Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize my constituent Mr. Tyler Hawkins of Hay River for his outstanding talent achievements in the music world.
Tyler Hawkins began his music lessons on multi-stringed guitar when he was just eight years old. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University with Honours in Performance in 1990. Since then he has been working as a teacher and a private guitar instructor in the Northwest Territories.
This weekend we’ll see another dream realized, as through Tyler’s leadership, we will host what I hope is just the first N.W.T. International Lute Festival.
I encourage everyone to take advantage of this amazing opportunity to see and hear such rare internationally renowned talent coming to a small northern, remote town like Hay River. This weekend’s events will include performances on Friday night at École Boréale, Saturday night at the Pentecostal church, and a meet-the-artists workshop at the Back Eddy at 1:30 on Sunday.
We will welcome a performance by Michel Cardin and Tyler Hawkins on Friday night at École Boréale. Saturday night’s offering will include a performance by Nigel North. Nigel North was initially inspired into music at age seven by the early ’60s instrumental pop group The Shadows.
Nigel studied classical music through violin and guitar, eventually discovering his real path in life, the lute, when he was 15. Basically self-taught on the lute, he has for over 30 years developed a unique musical life which embraces activities as a teacher, accompanist, soloist, director and writer. For over 20 years he was a professor of the lute at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. From ’93 to ’99 he was a professor at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin, and since January 1999 Nigel North has been a professor of lute at the Early Music Institute at Indiana University in Bloomington in the U.S.A.
Mr. Speaker, it is truly a rare occasion to have such internationally renowned talent in our community of Hay River. I would like to thank Tyler Hawkins for all of his efforts in bringing this together. I would ask my colleagues here today to congratulate Hay River on being the host of the N.W.T. International Lute Festival. Thank you.
