The university announced Tuesday that Keillor\u2019s gift, which will include a bequest in her will, will be used to create the Helmut Kallmann Chair for Music in Canada, which will work with undergraduate and graduate students and research topics of Canadian music. The endowed position, named after the former head of the music division at Library Archives Canada, will also be supported by the Koerner Foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to be doing this,\u201d said Keillor, a 78-year-old musicologist and pianist who has taught at Carleton since 1977, specializing in the music of Canadian composers and the music of North American indigenous groups. She asked that the position\u2019s name honour Kallmann to acknowledge his long career and \u201cwonderful influence\u201d on her life and on many other people.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn many ways, the chairholder will follow in Mr. Kallmann\u2019s footsteps, acting as a national and international ambassador for Canadian music,\u201d said Brian Foss, director of Carleton\u2019s School for Studies in Art and Culture. The search for a person to hold the position is to begin soon.<\/p>\n
In 2014, separate funding from Keillor led to the creation of the Helmut Kallmann Graduate Scholarship in Canadian Music.<\/p>\n
The announcement comes on the heels of Carleton\u2019s music program marking its 50th anniversary. Also this month, the university\u2019s board of governors approved a motion to begin negotiating the potential purchase of Dominion-Chalmers United Church, which could increase the university\u2019s impact on music and the arts in Ottawa. The property could function as a performance space for Carleton students and faculty, and as a hub for artists and community groups.<\/p>\n
Written by: Peter Hum<\/p>\n