La Scena Musicale Founder Wah Keung Chan to be Honoured by Vanier College

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April 7, 2008 / La Scˆ®ne Musicale (LSM) is pleased to announce that the organization’Äôs founder and president Wah Keung Chan will be honoured at Vanier College’Äôs 10^th Annual Big Band Benefit Concert, which will take place on Monday, April 14 at 7:30 PM in the school’Äôs auditorium. Every year, this event pays tribute to musical artists who have made a lasting impact on the community at large. As LSM’Äôs mission of promoting classical music and jazz throughout Canada continues to succeed, this honour seems particularly fitting for Wah Keung, who is himself a Vanier alumnus.

Vanier Music Department coordinator Nadia Turbide explains: "This year we chose Wah Keung Chan, because his magazine which is distributed all over Montreal, is a one-of-a-kind monthly listing of musical events along interviews and articles on musicians, conductors and composers in Montreal. La Scena Musicale is a gold mine of information on musical events; no other local magazine covers music in such a comprehensive way."

Wah Keung has a history of leadership and innovation that dates back to his days at Vanier, where he founded the Vanier Math Club and the Vanier Math Competition, for which he received a Vanier Student Life Award upon graduation. ’ÄúI am very honoured and touched to receive this recognition,’Äù says Wah Keung. ’ÄúThe mentorship I received at Vanier helped shape my sense of leadership and the idea that I could make a real difference through my initiatives.’Äù At McGill University, he received the Scarlet Key Award for co-founding The Live Wire, a news/journal for electrical engineering students, and for his leadership on campus. He subsequently helped reinvigorate the Scarlet Key Society by starting the university’Äôs regular participation in the Terry Fox Run. In September 1996, Wah Keung brought his publishing experience, love of classical music, knowledge of computers and sense of volunteerism to his most ambitious project, the publication of a free classical music magazine, La Scena Musicale, which he continues to run as publisher and editor-in-chief. Since then, he has expanded the non-profit charity’Äôs mission of promoting classical music by launching the all-English The Music Scene, La Scena Musicale Online, an award-winning website which can be found at www.scena.org, and in September 2007, La SCENA, Montreal’Äôs only arts and culture magazine. Recently, Wah Keung was the recipient of an Honourable Mention at the 2006 National Magazine Awards (Arts and Entertainment Category) for his critical profile ’ÄúThe Nagano Mystique,’Äù published in the December 2006/January 2007 issue of LSM (Vol. 12.4).

The evening’Äôs festivities will be hosted by Montreal jazz piano legend Oliver Jones, while tributes will be given by internationally renowned countertenor Daniel Taylor, local philanthropist Noel Spinelli, and retired Vanier math professor Carole Channer, Wah Keung first mentor. Featured performers include Justin Time recording artist Jeri Brown, the Vanier Stage Band under the direction of Jocelyn Couture and the J.L. Big Band, led by Christopher Smith, which is comprised of some of Montreal’Äôs finest jazz musicians.

Proceeds from the evening’Äôs concert allow Vanier College to give bursaries to outstanding music students at the school; presentations of these scholarships to current Vanier students will be part of the event. Tickets for the event are $20 and can be purchased either at the college’Äôs print shop or at the door on the evening of the concert.

> See the Vanier College press release
> Wah Keung Chan bio at Vanier's Notable Alumni Page