On November 16, 2015 at President Turpin's installation ceremony, Dr. Angela Schroeder (Director of Bands, Associate Professor, Area Coordinator of Winds and Percussion, Department of Music, Faculty of Arts) directed one of the largest collectives of U of A musicians since the 2008 centenary celebrations.
Get to know a little about Angela as she talks about the musicians and the song that they felt best reflected the U of A community.
On the musicians
I would say that they are some of the most dedicated students on our campus. They do so many performances, so many outreach events - small performances, or chamber groups, or soloists singing "O'Canada", or whatever it is, all in service to the community and to the university. So, as I said, they're dedicated.
And more than that, they are the young artists of our future. They're going to be the educators and the composers, and the performers in the symphony - that's where these people are going to be going. I think that young energy of music is what I'm really excited about. I don't think people realize the standard that's expected at a university is actually one of the highest standards of performance that exists. They are of course still students and are still learning but we demand a lot from them; we basically demand a professional standard from everything that they do - and they rise to it every single time. To share that I think is the biggest thing - that it's so much about them demonstrating another level of excellence that I imagine maybe gets taken for granted when there are so many things done. It takes work. It always takes work and I think that's the piece that you kind of miss.
This is a group that's a class - my ensemble [the University of Alberta Symphonic Wind Ensemble] is a class that they get credit for; they're learning and growing all year. All of the choir students - they're coming from three different classes: there's the Madrigal Singers, the Concert Choir, and the Opera Workshops, and they're all coming together to do something collective, which doesn't happen that often. I think the last time that they did that was during the 2008 centenary. That's when they did the Choir of Choirs, and had hundreds of singers on stage. So this will be about 100 hundred singers in total and the ensemble as well, so it's pretty powerful.
On the song "The Promise of Living"
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The whole idea of uplifting the whole people, that's basically the theme of the lyrics of this song. And that's also why it seems to fit so perfectly for this university, for this community.
It's a piece that talks a lot about community and community building. In its context, it was from an opera where they are building and growing on a farm together. So it's literally about building crops. It's all about "you help me and I'll help you" and "we're all in this together." I think that's very symbolic of a university - different areas coming together and trying to support one another. The drama of the piece comes from its simplicity - it's not dark and stormy like a Beethoven symphony, it's very open, very tonal, and warm, and inviting. And it kind of does a build, which is nice. So you build up with the piece towards the end, and I think everybody feels included. It's a collective when you experience it.
Angela's U of A Experience
Welcoming; inspiring; challenging.
Before you work at a place like this, I don't think you can see all of the cogs in the machine that lead to these students having a great experience. And knowing that you play a part in that experience. It's certainly challenging to me to get everything that every student wants, but it's a great challenge to be given.
Angela Schroeder - Associate Professor, Director of Bands, Area Coordinator for Winds and Percussion, Department of Music, Faculty of Arts
Dr. Schroeder is currently Associate Professor of Music in the Department of Music of the University of Alberta. She is the Director of Bands, the Area Coordinator for Winds and Percussion, and conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Concert Band and Academy Winds and Percussion. She teaches courses in conducting and wind band education, and works with Graduate students in Wind Band conducting. She previously taught conducting at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Angela was recently appointed as conductor of the St. Albert Community Band, and conducts the ensemble in their 43rd concert season.