Professor Giovannetti and her oboe and English horn group are honored for recognition from the Canada Council of the Arts
While BYU’s School of Music is widely known for the talented students it produces, the professors in the school are masters of their craft. Recently, Dr. Geralyn Giovannetti, an oboe professor in the school, received a prestigious grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. The $19,300 grant, awarded to Giovannetti’s group CAN–AM Trio, will fund the group’s efforts in commissioning, touring and recording their music.
When asked how she felt about receiving the grant, Giovannetti said that she was astonished. “These grants are very competitive, and we are so pleased that our application resonated with the review board,” she said.
The other two members in the trio include Sarah Hamilton from The State University of New York at Fredonia and Anna Mattix, the English hornist with the Buffalo Philharmonic.
The name of the group, CAN–AM Trio, comes from each of the members’ country of origin. Both Giovannetti and Hamilton are from Canada, and Mattix is from the United States. Even though they live across the North American Continent, the group manages to stay in harmony through Zoom meetings and making sure they have adequate time to rehearse together before their performances.
“We meet for very concentrated rehearsals and especially prioritize the time just before concerts and recording,” said Giovannetti. “We also individually prepare our parts by practicing and studying the score in advance of rehearsing together.”
In light of receiving the grant, the group plans to commission three composers to write new works for the trio that they will then record and tour to showcase the newly composed work.
“The grant is a tremendous opportunity for the group to interact with specific composers and to premiere their music,” said Giovannetti. “We hope our work is heard and becomes a resource for other performers and especially students.”
The CAN–AM Trio specializes in double reed chamber music, and they hope that the grant will allow them to add to this genre.
“This grant gives us the opportunity to introduce new voices to this rich repertoire,” Giovannetti said. “We are excited to work with composers who will approach the trio from their own unique perspective.”