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