Dr. Melanie Turgeon

Melanie Turgeon Professor of Music, Choral Director

F107, 780-465-3500 x8028
Email: melanie.turgeon@kingsu.ca

D.M.A. (Choral Conducting), University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, IL
M.Mus. (Choral Conducting and Literature), University of Alberta
B.A. (Honours, Music), University of Alberta

Dr. Melanie Turgeon began studying conducting at the young age of 16, under the tutelage of Maestro Wolodymyr Kolesnyk, former conductor of Kiev State Opera and Ballet Theatre. By age 17, Melanie already conducted her first choir, a women’s chorus. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours Music Degree and a Master of Music Degree in Choral Conducting, both from the University of Alberta, as well as a Doctor of the Musical Arts Degree in Choral Music from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

Dr. Turgeon is Professor of Music and Choral Director at The King’s University College. She thoroughly enjoys conducting all three King’s choirs—Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, and Community Chorus, in addition to teaching advanced conducting. During the 2010-2011 academic year, King’s Choirs released their first CD under Dr. Turgeon’s leadership. In addition to her role at King’s, Dr. Turgeon has had the pleasure of conducting numerous other choirs and ensembles in Alberta and Illinois and she has presented research and given workshops at several academic institutions and conferences both nationally and internationally. She was a featured presenter at the international Alfred Schnittke Day Conference at Goldsmiths College, University of London, in February 2006.

Some highlights in Dr. Turgeon’s research endeavours include the publication of a book, Composing the Sacred in Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia (2008), a hymnal entitled, Sing to our God (2008), with an accompanying 5-CD set (2009), as well as three recordings with Heruvymy Ukrainian Female Quartet. In 2009, Melanie became involved with the Ukrainian Art Song Project, and she began an artistic friendship with international opera star, Pavlo Hunka. In November 2010, Melanie produced a concert including 4 of Canada’s top opera singers. This concert officially launched a double CD including the entire art song collection of Ukrainian composer, Yakiv Stepovyi (1883—1921).

Dr. Turgeon is very active in the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton. She serves as Music Director and Cantor at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Edmonton. She is a member of the Eparchial Liturgical Commission, formed in December 2009. She is also a member of Edmonton’s Study Days Committee. Dr. Turgeon spearheaded and taught a cantoring course in July 2010. This course is designed to train singers to function as cantors in the Ukrainian Catholic Church. She published a 200-page resource book for this course and she hopes that such courses and publications can continue on a regular basis so that the aural traditions of this ancient Eastern Rite are preserved.

Melanie is a co-founder and member of Heruvymy Ukrainian Female Quartet, an a cappella ensemble primarily devoted to the performance of Byzantine Liturgical Music. Over the course of their sixteen years together, Heruvymy (which means cherubim) has maintained a very active performance schedule and they have celebrated the release of three recordings. Recently, Dr. Turgeon decided to act on a long held conviction, namely to form a Slavic Chamber Choir. In June 2010, Kappella Kyrie was officially established. Melanie enjoys her role as conductor of Kappella Kyrie, an ensemble that specializes in sacred choral music of Eastern Europe.

Undoubtedly, Melanie’s most rewarding achievement was becoming a mother in August 2008. Together with her husband Marc, she thoroughly enjoys parenting their very cuddly, jovial, and active daughter, Sophia.

HERUVYMY UKRANIAN FEMALE QUARTET

Heruvymy Ukrainian Female Quartet formed in January 1994, basing its repertoire in Byzantine Liturgical Music. In addition to countless engagements within the Ukrainian Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches, this quartet honours a full slate of performances throughout the year, including charity concerts, Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, and appearances at professional sporting events, among others. They have sung the national anthems at Edmonton Eskimos, Edmonton Trappers, and even Calgary Flames games, and it has become an annual tradition for Heruvymy to sing a bilingual version of the Canadian national anthem at an Edmonton Oilers game close to Ukrainian Christmas.

In the summer of 1995, Heruvymy toured to Los Angeles and San Diego, and shortly thereafter, they completed their first recording Spivaite Hospodevi, “Sing unto the Lord.” In celebration of the second millennium of the Incarnation of our Lord, Heruvymy collaborated with the Redemptorist Fathers and released their second recording, Pryidite Poklonimsia, “Come, Let Us Worship” in December of 1999. Despite the fact that they were living in three different cities at the time, in November of 2000, the quartet still managed to meet in Ottawa for a performance there. Less than two years later they once again congregated in the east, privileged to perform at World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto. September 2002 saw them reunited in Edmonton. That same month they traveled to Winnipeg to participate in the enshrinement of the holy relics of Blessed Martyr Vasyl Velychkovsky. In addition, the quartet was honoured to be guest artists for a concert hosted by the Performing Arts Committee of The King’s University College in November 2002. In December 2007, Heruvymy released their third recording I na zemli myr, “And on Earth Peace,” a collection of Christmas music rejoicing in the Nativity of Christ.

The members of Heruvymy are Andrea Leader, Melanie Turgeon, Patty Tachynski and Kathy Tachynski, who share their spiritual roots at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Edmonton.

