Former music professor Bill Westcott, who taught at 91亚色 for over three decades, died on July 20. An accomplished and versatile pianist and composer, he was a master of ragtime and stride. Westcott came to 91亚色 in 1979 and retired from full-time teaching in 2010. Rob Bowman, a Grammy Award-winning professor of ethnomusicology at 91亚色, was among Westcott's early students. "He was instrumental in my life," says Bowman. "He went the extra mile for students. He spent hours with me."

Mary Henderson, another early student of Westcott, joined a student choir he led. She says she was challenged and impressed by the range of music he chose: "We did Mozart, Gregorian chant, gospel music," she recalls. "It was incredible."

Brenna MacCrimmon, a mentee and bandmate of Westcott, says some of his former students told her, "He gave me a crappy mark, but he was my favourite prof," which she says fits with her understanding of her friend. "When he saw potential and ability in someone, he wasn't going to coddle them."

Professor Mike Cad贸, a colleague of Westcott towards the end of his full-time teaching career, says he was inspired by, among other things, Westcott's unique method of demonstrating at the piano while teaching. "It was thrilling to see him play. He really drew you into the performance," he says. "It was like seeing a world-class European classical pianist. There was the same level of intensity."

Although he was a trained musician who could read music, it was not from the page, but from his body and soul. It was a great pleasure to be in the room with that.

MacCrimmon speaking to The Globe and Mail

Professor Jack L. Rozdilsky writes about the 2024 Democratic National Convention in an op-ed for The Conversation and how the fast-changing political landscape and recent political violence has reawoken , also held in Chicago. In their op-ed, Professor Idil Boran and her co-author write about how is still lacking, despite years of calls for a co-ordinated global policy. Referencing their recent paper published in the , they argue a joint work program between the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity is the best approach.

Professor Kenzie Allen is reclaiming her Indigeneity through poetry. Speaking to The Canadian Press, she says her poems are a way for her to take her Haudenosaunee identity back from those who labelled her too much or not enough. , and transmutes the British Empire into a reminiscing dude-bro desperate to hold onto his glory days.

Pilots at Air Canada have voted in favour of walking off the job as soon as mid-September. While the travel industry is seasonal, Professor Steven Tufts tells Toronto Star, adding that many pilots don鈥檛 just carry people but also cargo.

91亚色 alumni and Canadian beach volleyball Olympic medalists Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson confirmed .

Professor Emeritus Paul Delaney talks to CBC about . The term supermoon isn't a scientific one. It comes from astrology and refers to the moon at its perigee 鈥� the closest point of its orbit to Earth. Blue moon refers to a second full moon in a month or the fourth in one season. Both happening concurrently is what made last week's full moon a super blue. "None of these, by the way, are true astronomical terms," Delaney tells .

Everybody likes the moon. You can see detail with the unaided eye and easily with binoculars. It's a fan favourite. Poetry has been written about, stories, murder, mysteries, I mean, you name it. Everybody has got a story about the moon.

Delaney speaking to CTV News

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TORONTO, March 22, 2023 鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Studies and the  will present a chamber music recital on Thursday at the Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Keele Campus.

This free recital will celebrate Canadian Jewish composers spanning 115 years as part of the performance and lecture series 鈥淪ound and Sense: Jewish Music @ 91亚色.鈥� The series is dedicated to showcasing the multicultural diversity of Jewish musical expression and the ongoing intersections between Jewish and non-Jewish musical practices and communities.

鈥淭he initiative is driven by an inclusive philosophy that believes in the power of music to serve as a bridge-builder and a vehicle for cultural exchange and dialogue,鈥� says music , lead organizer of the event.

鈥淥ur performers will reveal a wide range of colours coming from the imagination and life stories of the featured composers. All these works have in common an aspiration to peace, to prayer, to joy and to celebration,鈥� says music scholar and performer Diane Kolin, who will share insights about the repertoire and the composers in it during her pre-concert talk.

The series is also part of the , hosted by the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design.

WHAT: Sound and Sense: Jewish Music @ 91亚色, celebrating the music of Canadian Jewish Composers

WHO: 91亚色 music faculty members and special guests. Click here for bios and more info

WHEN: Pre-concert talk at 6:45 p.m.; concert at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: , Accolade East Building (ACE), 83 91亚色 Blvd, 91亚色 Keele Campus

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