MovieNight2025
Movie Night 2025
Presented by DalWind Ensemble with Dalhousie Cinema and Media Studies Students
March 29 | 7:30pm
Joseph Strug Concert Hall
Fountain School of Performing Arts, 1385 Seymour St.
tickets: Dal Arts Centre Box Office, dal.ca/artscentre
Join us March 29th as the DalWind Ensemble provides live soundtracks to an eclectic mix of silent films.
With over 80 musicians on stage, the Dalhousie Wind Ensemble and Cobequid Educational Centre (CEC) Concert Band will perform an evening of old favourites and new compositions by Rebecca Adams, Hsiu-Ping Patrick Wu, Jackson Fairfax-Perry. They’ll be paired with recent works by local filmmakers including Dawn George, Jenny Yujia Shi and Rena Thomas and other film treasures from the vaults.
The concert promises to be an unforgettable evening of great music, stunning visuals, and fantastic collaboration between the Fountain School’s Wind Ensemble, Composition Department, Cinema and Media Studies, and the CEC band.
This exciting collaboration is made possible by the Traves Performance Excellence Fund.
THE PROGRAM no intermission
Please note that there are flashing light effects in some of the films, especially the final film, Emerge
Music: Little Threepenny Music: Suite from The Threepenny Opera (Kurt Weill, 1928)
Film: The Threepenny Opera (G.W. Pabst, 1931), Excerpts. Based on Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s anti-capitalist stage satire, Pabst’s film follows the exploits of gangster Mack the Knife and budding banker Polly Peachum. Excerpts curated by Chabinaa Ariette and Shannon Brownlee.
Music: Le Manoir du Diable (Garrett Horne)
Film: The Devil’s Castle (Georges Méliès, 1896) In the world’s first known fantasy film, Georges Méliès adapts his illusionist stage show to the new medium of film; like the hero and demons on screen, he uses all the tricks he can rally.
Music: This Does Not Authorize Re-Entry (Rebecca Adams)
Film: This Does Not Authorize Re-Entry (Jenny Yujia Shi, 2021) This story of three travelers, based on the filmmaker’s 10-year journey through the Canadian immigration system, uses a combination of cut paper and drawings to capture feelings of negotiation, disorientation and determination. The original film has its own soundtrack, but here the visuals are paired with music by Rebecca Adams.
Music: The Monster (Jack Phillips-Bourguignon)
Film: The Monster (Georges Méliès, 1903) Expanding on his Vanishing Lady (1896) and Cleopatra (1899), cinematic magician Georges Méliès displays a prince’s longing for his lost love and France’s long-standing fascination with Egypt.
Music and Film: Pigeon’s Lament (Young WeiHong Liu)
Composer-filmmaker Young (WeiHong) Liu brings us a surprising perspective on birds we may habitually disregard. The ground-level view and stately, melancholic score provide a moving portrait of creatures with whom we share our city. The film features Ryan Nakpil.
Music: Snaggle (Jackson Fairfax-Perry)
Film: Snaggle (Dawn George, 2017) An ode to a snaggle toothed marmot living among the talus and visual musings on the life cycle of trees. Made entirely at the Wilderness Film Expedition of Colorado’s Handmade Film Institute.
Music: Shatterglass (Stephen Deturbide, 2024)
Film: Cabiria (Giovanni Pastrone, 1914), Excerpts. Pastrone’s epic of war in ancient Rome and Carthage endorsed Italy’s 1911 invasion of Libya; this reimagining brings the horrors of war to the fore in images of voracious volcanoes, gods, and conflagration. Excerpts curated by Stephen Deturbide.
Music: Emerge (Hsui-Ping Patrick Wu)
Film: Emerge (Rena Thomas, 2018) A dancer emerges from and merges with the landscape in this ethereal piece filmed on 16mm film and hand-processed with eucalyptus instead of harsh conventional chemicals.
Please note flashing light effects.
