Gala concert celebrates major endowment in music

By Jeff Green | Feb. 25, 2015

The single largest bequest to the School of Music will be celebrated Friday during a special Faculty Gala Concert in the D.F. Cook Recital Hall in the School of Music.Professor Edwin Procunier, pictured with a portrait of himself by artist Clark MacDougall

Memorial is paying tribute to the life and legacy of Edwin Procunier, a Newfoundlander, opera aficionado and art enthusiast who passed away in 2011 at the age of 83. 

Four full-tuition undergraduate scholarships in music were created last year thanks to a sizeable endowment from Mr. Procunier’s estate. 

The Procunier Family Scholarships in Music will be awarded annually to students who display and maintain a high standard of musical and academic excellence. 

“Edwin Procunier was a true champion of the arts,” said Dr. Ellen Waterman, dean, School of Music. “Through this transformative gift for music education, our students will be better able to focus on academic excellence while honing their artistry. Memorial is forever grateful for Mr. Procunier’s vision to support the arts, emerging artists and post-secondary education in his home province.” 

To honour his gift to Memorial, faculty artists from the School of Music will perform a varied and entertaining program including classical works by Brahms and Taffanel, new works by Bill Brennan and Andrew Staniland, and a selection of Newfoundland and Labrador folksongs arranged by D.F. Cook. 

Dr. Waterman says the evening will honour a man who was an ardent supporter of the arts. 

A lover of the arts
Mr. Procunier was born in Lamaline, N.L., in 1927, and raised in Harbour Grace before moving to Ontario where he worked as a high school teacher and professor of English and theatre at his alma mater, the University of Western Ontario.

In addition to the creation of the music scholarships in his name, Mr. Procunier donated a considerable amount of artwork to Newfoundland and Labrador. He began giving art to Memorial University’s Art Gallery in 1985. When management of the gallery was transferred to The Rooms in 2003, his donations continued.

The Rooms will present The Edwin R. Procunier Collection: A Gift of Canada opening on Saturday, Feb. 28. It features some of the 372 paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures from Mr. Procunier's collection. It runs until mid-October.

Friday’s Faculty Gala Concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the D.F. Cook Recital Hall.

Tickets are $20/$15 (students and seniors) and are on sale at the door, ticketpro.ca, the Travel Bug on Water St. and at The Attic in the University Centre.


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