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Lively City: Lee steps down from SFU Pipe Band

It's the end of an era for the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band. After 36 years at the helm of the band, Terry Lee is retiring as the band's pipe major.
Terry Lee, SFU Pipe Band
At the helm: SFU Pipe Major Terry Lee awaits word after competing at the world pipe band championships in Glasgow, 2012. Lee is retiring as the band's pipe major after 36 years.

It's the end of an era for the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band.

After 36 years at the helm of the band, Terry Lee is retiring as the band's pipe major.

Lee - who started up the SFU band with his brother, pipe sergeant Jack Lee - will remain involved with the band, both playing and teaching young pipers, as well as working with administration.

Piper Alan Bevan will take over as pipe major.

"It just feels like the right time," Terry Lee said in a press release. "I want to leave the post at the right time to make sure we are in a position of strength, going forward. It's my hope the band will not miss a beat and continue to be strong."

The SFU band has finished in the top three at the world pipe band championships a full 20 times, including six first-place finishes. Under Lee's leadership, it has performed at renowned concert halls including Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Centre and the Sydney Opera House.

Jack Lee notes that the band is continuing to be in good hands.

"The veteran players are very enthusiastic in their support for Alan," he said. "It's not very often that a retiring pipe major has the good fortune to pass the torch to a great piper and double gold medalist like Alan."

In August, Bevan won the Highland Society of London Gold Medal and the prestigious master's invitational event leading up to the worlds in 2009.

When he's not piping, he's a lawyer with Fraserwest Law Group.

 

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You may remember Luca Fogale from a story that ran in the Burnaby NOW on Sept. 27.

He's the young Burnaby singer-songwriter who has made the top 20 in this year's PEAK Performance Project.

As part of the project, he's staging a charity show - raising funds for the Burnaby Boys' and Girls' Club.

"In partnership with Songwriters of a New Generation, I've got a goal to raise enough money to buy enough instruments and materials to get the Burnaby BGC music program up and running again, and once that happens, I will be facilitating weekly free lessons for all the kids!" he explains in a message on Facebook.

He'll be joined by other artists for the event.

It's set to happen on Friday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. at Burnaby North Secondary School.

You can check out Luca's website at www.lucafogale.com, or like him on Facebook - search for Luca Fogale. To find the event page on Facebook, search for Luca & Friends Benefit Concert.

 

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If you haven't had a chance to check out the Burnaby Art Gallery's Dutch masters exhibitions yet, why not head over to the gallery this weekend?

Saturday, Oct. 5 will feature the next in the gallery's speaker series.

PhD candidate Krystal Chehab will speak on Splendid Sights, Familiar Sites: Rembrandt van Rijn and Dutch Landscape Prints - looking at the rise of the landscape print against the backdrop of the Dutch Republic.

On Saturday, Oct. 19, contemporary Dutch printmaker Saskia Jetten will be on hand to talk about the current landscape of Dutch printmaking.

Both talks happen at 3 p.m.

Check out www.burnabyartgallery.ca for more details about the exhibitions and the talks.

 

Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment ideas to Julie, jmaclellan@burnabynow.com, or find her on Twitter, @juliemaclellan.