MacEwan students interested in pursuing a country music career have a new opportunity available to them.
A newly established country music award provides $1,000 to a student in the Bachelor of Music in Jazz and Contemporary Popular Music who demonstrates an interest in and pursuit of a career in the country music industry. The award will be disbursed annually.
Karen Donaldson Shepherd is the first recipient of the Dr. Trimbee Country Music Award. She describes her music style as a blend of country, Indigenous, Celtic, blues and folk. These eclectic influences have been nurtured during her studies at MacEwan.
“I’ve had people tell me that I should zero in on a style. Fortunately, being in Robert Walsh’s songwriting class and Mallory Chipman’s Songwriting Ensemble, I haven’t had to zero in on any one style,” she says. “That said, I find myself writing more country songs when I want to write something that comes from within me.”
The award, funded by a major gift from MacEwan’s president and vice-chancellor, Dr. Annette Trimbee, ties in with a new country music initiative that the university will publicly launch later on in 2022: The Distinguished Visiting Artist in Country Music. This initiative will bring established country music industry professionals – from performers to producers to publicists – and connect them with MacEwan students for workshops and mentorship opportunities. A fundraising campaign, led by chair Jackie Rae Greening and honourary chair, Brett Kissel, will raise $3 million for an endowment fund to establish this important initiative, a first in Canada.
"The Distinguished Visiting Artist in Country Music was already in the planning stages before I joined the university, and I thought it was a brilliant idea,” says Dr. Trimbee. “It's very much tied with our strategic vision, which is all about being flexible and nimble as an institution, and developing relationships with industry partners, so we can develop future-ready graduates. As a president, I like to support the priorities of my institution. And it's even more fun to support these priorities if you happen to really like country music – and I do.”
Dr. Trimbee's generous gift of $25,000 establishes an endowment fund to support the award.
Kevin Fitzgerald, associate vice-president, Alumni and Fund Development, says that the award helps fill a gap for aspiring country music artists. “We’ve recognized that we have students who are working toward a career in the country music industry, but in Canada, that can be hard to do,” he says. “Most people don’t have a starting point, or a connection to the industry. This award is part of a bridge we’re building to help students with those goals.”
Donaldson Shepherd has accumulated a number of credits as a musician playing on tracks with other musicians, but now wants to focus on recording her own work. “I hope to put this award to good use and get recording as soon as possible,” she says. “I now have a list of songs that I feel good about, that reflect my thoughts on life. I hope that they will be enjoyed by others in the near future.”
More information about the award can be found on the Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries web page.
Karen Donaldson Shepherd is the first recipient of the Dr. Trimbee Country Music Award. She describes her music style as a blend of country, Indigenous, Celtic, blues and folk. These eclectic influences have been nurtured during her studies at MacEwan.
“I’ve had people tell me that I should zero in on a style. Fortunately, being in Robert Walsh’s songwriting class and Mallory Chipman’s Songwriting Ensemble, I haven’t had to zero in on any one style,” she says. “That said, I find myself writing more country songs when I want to write something that comes from within me.”
The award, funded by a major gift from MacEwan’s president and vice-chancellor, Dr. Annette Trimbee, ties in with a new country music initiative that the university will publicly launch later on in 2022: The Distinguished Visiting Artist in Country Music. This initiative will bring established country music industry professionals – from performers to producers to publicists – and connect them with MacEwan students for workshops and mentorship opportunities. A fundraising campaign, led by chair Jackie Rae Greening and honourary chair, Brett Kissel, will raise $3 million for an endowment fund to establish this important initiative, a first in Canada.
"The Distinguished Visiting Artist in Country Music was already in the planning stages before I joined the university, and I thought it was a brilliant idea,” says Dr. Trimbee. “It's very much tied with our strategic vision, which is all about being flexible and nimble as an institution, and developing relationships with industry partners, so we can develop future-ready graduates. As a president, I like to support the priorities of my institution. And it's even more fun to support these priorities if you happen to really like country music – and I do.”
Dr. Trimbee's generous gift of $25,000 establishes an endowment fund to support the award.
Kevin Fitzgerald, associate vice-president, Alumni and Fund Development, says that the award helps fill a gap for aspiring country music artists. “We’ve recognized that we have students who are working toward a career in the country music industry, but in Canada, that can be hard to do,” he says. “Most people don’t have a starting point, or a connection to the industry. This award is part of a bridge we’re building to help students with those goals.”
Donaldson Shepherd has accumulated a number of credits as a musician playing on tracks with other musicians, but now wants to focus on recording her own work. “I hope to put this award to good use and get recording as soon as possible,” she says. “I now have a list of songs that I feel good about, that reflect my thoughts on life. I hope that they will be enjoyed by others in the near future.”
More information about the award can be found on the Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries web page.
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