Education

Degrees

Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Music
2000-2007 University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL
* Majoring in choral conducting and choral literature and minoring in voice
* Dissertation topic: Alfred Schnittke’s Concerto for Choir

Master of Music in Choral Conducting (2000)
1998-2000 University of Alberta Edmonton, AB
* Thesis topic: Francis Poulenc’s Stabat Mater

Bachelor of Arts Honours Music (1998)
1993-1998 University of Alberta Edmonton, AB
* Majoring in music history and theory

Summer Studies

07/2000 Podium 2000 National Conference Edmonton, AB
* Conducting Master Class participant with Ivars Taurins

06/1999-07/1999 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
* Conducting Master Class participant at the Oregon Bach Festival with Helmuth Rilling

08/1991-94 & 1996 Ukrainian Music Society of Alberta Edmonton, AB
* Conducting Master Class participant with Maestro Wolodymyr Kolesnyk, former conductor of Kiev State Opera and Ballet Theatre

Awards and Scholarships

* Alberta Council for the Ukrainian Arts (ACUA) Award for Ukrainian Art in Alberta, April 2005
* Father Dydyk Knights of Columbus Bursary, September 2001 and 2002
* Flore Shaw Memorial Music Scholarship, June 2000
* Canadian Federation of University Women Margaret Brine Graduate Scholarship, April 2000
* Marie Mae and Sergei Eremenko Music Award, March 2000
* William Rea Scholarship, September 1999
* Beryl Barns Memorial Graduate Award, September 1999 & 1998
* Province of Alberta Graduate Scholarship, May 1999
* Edmonton Swiss Men’s Choir Award, January 1999
* Faculty of Arts Honours Prize, May 1998
* Admitted to the University of Alberta chapter of the Golden Key National Honour Society, February 1998
* University of Alberta Undergraduate Scholarship, September 1996
* Universiade ’83 Undergraduate Scholarship, September 1996
* Louise McKinney Post Secondary Scholarship, September 1995

Conducting, Teaching, and Professional Experience

08/2002-present The King’s University College Edmonton, AB
* Conductor of The King’s University College Concert Choir
* Conductor of The King’s University College Chamber Choir
* Instructor of Music 330: Choral Conducting I and Music 331: Choral Conducting II

08/2004-present The King’s University College Edmonton, AB
* Instructor of Music 217: Aural Skills I and Music 267: Aural Skills II

10/2002-present St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church Edmonton, AB
* Cantor and Conductor of Parish Choir

01/1994-present Heruvymy Ukrainian Female Quartet Edmonton, AB
* Artistic Director, Co-founder, and Member

01/2003-present St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church Edmonton, AB
* Chairperson and Principal Editor for an Eparchial Hymnal

10/2005-12/2005 Sine Nomine Choir Edmonton, AB
* Guest Conductor

01/2005 Ukrainian Bilingual Program Edmonton, AB
* Guest Conductor of Student Chorus for 30th Anniversary Celebration

01/2003-2004 Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Alberta Edmonton, AB
* Conductor of Eparchial Youth Choir

2002-12/2003 Musica Russica Publishing Company Madison, CT
* Assisted Musica Russica with the publication of Nikolai Kachanov’s arrangement of Four Ukrainian Christmas Carols (CC 014)

08/2001-08/2002 St. Joseph United Methodist Church St. Joseph, IL
* Conductor of Parish Choir

08/2001-05/2002 University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL
* Instructor of Music 142B: Elements of Conducting

02/2001 & 02/2002 University of Illinois Piatt County, IL
* Clinician at Allerton Vocal Chamber Music Symposium

08/2000-05/2001 University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, IL
* Conductor of Illini Women’s Chorus

01/2000-08/2000 St. Basil Ukrainian Catholic Church Edmonton, AB
* Conductor of Parish Choir

09/1999-07/2000 Richard Eaton Singers Edmonton, AB
* Choral Assistant

11/1998-05/2000 St. Martin Catholic Elementary School Edmonton, AB
* Director and Co-founder of a Choral Music Program and Chamber Orchestra

09/1999-01/2000 Musica Russica Publishing Company Madison, CT
* Assisted Musica Russica with the publication of A. Arkhangel’sky’s Psalm 40 (Ar 144)

11/1991-01/2000 St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church Edmonton, AB
* Assistant Conductor of Parish Choir

08/1998-05/1999 University of Alberta Edmonton, AB
* Assistant Conductor of the University of Alberta Concert Choir

09/1998-04/1999 University of Alberta Edmonton, AB
* Research Assistantship with Dr. Michael Roeder

09/1998-04/1999 University of Alberta Edmonton, AB
* Teaching Assistantship for Music 101, 213 and 272

09/1998-02/1999 Ukrainian Music Society of Alberta Edmonton, AB
* Assistant Conductor of a mass chorus for an Edmonton Symphony Orchestra performance of Yurij Laniuk’s Palimpsesty

04/1997-06/1997 St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church Edmonton, AB
* Guest Conductor of Parish Choir

1991-1996 Tsvit Paporoti Ukrainian Folk Choir Edmonton, AB
* Conductor

1991-1992 Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Alberta Edmonton, AB
* Assistant Conductor of the Centennial Youth Choir

Recordings

Pryidite Poklonimsia (Come, Let Us Worship) (1999)
Heruvymy Ukrainian Female Quartet with Father Yaroslaw Dybka
An anonymous 17th-century setting of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, originally scored for five-part mixed chorus and arranged for four-part female voicing by Melanie Turgeon
Arktos 99038

Spivaite Hospodevi (Sing unto the Lord) (1996)
Heruvymy Ukrainian Female Quartet
The majority of the music on this recording was arranged or composed by Melanie Turgeon
Arktos Cassette