By Oliver Wilmot
The Lunches with Lakes Concert Series is in full swing this year.
On Oct. 3, flautists Shannon Lewis and Rachel Gibson performed alongside David Buley, on the synthesizer, and Ian Gibson, on the drums, kicking off the lunches season.
Each concert is held from 12:10 – 12:50 p.m. on the first Friday of each month.
The concert series began four years ago, and was organized by two Laurentian professors, David Buley and Charlotte Leonard.
While touring the centre both professors were impressed with the great acoustics of the venue. They then approached Elizabeth Bamberger, the Business Manager of the Living with Lakes centre who permitted the use of the venue for the series.
David Buley, one of the professors said the centre has “very nice acoustics for music here and a lovely vista, so it’s a nice place to have and there aren’t a lot of great spaces for spaces at Laurentian University. The administration hasn’t managed to provide those very well.”
In planning each lunch, professors of the music department are approached and asked to play at the Vale Living with Lakes centre, and are invited to bring along any performing partners.
Rachel Gibson, a professional flute player, was asked to perform for the month of October.
Gibson holds a music degree in flute performance from the University of Toronto, and teaches flute at Laurentian and Cambrian College. She performs regularly in the Sudbury area.
“For me it’s rewarding it’s really nice to work with Shannon (who Gibson asked to perform with her) every week and it’s nice to work together in lessons, but when you have the opportunity to perform together it’s a whole other experience,” said Gibson. “It’s kind of like all the work that goes into something you get to experience that together and the finished product. It’s just really nice to have someone of her level to play with.”
Shannon Lewis is a graduate student of Laurentian and plays with various groups in the Sudbury area, such as No Strings Attached and The Sudbury String Orchestra. She currently studies under Rachel Gibson.
When asked if there would be an expansion to the series David Buley said “it’s a question of time. A bit of organization will make this concert to work. Live music is good to have anywhere at any time but probably a good start for now.”
