Laurier celebrates International Music Day with pop-up performances Oct. 1 on the university’s Waterloo campus

Sept. 30, 2019
For Immediate Release

Waterloo – Students from Wilfrid Laurier University’s acclaimed Faculty of Music will showcase their skills through a series of pop-up performances to celebrate International Music Day on Tues., Oct. 1. The talent-filled performances will also mark an exciting 24-hour “day of giving” to support Laurier’s Making Space for Music capital fundraising campaign to renovate and expand the Faculty of Music facilities and the gateway to Laurier from University Avenue.

“In the heart of a healthy, thriving community, we must make space for music,” said Glen Carruthers, dean of the Faculty of Music. “We hope music lovers will join together by making a donation on Oct. 1 to ensure our music students have the facility that can truly support their talents and ambitions.”

On Oct. 1, every donation made to Laurier’s Faculty of Music will go further thanks to an anonymous donor who has encouraged the university to leverage the $50,000 donation. As such, every one-time donation made on Oct. 1 will have double the impact. And donors who sign up to give monthly to the faculty will see the first year of their giving tripled in impact.

 “Every dollar donated is going toward the future of young artists,” said Graham Falconer, co-president of the Faculty of Music Student’s Association. “By giving, you will be supporting much-needed renovations to the music facility. But your generosity is not just about a building – it’s about opening up to see the power music has over our everyday lives.”

Pop-up performances will take place between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the following locations on Laurier’s Waterloo campus: Veritas Café and the nearby Quad, the Concourse in the Fred Nichols Campus Centre, Byte 75 in Lazardis Hall, and Alumni Hall. A Giving Day booth will be hosted on the second floor of the John Aird Centre from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“Your donation will contribute to the development of a vibrant new space for music education at Laurier, where generations of students will learn and grow as musicians and artists,” said Skylar Shelley, a first-year community music student who will be participating in the pop-up performances. “The Making Space for Music fundraising campaign is important to me because it means, as students, we are getting a space that is conducive to our development as musicians, which gives us the opportunity to gain the skills and confidence needed to create positive change in the community through our music.”

The Making Space for Music campaign supports the renovation and expansion of Laurier’s current music building, transforming it into a vastly improved space for teaching, practising, rehearsing and performing. An exceptional new entranceway and lobby, along with additional practice rooms, will provide more opportunity for music students to develop their craft. The enhancements will also enable the public to take a greater part in Laurier’s music programming, while creating a dramatic new gateway to Laurier’s Waterloo campus along University Avenue.

To learn how you can ‘play your part,’ please visit give.wlu.ca/music.