Message from Owen Underhill

Message from Owen Underhill who attended the Western Canadian Music Awards Breakout West in Whitehorse, Yukon.

I left a rainy Vancouver yesterday in order to fly up to the Western Canadian Music Awards Breakout West in Whitehorse, Yukon.  As we flew further north, the clouds went away and we arrived in a very clear and sunny Whitehorse.  I am proud to attend the WCMAs representing Turning Point Ensemble nominated in the Classical Artist/Ensemble category for our Curio Box CD, as well as my own personal nomination as Classical Composer for my Cello Concerto played brilliantly by Ariel Barnes and Turning Point Ensemble on the same CD.   Yesterday evening we all gathered in a large circle in the setting sun alongside the Yukon River outside the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre for a ceremonial first nations welcome and cleansing fire.   Following the outside gathering we all went inside for the Award Ceremony.  Other attendees from Vancouver included Steven Bélanger who is the Executive Director and a singer in the Vancouver Chamber Choir.  They were also nominated in the Classical Ensemble category.  My congratulations to all the winners including the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra as Classical Artist/Ensemble of the year and Carmen Braden from Yellowknife as the Classical Composer of the year.  I enjoyed Arctic Char, Carmelized Bacon and other local delectables after the ceremony as well as listening to one of our former SFU students Sarah MacDougall from the Yukon who was nominated as Pop Artist of the Year.  Her group fresh from a European tour performed last night.  I am looking forward to attending other events over the weekend as well as spending time walking along the river.