World Premiere: Supervillain Etudes for Piano Duo

SCPA piano sessional instructor Dr. Lana Henchell is currently working with Calgary pianist, Akiko Tominaga on a large-scale collaborative short film project. They commissioned Vincent Ho (Calgary composer; SCPA alumnus) to write a set of Supervillain Etudes for Piano Duo, which will be used in the short film series.

The duo will be working with Emil Agopian (Film Director; Agopian Films), and choreographers/dancers: Marie France Forcier (SCPA; Forcier Stage Works) and Yukichi Hattori (H/W School of Ballet; former principle of Alberta Ballet Company). 

The film will be underscored by the duo's live performance when it is presented at the Globe Cinema in downtown Calgary on Oct. 28, 2022.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

As two pianists with similar backgrounds in education, teaching and collaborative activities, Lana Henchell and Akiko Tominaga have offered Calgarians a connection to classical and contemporary music and have provided support and inspiration to aspiring music students for over 30 years.

A three-time Juno Award nominee, SCPA alumnus Vincent Ho (BMus’98 Hons.) is one of the leading Canadian Contemporary composers based in Calgary. His many accolades include Harvard University’s Fromm Music Commission, The Canada Council for the Arts’ “Robert Fleming Prize,” ASCAP’s “Morton Gould Young Composer Award,” four SOCAN Young Composers Awards, and CBC Radio’s Audience Choice Award. He currently serves as Artistic Director for the Land’s End Chamber Ensemble and the New Music advisor to the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.

Award winning director and filmmaker Emil Agopian has garnered international recognition for his fresh take on the genre of music video and documentary in collaboration with top Canadian artists. His latest feature documentary film, The True North Project, won Best Documentary at the Monaco International Film Festival and was a finalist at the European Cinematography Awards.

Marie France Forcier is a choreographer, performer, writer, and pedagogue of western contemporary dance forms. Through studio work, public performance and community initiative, she researches at the intersection of somatic practices, trauma studies and choreography. An Associate Professor of Dance and the Dance Division Lead at the University of Calgary’s School of Creative and Performing Arts, her body of creative work has been presented on platforms spanning little-known urban sites to dance-dedicated proscenium spaces across North America, Europe and Asia.

Tokyo-born Yukichi Hattori has danced with the Hamburg ballet from 1999-2006 and as Principal Dancer for Alberta Ballet from 2006-2016. He currently serves as Artistic Director for the H/W School of Ballet, which he co-founded with his partners Galien Johnston Hattori and Tara Williamson to raise dancers and performing arts supporters.