Classical duo Latitude 49 takes stage at Arts on 817

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

In December 2016, Strathmore born-and-raised violinist Timothy Steeves and award-winning Canadian pianist Jani Parsons were ready to bring down the roof of the Strathmore United Church with their talents.
There was just one problem.
The piano available at the time wasn’t adequate enough and the classical duo had to find a suitable space elsewhere.
That moment proved personal for Carolyn Steeves – Timothy’s mother – who helped fundraise approximately $36,000 for the purchase of a piano that will really be put to the test during the second Arts on 817 performance next week, when Steeves and Parsons – members of Latitude 49 – return to Strathmore.
“It’s going to be really nice for me personally that when they play, this time it’s at our church and on the new piano,” said Carolyn Steeves, artistic director and member of the Arts on 817 committee. “We’re trying to bring arts to the community. We felt that there was a need. There are already arts organizations and shows that come through, but we thought with a small intimate venue we could actually have a concert series that people wouldn’t have to drive to Calgary, have tickets at a reasonable price and get really good entertainment.”
As a result, the piano committee, which has roughly 10 members, morphed into a committee for Arts on 817 – a three-act concert series hosted by the Strathmore United Church. The event has already featured the Heebee-jeebees, an award-winning four-man a cappella group from Calgary. On March 10, Steeves and Parsons will take to the stage. Steeves is quickly developing a multifaceted career as soloist, orchestral musician and chamber musician, and an advocate of contemporary music. After his solo debut with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in 2004, the violinist has performed with orchestras in Canada and the United States, and in Carnegie Hall in New York City. He was involved in the world-premier recording of Darius Milhaud’s L’Orestie d’Eschyle – which received a Grammy nomination for best opera recording – and is a founding member of Latitude 49, a new music ensemble of six instrumentalists. Nearly three years ago, Steeves was also entrusted with the 1871 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin – valued at $260,000 – which he will be playing in Strathmore next weekend. With a long resumé and many achievements under his belt, Steeves is looking forward to sharing his talent and music with some familiar faces.
“Several members of the community have literally seen me as a newborn child so it’s really wonderful to be able to give back to the community and share what I do, the music that I love and to share that with people who have been a part of my journey my entire life,” said Timothy Steeves. “I’m hoping people will get an emotionally stirring and riveting evening full of great performances where you have music that spans from 1770 to 2013. There’s a wide range of styles and performance practices. I hope that everyone comes out of the evening with something to hold on to and cherish.”
Dr. Jani Parsons also has a long extensive list of achievements. A pianist and teacher, Parsons has explored in performance, pedagogy, theory and new music performance. She’s a graduate of the University of Michigan, the Vancouver Academy of Music and the Royal Conservatory of Music. She’s been broadcast on CBC Radio 2 and has played in concert at places such as the Chan Centre of the Arts, Banff Centre of the Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the Detroit Institute for the Arts, to name a few. Between Steeves’ pursuit of his doctor of music arts at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, his responsibilities with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Parsons’ teaching position at Baylor University among other ventures, the two rely on Skype, comprehensive Google calendars, and rehearsal time days before the actual event. According to Parsons, trust and communications is important when unable to practice much before a performance.
“Both of us we know each other really well so we can rely on each other to be really good musical partners, and that’s one thing that the trust is there but we’ve worked together so much that we know how we work together,” Parsons said. “It’s often rare to get concerts like this so we hope we can attract some new people who are perhaps just curious about having a different artistic experience and we can guarantee it’ll be more interesting than watching YouTube on your couch.”
The concert will feature music by Mozart, Prokofiev, Stucky, and Gershwin-Heifetz.
Latitude 49 will perform at the Strathmore United Church as part of the Arts on 817 concert series on March 10. There are 175 seats available, but over 100 tickets have already been sold. Tickets are available at the door or by contacting 403-901-2797.
Arts on 817 will also feature the third and final act for the year, a brass quintet called the Foothills Brass, on May 4