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Bridging traditions: Stan Rogers’ folk legacy honoured by CMU Concert Band
CMU student Bella Rogers unites classical violin with grandfather's music
Bella Rogers, second-year Bachelor of Music student, is the grand-daughter of the late Canadian music icon Stan Rogers. She and the CMU Concert band will perform new concert band arrangements of Stan Rogers’ folk songs on December 4 at the University of Manitoba's Desautels Concert Hall.
Bella Rogers is a part of a musical legacy.
The second-year CMU student, studying a Bachelor of Music, is the grand-daughter of the late Canadian music icon Stan Rogers, but she has found her own way to carry the tune.
As a classical performer, Rogers says she is a bit of an outlier in her family's musical tradition.
"Playing the violin, especially classical violin, is not exactly, doesn't usually give me a lot of opportunities to connect with the music of my family," Rogers says.
That's part of what makes this month's upcoming performance so significant for her.
On December 4, the CMU Concert Band will premiere a new concert band arrangement of Stan Rogers' folk songs, written by composer Kenley Kristofferson. The arrangement includes a violin solo written specifically for Bella.
She says it's a meaningful bridge between her classical world and her family's folk roots.
Rogers, who grew up in Winnipeg and began playing violin when she was four, says music has always been part of her life. "I grew up going to the Winnipeg Folk Festival my entire life," she says. With a family full of musicians, especially on her dad's side, she "just always" remembers being surrounded by music.
She began playing in orchestras at age ten, saying, "I feel the most comfortable in an orchestra usually."
That's part of why the violin solo with the CMU Concert Band feels both unusual and exciting.
"I've never done [something like this] before," she says of performing with a concert band.
She says Kristofferson first contacted her in late August. "He wrote me a violin solo which was just thrilling because that's never happened to me before," she says.
Playing with a band brings a few new challenges. "A brass band is a lot louder than an orchestra," Rogers says. She worries a little about "not standing up from the texture because the violin is not as loud as a trumpet."
Mostly, she is thrilled by the new experience. "I feel so honoured to be able to be a part of this."
"It means so much to me to be able to connect to this music while not sacrificing who I am," she says.
Playing music associated with her grandfather, but expressed through her violin, allows her to "sort of sing through my instrument in a way that suits me best."
At CMU, Rogers is immersed in a rich musical life. With a focus in violin performance, she studies theory, teaches through CMU's Community School of Music and the Arts program, and plays in the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra.
She is also active as a vocalist, joining the CMU Singers and preparing for various performances. Being a young string player in Winnipeg also brings unexpected opportunities—gigs, church services, and collaborations that make her feel, as she says, "very valued."
"I feel like I'm coming home every time I go to school," she says.
In school, as in her musical ambitions, one thing remains central: "If you work hard, there's nothing you can't do," she says.
Tickets for the December 4 event featuring both the CMU Concert Band and the Univesity of Manitoba Concert Band are avaialble here.
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