Dalhousie Wind Ensemble
Flute
Cyan Raven Tom Geilewska
Elizabeth Pickart
Julian Kinnear
Miles Doseman-Banks
Jaxson Yorke
Oboe
Sarah Perrault
Clarinet
Emma Sickert
Young Liu
Symone Patino
Emily Henderson
Miles Karagianis
Bass Clarinet
Ian Lynch
Zoe Gouin
Alto Saxophone
Tessa Pelrine
Roselyn George
Tenor Saxophone:
Evelyn Peirce
Sarah Taubman
Henry Banfield
Baritone Saxophone
Cayden Bennett-MacKenzie
Trumpet
Jack Nicolucci
Sierra Caswell
Jake Swann
Mia Jager
Horn
Claire Covert
Trombone
Celeste Cook
Malcom Boyd
Ethan Lawler
Euphonium
Sophie Woodcock
Micah Matheson
Percussion
Colin Brown
Kaitlyn Stansfield
Harp
Amelie Burkinshaw
Banjo
Stephen Fewer
Accordion
Shauna Degruchy
Piano
Esmee Gilbert
CEC Symphonic Band
Flutes
Brooke MacKenzie
Ellie Tully
Talia Austin
Mila Lindsay
Addy Retson
Danah Kim
Clarinet
Ellen Rudderham
Emma Barron
Ethan Boncales
Kiran Shortliffe
Sofi Veniott TMS
Trumpet
Josh Varner
Georgia Rudderham
Katherine Morrisey
Noah Ogden
Owen McDowall
Holden Hoover
Bass
Matthew Ervin
Will Terry
Gavin Hicks
Tuba
Calliana Zwicker
Rory McNutt
Trombone
Ella Braedley
Finn Grainger TMS
Saxaphone
Cassie Deveau
Eunice Boncales
Yejung Gong
Peter Doan
Baritone
Dahlia Reynolds TMS
French Horn
Virgil Johnston
Percussion
Ariel Ghiz
Jacob Ogden
Ruthie Fredericks
Grace Denton
Jay Shreve
Emma Kaminski
Joey Chen
Aidan Minugh
Chloe Routledge
Madie Routledge
Violin
Vicktorija Silina
Zyan Gabasan
Oboe
Lily Arthurs
Bass Clarinet
Rhy Oliver
Malcom Trites TMS
Composer and Filmmaker Bios
Rebecca Lynn Adams is a Canadian composer from Prince Edward Island, currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Rebecca loves writing music about people: Personal identity, human conflict, and mental health are all topics explored in her catalogue of work. Her music has been performed in concert by ensembles such as the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra, and the Maritime Brass Quintet. Rebecca also adores creating music for media, and has written original music for several short films and games, including “Dançarina” by Monica Santos, “Romario” by James Cooper, “Dancing in the Cold” by Dmitrijus Monastyreckis, and Summit by Unavailable Games. Rebecca completed her Bachelor of Music in Composition at Dalhousie University in 2020, and a Graduate Certificate in Music Scoring for Screen and Stage at Sheridan College in 2021. She has studied composition under several established composers, including Jérôme Blais, Felipe Téllez, and Virginia Kilbertus. Rebecca has participated in several composer training programs, and most recently, was one of seven composers selected from across Canada to participate in the Winnipeg New Music Festival Composers Institute. Rebecca has received several prestigious awards, including the James A. Faraday Memorial Award and Sheridan College’s Board of Governors Silver Medal.
Stephen Deturbide has been studying composition at the Fountain School since 2022 and has since written pieces for Nuovo Concerts and Nocturne Halifax. He also studies vocal performance and enjoys writing art songs set to classic literature from the sublime to the ridiculous (Yeats to Winnie the Pooh...though he can't say which is which). This summer he is undertaking a composer's residency at the highSCORE Festival just outside of Venice, Italy. He is thrilled to be living his dream of writing music all the time and hopes to write for film, video games, or theme parks.
Jackson Fairfax-Perry (he/him) is an award winning African Nova Scotian composer, sound designer, musician and musical director living in Kjipuktuk, Mi’kma’ki (Halifax, Nova Scotia). For years, Jackson has honed his skills as an in demand saxophonist and keyboardist both on the road and locally with artists such as Hillsburn and David Myles, among others. He collaborates frequently with local hip hop and r&b artist Aquakultre, co-writing songs and working as the musical director for his live band. A prominent collaborator with local theatre and dance artists, Jackson has composed and created sound designs for companies such as 2b theatre company, Eastern Front Theatre, Ship’s Company Theatre, and Mocean Dance among numerous others. Recent credits include Matriarchs (Aquakultre, Nocturne), Dance Nation (Keep Good (Theatre) Company, Heist), Sea Unseen (Mocean Dance, The Sable Island Institute), Deepwater (The Villains Theatre) and Downed Hearts (Ship’s Company Theatre, Eastern Front Theatre, Matchstick Theatre).
Dawn George makes films, videos, photographs, and installations with the living things she discovers in the wild! Her filmmaking reflects her appreciation and respect for movement, nature, science, and sound. She is often in the garden filming insects and plants or in the kitchen brewing eco film developer. Dawn’s works have screened in festivals and galleries around the planet including the Images Festival, Festival du Nouveau Cinema, Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, the8fest, Kaunas IFF, WNDX, Imagine Science Film Festival, the Gladstone Hotel’s GrowOp Exhibition, the Dalhousie Art Gallery, and the Confederation Centre Art Gallery. She is a founding member of the Handmade Film Collective and has participated in residencies such as the Independent Imaging Retreat “Film Farm” in Ontario and the Ayatana Artists' Research Program in Québec. Her work has been supported by the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative, Arts Nova Scotia, and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Garrett Niall Horne (he/they) is an African Nova Scotian composer-percussionist based in Dartmouth (Halifax, Nova Scotia) creating contemporary classical, jazz, and third-stream music. He is in his third year of the Bachelor of Music program at the Fountain School of Performing Arts at Dalhousie University, with a concentration in composition. Garrett is studying composition with Amy Brandon and percussion with Mark Morton. He has served as the principal percussionist for the Dalhousie Symphony Orchestra since 2023.
