Samara Bissonnette
While Brock University is bustling and buzzing with exciting Congress lectures, sessions, and series, it is also sharing unexpected little gems for the attendees this week. This afternoon, the Canadian University Music Society (MusCan) shared with us the musical treat, Sylvie Proulx and her solo guitar performance. Sylvie is from Memorial University and at Congress she presented a selection of Latin American pieces from artists like Cacho Tirao, Abel Fleury and Astor Piazzolla. Indeed, you could say that for half an hour in the theatre at Brock University, Sylvie had us under her musical spell.
To say that the performance was breathtaking would be saying the very least. The theatre filled with eager and interested Congress delegates and a handful of young students, volunteers and community members, several of whom took the opportunity to scurry up to the front rows to get a better view of the show. The theatre throughout the entire session was absolutely silent, save for the bursts of applause at the end of every piece of course. You could hear a pin drop from the top rows, as every audience member held their breath and sat in awe of the moving experience that Sylvie treated us to. Sylvie is unquestionably a woman who knows her instrument, and her fingers danced across the strings like magic in front of our eyes.
What made it all the more refreshing was the genre of music that she played, introduced as Latin American with folk dance pieces from Bolivia and etudes similar to Chopin's piano pieces. The way that she played the strings definitely harkened to a harpsichord-style of music. Though it was far from the familiar music played in the Top 40, and no one held lighters over their heads or screamed their approval, the audience was still very obviously moved by the performance, sitting on the edges of their seats, giving her a standing ovation at the end and applauding long after she left the stage.
I am incredibly thankful and priviledged to say that for that half an hour, I too was under Sylvie's musical spell, and I implore anyone interested in music or classical solo guitar to take the time to listen to some of her incredible work.
Sylvie Proulx is an acclaimed guitarist who travels across North America giving performances, and is well known for her unique talent. She has worked with MusCan instructing others in the field of music and giving concerts for respective audiences. Currently, she is a guitar instructor at Memorial University's School of Music. She has an especial affinity for South American music, which can be heard on her album Tango Nuevo, and has recently released another solo album titled Sirroco. You can learn more about Sylvie Proulx and hear selections from her remarkable array of music on her official website, http://www.sylvieproulx.ca/.