Fort Macleod International Festival

Funding from Rural Alberta’s Development Fund in 2008 allows us to implement Project Muse within each year’s festival. It enables us to bring in young professional musicians who are still studying or are just beginning their professional careers, and match them with artists from the festival in a mentorship program.

These young professionals prepare works to present to school groups and to perform at a Saturday matinee, showcasing their talents and the experience they have gained from the festival artists. When not performing for school groups, you will find these busy musicians rehearsing for roles in the other festival concerts. These truly are tomorrow’s classical music superstars.

The following quotes are from a recent article promoting the Project Muse art project:

"For the second year, musicians coming to southern Alberta for the international festival have arrived early to share their musical talents with students in area schools as part of Project Muse, a program offered through the Empress Theatre.  This year students had the opportunity to create an artwork from a piece of music performed for them."

“It’s really cool to get to do [artwork] to live music and so many people get to be involved… It’s neat that we’re all listening to the same song, but we’re all interpreting it completely differently.”

"The musicians are really young themselves, making an easy connection with elementary and high school students."

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Quoted from article by Caroline Zentner, Lethbridge Herald, May 29, 2010 page A3

If you are a teacher who would like to have Project Muse perform at your school, please call (403) 553-4404 or 1-800-540-9229

Muse Players

Matthew Blackburn - Piano
Matthew Blackburn began piano studies at age 7 and has been seriously pursuing a career in music since the completion of high school in 2005. In 2007 he completed the Victoria Conservatory of Music diploma program and received an Associate ... read more »

Brooke Day - Viola
Brooke Day was born in 1981 and brought up in Lethbridge, Alberta. He started the violin at the age of 5 when he took lessons from Norbert Boehm. During these early years, Brooke competed in the local Kiwanis Music ... read more »

Sarah Gieck - Flute
Sarah Gieck received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Calgary where she studied with Calgary Philharmonic flutist, Gwen Klassen. She then traveled to Manchester, England to study with the former principal flutist of the London Symphony ... read more »

Arturo Serna, Cellist
‘A strong, confident and engaging performer who always gives his very best’, Arturo Serna is one of the most promising Venezuelan cellists of his generation. Born in 1982, he started his musical studies in the System of Youth ... read more »

Lana Trotovsek - Violin
Slovenian violinist Lana Trotovsek is emerging as one of the most talented violinists of her generation. She performs throughout Europe with orchestras and as a recital soloist to critical and public acclaim. She has been invited to perform many ... read more »