About
Centric MusicFest and Primo Music Association
Centric MusicFest
Since its inaugural event in 2014, Centric MusicFest has become a permanent fixture in the City of Lethbridge’s flourishing art and music scene. Building upon the success of its founder, Jesse Plessis, the annual summer classical and art music festival has grown under the stewardship of Artistic Director Ryan Kolodziej to feature a combination of local and visiting world-class Canadian and international musicians from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
Participating artists are encouraged to collaborate in at least one of several concerts to foster professional and cultural connections between local musicians and those from visiting arts communities from around the world.
Primo Music Association
The parent organization responsible for Centric MusicFest and any other music events presented outside of the summer festival season, Primo emerged from Artistic and Executive Director Ryan Kolodziej’s strong desire to promote high quality classical and art music in his home town. Under the stewardship of Melanie Gattiker, Zain Solinski, Daniel Greeve, Maxime Boutin-Caron and Whitney Griffith, Primo achieved non-profit status under the Alberta Societies Act on January 31, 2020. Melanie, Zain, Daniel, Maxime and Whitney are all proud to have served on the organisation’s inaugural board, officially elected at the first Annual General Meeting in January 2019.
OUR PEOPLE
Brad Parker
We are thrilled to announce Interim Artistic Director, Brad Parker, will be joining us for the 2025 season! 🎹
Canadian pianist, Brad Parker, has performed extensively as a soloist and collaborative pianist in Canada, the US, France, Italy, and Haiti. Recent performances include solo recitals in Alberta, South Carolina and California, as well as collaborative performances with Pedro Diaz (English Horn, Met Opera Orchestra), Gabriel Goni (flute, Costa Rica Symphony), and Nancy Stagnitta (flute, Interlochen Center for the Arts), multiple events in the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, as well as concertos with the Lethbridge Symphony, Charleston Symphony and Lyra Vivace Chamber Orchestra. He is a founding member of the FOURtitude Piano Ensemble, which regularly performs and leads workshops/masterclasses across Southern Alberta.
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An active promoter of new music, Brad has debuted several works for piano and various chamber ensembles at the Banff Chamber Music Festival, Musique Maintenant in Paris, as well as the Women in Music Festival at the Eastman School of Music.
Dr. Parker is on the music faculty at the University of Lethbridge, and previously taught at Charleston Southern University and Erskine College in South Carolina. His passion for musical instruction led him to volunteer for several summers at the North Haiti Music Camp, on the campus of the Christian University of North Haiti. Currently, he co-directs the Lethbridge Piano Intensive, a summer program which hosts talented pianists of all ages from across Canada.
Brad completed a Masters and DMA in Piano Performance at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, with further graduate studies in France at the Paris Conservatory. He studied at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario where he earned a Bachelor of Music with Distinction. His principal teachers include Rebecca Penneys, Dr. Heather Dawn Taves, and Jean Koerner.
Lavinia Kell Parker
We are thrilled to announce Interim Artistic Director, Lavinia Kell Parker, will be joining us for the 2025 season!
Lavinia Kell Parker’s use of improvisation with traditional compositional elements has earned her the New Genre Award from the International Alliance of Women in Music, as well as top prizes in choral composition, including from the New York Treble Singers, Vancouver Bach Choir, Choral Canada, and the Ruth Watson Henderson Choral Composition Competition.
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Lavinia loves the creative aspect of customizing music that fits both her artistic vision, and which also carefully showcases the strengths of performers. Among her recent collaborations, she has especially enjoyed writing for the Allegra Chamber Orchestra, Penderecki String Quartet, Guitarist Iliana Matos, Clemson University carillonneur Linda Dzuris, as well as works for both elite and community choirs. Her choral works have been performed by choirs internationally and broadcast on CBC radio and PBS television.
An educator of over 20 years, Lavinia has focused on bringing the joy of music to children and is the founder of Coulee Composers, a composition club for youth in southern Alberta. She is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre and an Instructor at the University of Lethbridge Conservatory of Music.