Young (WeiHong) Liu is a composer, woodwind player, and pianist born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His musical influences stem not only from his multicultural upbringing but also from his experiences in the cadet program, where his performances earned him the LCdr Perreault Award. Throughout his time in the program, Liu received several accolades and contributed by leading numerous music-based seminars for cadets across the Atlantic Maritimes. Currently, Young studies piano with Peter Allen, composition with Amy Brandon, and performs in various ensembles around the city. Driven by a strong sense of community, he is passionate about supporting others in their musical journeys. He lends his experience as a solo and accompanying pianist, copyist, transcriber, and composer, to help both local (Halifax Salvation Army Choir, Parkland At The Gardens retirement home, Dalhousie music-related Societies, …) and international communities (Musescore community, Palmer String Studio (Arkansas), independent interest groups based in New Hampshire, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Florida, Mexico…) pursue their musical aspirations.
Jack Phillips-Bourguignon is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, guitar teacher and current student at Dalhousie University. Since 2018, Jack has been steadily contributing to the Halifax music scene. From releasing several successful EPs as a guitarist in progressive rock band Shaolin, to laying down pop grooves on the drum kit with Amy & The Bangs, he has played alongside the city’s best. In his studies and performances, Jack has covered a wide array of genres including rock, metal, blues, classical, jazz, Latin, Middle Eastern, funk/R&B, pop, and flamenco. He is currently an actively gigging musician.
Jenny Yujia Shi 施雨迦 is a Chinese Canadian visual artist and animation filmmaker based in Kjipuktuk. Growing up in a historic neighbourhood in the heart of Beijing, Shi was immersed in intergenerational teachings, childhood mischief, and folklore of ghosts and spirits until an urban development project flattened their neighbourhood, displacing local residents and connections. In 2009, Shi began a fourteen-year immigration process to Canada. From the moment Shi passed through the Border Services processing center, they were subject to conditions, permissions, and restrictions that regulated their movements and activities within the country and shaped their opportunities to establish a livelihood. Along with work in community-based arts programming and administration, Shi documents the impacts of displacement and dislocation. For their Masters of Fine Arts at NSCAD University, Shi is revisiting their personal immigration archive and childhood folklore to examine place, memory and agency in the context of border crossing and migration.
https://www.jennyshiyujia.com/
Rena Thomas: I am an artist and experimental filmmaker of settler ancestry living in K’jiputuk (Halifax). I have also worked administratively as an arts coordinator, programmer and safer spaces advocate through an intersectional feminist lens. Informed by my observations of the environment and my experiences as a cisgender queer woman, my work is a reaction to contemporary society, where humans disrespect the environment and patriarchy is prevalent. I am conscientious of my position as a settler and work to have a dialogue with the land rather than dominating it. In my practice I use analogue film, installation, and performance. For ecological and conceptual reasons, I process my film by hand, using biodegradable materials and eco film-processing methods including plant-based developers, hydrogen-peroxide reversal bleach, and saltwater fix. I welcome technical error and analogue mishaps as an important part of the process, avoiding attachment to the aesthetic vision of the final result.
https://renathomas.wordpress.com/
Hsiu-Ping Patrick Wu: Taiwanese-born Canadian composer, violinist, and multimedia artist Hsiu-Ping Patrick Wu is celebrated for integrating his multicultural heritage into his music. His compositions span neo-romanticism to avant-garde, blending theatricality, improvisation, minimalism, and Taiwanese musical traditions. Patrick has collaborated with esteemed ensembles, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, TimeArt Studio, Hypercube Ensemble, The Julius Quartet, Loadbang, Neave Trio, The Bedford Trio, and Changhua Chamber Music Society. His works have premiered at festivals such as the highSCORE Composition Festival, Zodiac Music Festival, Uzmah Upbeat Composition Program, Atlantic Music Festival, and the Scotia Festival of Music. He has studied composition with notable mentors including Jérôme Blais, Alexandra du Bois, and Vivian Fung.
Patrick is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers. Currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Toronto under Dr. Norbert Palej, he also holds degrees in composition and violin performance from Longy School of Music of Bard College and Fountain School of Performing Arts, Dalhousie University.