Family Concert
Justine Lai and Nancy Watt, piano
Sunday, January 12, 2025 - 3:00 pm
St. Albert United Church
In a fresh, new collaboration, St Albert pianists Justine Lai and Nancy Watt combine their love of ensemble playing to present a free concert in benefit of the St. Albert Chamber Music Society.
The first half of the program is presented with families in mind as the duo will perform the much-loved Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. There are fourteen short movements each representing a different animal or animals. To set the scene, each piece will be introduced with the charming poetry of Jack Prelutsky, read by local award-winning actor, Paul Punyi from Rooney and Punyi Productions.
The second half of the concert will feature the French Composer, Marie Jaëll. Justine and Nancy will perform Opus 8, the complete set of Twelve Waltzes and Finale. Each short piece in the collection evokes elegance and refinement.
Families are welcome to stay for some or all of the concert.
Justine Lai has been a piano teacher and accompanist for the past 10 years. She has earned her Associate Diploma in piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Currently, she is a medical student at the University of Alberta, where she plays piano as a part of the medical school orchestra. Justine enjoys giving back to her community as a member of the St. Albert Rotaract volunteer club.
Nancy Watt holds a Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of Alberta and an Associate in Piano Teaching from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Nancy began her career teaching music programs in both elementary and junior high schools and then taught private piano and theory lessons from her home studio in St. Albert. With over thirty-five years experience as a piano teacher, adjudicator, accompanist, clinician and performer, Nancy has inspired hundreds of people to improve their musical skills, mentored beginning teachers, shared knowledge with colleagues, and supported young musicians.
In 2010, Nancy founded the St. Albert Chamber Music Recital Series, a concert season that highlights the best classical chamber musicians in the region as well as local emerging artists. She continues to act as the artistic director of the series. She has been awarded The St. Albert Rotary Integrity Award, the St. Albert Mayor’s Award for Arts Leadership, International Women’s Day Award, and the City of St. Albert Recognition Award for Arts, Music and Culture.
An experienced accompanist, Nancy enjoys working with instrumental and voice students. She has a special interest in duet and duo piano repertoire and has done performances in a variety of venues in Alberta and British Columbia.
Paul Punyi is happy to be invited to be a part of this wonderful musical program. Paul Punyi and Maureen Rooney are a husband and wife team who have acted professionally since 1979 with some of Canada's finest theatres and in Film & TV & Radio (Citadel, ATP, Theatre Calgary, One Yellow Rabbit, Northern Light Theatre, Workshop West Theatre, Stratford Festival, Mayfield Dinner Theatre, Paramount, TNT, CBC, NFB, Family Channel, YTV).
Paul Punyi and Maureen Rooney are recipients of the City of St. Albert's Mayor's Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award.
Rooney and Punyi Productions is Educational Theatre at its best. Paul runs this wonderful theatre company with his wife/partner of over 40 years, touring with a repertoire of over 25 shows specializing in History as well as Literacy and Environment.
Interview History: Historical characters are interviewed (grade 5-Adult).
Rooney Punyi Reading Show: Hilarious audience participation show promoting literacy (grade K-6).
Hats & Gloves: Multi-media show telling the true stories of 6 prairie women (grade 5–Adult).
Saints Come Marching In: Storytelling theatre bringing inspiring stories to life.
Through Mary’s Eyes: Multimedia theatre.
Power-Up!: Environment audience participation for grades K-5.
Rooney and Punyi tour Alberta schools with 4 exciting Performing Arts Residencies for grades K-9 where every student is involved. In addition, they have created and performed a long list of commissioned theatre pieces for special/historical events, most notably the opening of the Royal Alberta Museum for Queen Elizabeth II. Rooney and Punyi also run the St. Albert Ukulele Circle and perform Ukulele sing-along programs for seniors.