Sean Goerzen – CMU Media Archive

‘It’s neat to see the hard work … pay off,’ says winner

WINNIPEG – Violin, piano, French horn, and vocal performances were all part of the final round of the ninth annual Verna Mae Janzen Music Competition at Canadian Mennonite University.

Held on Thursday, March 20 in the university’s Laudamus Auditorium, the competition featured eight performers who progressed from an initial field of 19 competitors.

The competition was exceptional and each of the eight finalists gave outstanding performances, said Janet Brenneman, Dean of the CMU School of Music.

“It was exciting for the audience to see the performers rise to the occasion and genuinely enjoy the experience,” Brenneman said.

“The competition is important because it gives the CMU community, as well as our wider public, an opportunity to see and hear the students perform on their solo instrument. We often present ensemble performances, but this showcases another important aspect of our program: the solo and collaborative performance.

Peter Janzen with finalists (l-r) Rachel Enns, Breanna Heinrichs, Anna Bigland-Pritchard, Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe, Deidra Borus, Ashley Fredette, Josiah Brubacher, and Sean Goerzen. — Peter Janzen with finalists (l-r) Rachel Enns, Breanna Heinrichs, Anna Bigland-Pritchard, Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe, Deidra Borus, Ashley Fredette, Josiah Brubacher,
and Sean Goerzen.

Deidra Borus, Rachel Enns, Ashley Fredette, Breanna Heinrichs, Josiah Brubacher, Sean Goerzen, Anna Bigland-Pritchard, and Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe were the eight students who competed on March 20.

Klassen-Wiebe, a fourth-year pianist, was awarded $700 and first place in the competition. Borus, a lyrical soprano who is studying music therapy, placed second and received $500

Heinrichs, a pianist studying music at CMU, and Bigland-Pritchard, a soprano in her fourth year of her Bachelor of Music in Music Ministry and Vocal Performance, tied for third place. They will share a $300 award.

Peter Janzen with winners (l-r) Breanna Heinrichs, Anna Bigland-Pritchard, Deidra Borus, and Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe.

Reflecting on her win, Klassen-Wiebe said that placing first was meaningful because it meant her performance connected with the judges and the audience, and evoked their emotions.

“I’m super excited that I won the money, but it’s more meaningful because it means I succeeded in my musical goal of touching people,” she said. “That’s better than any prize.”

Klassen-Wiebe added that competitions make her nervous, but she enjoyed the opportunity to perform music she had spent a lot of time practicing.

“It’s neat to see the hard work and emotions you’ve invested into your education and pieces pay off,” she said.

The competition is made possible by Peter Janzen of Deep River, Ontario, and named in memory of his wife, Verna Mae, who died of cancer in 1989 at age 53. Janzen attends the final round of competition each year, and speaks with competitors.

“It’s very personal,” said Klassen-Wiebe, who has competed for three years and spoken with Janzen each time. “I’ve gotten to know him a little bit better each year, and that’s a very cool part of this competition.”

Brenneman added that the event is a friendly competition among the students. They are genuinely excited for each other and always enjoy the performance.

“Many of them comment to me that they forget they are competing against each other – they simply enjoy being on the stage and putting together this great concert with their friends,” she said, adding that the audience is supportive, too.

“Sometimes at competitions, the only people present are a few immediate family members,” Brenneman said. “Here, the entire CMU community is interested in this event and the competitors themselves bring in friends and family from all over. It’s fascinating!”

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For more photos documenting the 2014 Verna Mae Music Competition, please click here.

March 27, 2013 – In June, 2011, the Souris River—which divides the city of Minot, North Dakota in half—experienced record flooding. More than four thousand homes were destroyed in a disaster that displaced 12,000 people. On Saturday, February 17, eight Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) students as well as two staff, Sandra Loeppky and Rick Unger, left for North Dakota. Instead of relaxing, catching up on classes, or spending time with their families, the volunteers were willing to spend their reading break working in the community.

Clockwise, from bottom left: Sean Göerzen, Desiree Penner, Glen Torrie (from Orillia, ON), and Sandra Loeppky

The students are being sent to Minot to help with the large-scale, multi-year MDS response to the flood, which is currently in its second year. CMU students were also sent out last year, and it is clear that their efforts made a difference. “In an interesting twist, we slept in the church that we helped build last year, on beds and bunks that we helped move,” says Sandra Loeppky, Coordinator of Commuter, Disability, and International Programs who helped plan both trips.

This year marked the first time in a while that Witness Through Service, a CMU Student Council Committee, was involved with the planning. Both of the leaders of the group, Christie Bueckert and Arlana Muller, joined the team in Minot this year. The committee helped with the organizing as well as the promotion of the trip. Bueckert says that she really enjoyed the experience because of the people she met in the community as well as the change of pace from the more mental work of school.

Students this year were involved in the construction of multiple homes, and worked in various roles, from painting to insulating to helping finish up drywall. At the end of the week, they were involved in a house dedication at the end of the week, giving the house they helped build to a couple, their daughter, and the daughters’ three children who lived with them. “Our students were asked to lead the singing for the dedication,” Loeppky says, calling the experience very touching.

Desiree Penner is a first year student at CMU. Recounting her experience, she said that “the hands on time spent repairing the homes affected by the flood was very worthwhile, but on top of that, I made amazing new life-long friends.” She was working on the team that helped repair the basement in a home. Desiree emphasized that she would love to go on the trip again next year. “It was definitely an experience that everyone should put on their bucket list!”