Sean Groten is one of 16 Grant MacEwan University music composition students showing off their work at the annual Composition Concert tonight at the John L. Haar Theatre in the MacEwan Centre for Arts and Communications.
“The program is going to be all over the place. You won’t know what’s coming,” says Groten, a 2008 Ă©cole St. Marguerite d’Youville graduate.
He spent a year studying arts and sciences at the University of Alberta before enrolling in MacEwan’s vocal program. But it’s in the composition program under Allan Gilliland where Groten has discovered his niche.
A multi-instrumentalist with piano, trumpet, guitar and drums, Groten is in two folk groups — The Deadbeats and Sean and Laura.
His musical dexterity makes him well positioned to create a work such as The Painter, a seven-minute composition that will be showcased at the concert. Originally composed with harmonies from the jazz world and a classical influence, it was arranged for four strings and will be played with two marimbas and two vibraphones.
“I was inspired when we were studying impressionism. I took the idea of painting being vague and went from there.”
The three-movement piece tells a musical story of a painter’s free-flowing inspiration, his aggressive painting and his eventual doubts about the work’s final worth. “The end is full of tenacious energy and dissonant sounds.”
The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. and the address is 10045 – 156 St. Tickets are adults $7 and students $5. Call 780-420-1757 or online at www.tixonthesquare.ca.
Mark Ammar’s Open Stage brings together three music warriors that have close to a century of combined experience. Mandolin player Mike Sadava, guitarist Tommy Roschkov and guitarist/bassist Trace Jordon set a spark to the stage at LB’s Pub this coming Tuesday.
True to the roots tradition they’ve explored various styles from rockabilly, blues, soul, folk, country and experimental jazz. The open jam starts at 9 p.m. No cover.
