with Dr. Jason Caslor, Jon Parsons, Jeremy Bonia, & Jeremy Charles

The Rocket Room, 272 Water street
Thursday April 16th, 6-7:30pm. Free and open to all.

The final session of the 2014-2015 Improvising Spaces season features Dr. Jason Caslor, a conductor and saxophonist whose research has dealt with ensemble improvisation and telematic performance, activist and poet Jon Parsons, and Jeremy Bonia & Jeremy Charles, the sommelier & chef behind Raymond's Restaurant, recognized by critics to be among the best restaurants both in Canada and internationally. This diverse evening will explore the role improvisation plays in a variety of practices and will allow us to reflect on what parts of our lives might benefit from becoming more open to the improvisatory.

For more information on Jeremy Bonia, Jeremy Charles, & Raymond's see below or: www.raymondsrestaurant.com AND http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/food-trends/jeremy-charles-canadas-real-top-chef/article20495580/

For more on Dr. Caslor see below or: www.mun.ca/music/people/facpage/caslorj/

For more on Jon Parsons see below or: jonparsons.ca

Dr. Jason Caslor currently serves as Assistant Professor at Memorial University in St. John’s, NL where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and oversees the undergraduate and graduate instrumental conducting offerings. He completed his Doctorate of Musical Arts (Conducting) at Arizona State University where his principal conducting teacher was Professor Gary Hill, Director of Ensemble Studies. Other mentors include Dr. Dale J. Lonis, Dr. Wayne Bailey and Dr. Fraser Linklater.

From 2005-2008, Jason was Resident Conductor with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, a 30 member professional ensemble. During his tenure with the TBSO, he conducted over 75 concerts (including a CBC Radio broadcast), designed and implemented a myriad of education and outreach initiatives, was instrumental is helping secure numerous local, provincial, and national grants, and recorded a full-length, internationally distributed CD with Canadian blues artist Rita Chiarelli. Described as "the lushest-sounding set of blues ever recorded in Canada", it received two Canadian Folk Music Award nominations.

As an educator, Jason spent several years teaching in the public school system as both an instrumental and choral instructor. He is increasingly active as a clinician, adjudicator, and conductor for festivals, honour bands, and music camps across Canada. From 2005-2011, Jason was a faculty member with the annual Canadian Wind Conductors Development Program.

Dr. Caslor’s current research interests include determining a best practice for internet¬based rehearsals/clinics, spontaneous improvisation as it pertains to both conducting pedagogy and large, school-based instrumental ensembles, the wind music of Giya Kancheli, and the history of the Gower Community Band program.

Jeremy Charles Head Chef, Raymond's - Born in St. John’s, Jeremy moved to Montreal at the age of 19 to pursue culinary arts at St. Pius X Culinary Institute, eventually landing a job at Mediterraneo under Claude Pelletier and Michel Ross. Jeremy's passion for fly tying and fishing for atlantic salmon led him to his dream job, working as a chef at a prestigious fishing camp in northern Quebec. He later found himself a regular at the Fulton fish market in Chicago where he worked as a personal chef and honed his skills at many of Chi-Town's top tables. Jeremy's connection to his roots brought him back to his hometown and at the helm of Atlantica in Portugal Cove. In 2010, he went on to open Raymonds with partner Jeremy Bonia. Jeremy travels regularly participating in culinary events like Cook it Raw, Terroir Symposium, Northern Chefs Alliance and Gold Medal Plates, where Raymonds was the national silver medalist.

Jeremy Bonia Sommelier - Jeremy Bonia grew up in Logy Bay, and began his career in the restaurant business at Bianca's, one of Newfoundland's original fine dining restaurants. It was here that he developed an interest in wine which led him to become a certified sommelier. In 2007 he met Jeremy Charles and went to work with him at Atlantica, where, in their first year, they earned the title Best New Restaurant in Canada from En Route. Together they opened Raymonds in 2010, and took the Best New Restaurant title for an unprecedented second time. Jeremy has traveled extensively throughout France and Canada researching and buying wines for Raymonds. He has been featured in Decanter, Wine Spectator, the Globe & Mail and MacLean's among other national and international publications. Together with Jeremy Charles, he is currently at work on a book for HarperCollins to be published in September 2015.

Jon Parsons is an activist, poet, and PhD candidate at Memorial University. He is involved with a number of local social justice and environmental groups including the People's Assembly NL, East Coast Fracking Awareness Group, and the NL Social Justice Cooperative.