Clarinetist Liam Hockley started his musical path in District 69 and the versatile musician will be in Qualicum Beach Feb. 4 and 5 where he will be playing at two different venues and performing two different styles of music.
Hockley will be wearing both of his hats this weekend with jazz on Saturday night Feb. 4 at the Old Dutch Inn and classical on Sunday afternoon Feb. 5 at The Old School House (TOSH).
Hockley is working on his Master of Music degree, majoring in clarinet performance, at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where he studies with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra clarinetist Cris Inguanti.
He completed his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Victoria with Professor Patricia Kostek and performed with the UVic Orchestra and Wind Symphony. He now plays in the UBC Orchestra as well as in chamber groups of all sizes and instrumentation.
Hockley is a graduate of Ballenas Secondary School in Parksville, where he excelled both musically and academically. He studied with clarinetist Earl Thomas for eight years, played in the school Concert and Jazz Bands, The Oceanside Youth Orchestra and Kwallenas (an inter-school jazz combo) and was the 2007 recipient of a major scholarship from the Bill Dwyer Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Hockley was very involved in District 69 community music projects and spent five summers playing everything from clarinet to saxophone to slide whistle in the pit orchestra for Bard to Broadway.
Hockley has performed frequently in his home town with the clarinet trio, Horns of Plenty. Shawn Earle and Kate Frobeen are part of the trio and they have performed at many events including the annual Harvest of Music at TOSH last year. Hockley said they continue to perform together but now call themselves the Vancouver Clarinet Trio. He said they are scheduled to perform at the Vancouver Island Chamber Music Festival Feb. 24 to 26. Their trio is one of eight groups that will perform at the Nanaimo Centre Stage and Hockley admitted the three of them of very comfortable playing together.
“We have a great repertoire that we know how to play.”
Hockley said so far he has been enjoying his musical journey as he works toward his masters in classical clarinet at UBC.
“It’s been great. I have had a lot of good performance opportunities here,” he said.
One of those opportunities includes performing for the UBC Opera Ensemble with the UBC Symphony Orchestra.
“It’s a lot of fun to play in an opera.”
The opera is presenting Rusalka Feb. 9 to 12 at the Chan Centre for Performing Arts.
This weekend Hockley will be back home where he will be performing jazz and classical music in Qualicum Beach and when the 22 year old was asked if he prefers one music genre over the other he agreed he likes them equally.
“Both of them have there own individual challenges but I am prepared for them.”
On Saturday night Hockley will join Ron Hadley on piano and the duo will perform some jazz standards at the Old Dutch Inn.
On Sunday afternoon he will be at TOSH for Music on Sunday where he will perform with pianist Clare Yuan. Hockley said he was introduced to Yuan at UBC in September and since then they have played together a few times.
He said he met Yuan when he first arrived on campus because she is doing a Doctor of Musical Arts and was looking for a clarinetist. Yuan was the recipient of the Adjudicators Award at the Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival 2007. She was also the orchestra pianist working with the University of Victoria Orchestra under the renowned Hungarian conductor, Janos Sandor. She graduated from the Masters program at the Manhattan School of Music. She is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree under the guidance of world famous Canadian pianist, Professor Jane Coop, at the University of British Columbia.
Music on Sunday Feb. 5 goes from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at The Old School House Arts Centre, 122 Fern Road West, in Qualicum Beach. Admission is $16. For more information phone 250-752-6133 or visit www.theoldschoolhouse.org.