Her music is published with ECS, Galaxy Music, CMC, and Cypress Publishing and can also be obtained by contacting the composer through her website.
Ryan Kolodziej, Artistic and Executive Director (on sabbatical)
Ryan Kolodziej is enjoying a varied music career that has included solo and collaborative performances, accompanying nationally acclaimed amateur and university choirs, and individual instruction and group courses at the pre-college and university level. His passion for collaboration fuels his desire to work in music education and brings him back to his home town of Lethbridge every summer as the Artistic and Executive Director of Centric MusicFest.
He currently teaches piano at L’École de musique Vincent-d’Indy and the Conservatoire de Collège Stanislas in Outremont, Montreal. At the post-secondary level, he has taught as a chargé de cours at l’Université de Montréal, as well as a course instructor at the University of Alberta.
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His students have enjoyed much success including top prizes at competitions, several First Class Honours in Royal Conservatory of Music exams, and RCM gold medals.
As a pianist, Ryan has performed in Canada and Europe. He has been fortunate to receive multiple grants that supported his artistic achievements from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and a SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) research grant award for his work on Liszt/Schubert arrangements and transcriptions.
When he is not doing music related activities, Ryan enjoys gardening, hiking, and building and endlessly customizing computers or any other related technology that he can get his hands on.
2024-2025 Board of Directors
Isaiah Chadney, director at large
Isaiah is a recent graduate of the University of Lethbridge, having completed his Bachelor of Music in Trumpet Performance under the instruction of Dr. Josh Davies.
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Passionate about music theory, history, and research, Isaiah is currently pursuing a Masters of Musicology degree at the University of Toronto in Ontario. Isaiah also currently serves as editorial assistant for the Intersections: Canadian Journal of Musicology under English-language editor Dr. Paul Sanden.Â
As a life-long music fan, Isaiah displays a passion for promoting all aspects of music and art through his community involvement and volunteerism. Isaiah has been a regular member of the Lethbridge Community Band Society since 2017 and has previously volunteered at a range of Lethbridge Symphony and Centric MusicFest events. Isaiah is also currently a board member of the parent organization responsible for the Mosaic Music Festival (formerly the Lethbridge Jazz Society), where he helps to promote and bring various styles of jazz and other world music to the city.Â
As a regular volunteer and attendee of events by the PMA in the past, Isaiah is both thankful and excited to join the Board of Directors in their mission of bringing high-quality classical music to the city.”
John-Paul Ksiazek
John-Paul teaches music lessons and is the organist at McKillop United Church. A gifted and enthusiastic teacher, John-Paul teaches piano, organ, music theory, and coaches and accompanies a wide range of singers and instrumentalists. He also performs regularly, most recently performing Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto with the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra this past May, and he will
be performing Schumann’s Piano Quintet with the Musaeus String Quartet in November.
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John-Paul has a Master of Music degree from the University of Alberta and a D.É.S.S. from the University of Montréal, and he was an artist-in-residence at The Banff Centre. When not engaged in his musical pursuits, John-Paul is an avid gardener, hiker, and fly fisherman. He also enjoys building things and squeezes in woodworking when time allows.
Barbara Darby, director at large
Barbara Darby has returned to her hometown of Lethbridge after studying and working for many years in Ontario and Nova Scotia. She is a lawyer by trade and enjoys creative writing and hiking and walking in the local landscapes. She is an amateur cellist; some have described her playing as resembling that of the song of a bluejay, enthuasiastic but grating.
Natasha Renners, director at large
Natasha Reners is a pianist and educator with a Bachelor of Music from the University of Lethbridge and a Master of Music in Piano Performance and Literature from Western University. She works as a collaborative pianist for students at the University of Lethbridge and teaches a small private studio from her home.
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Natasha is passionate about making classical music accessible and meaningful in her community. She is thrilled to support the Primo Music Association’s mission of bringing world-class classical music to Lethbridge. When she’s not at the piano, Natasha enjoys exploring the coulees and mountains with her husband, son, and their golden doodle pup.
Our Festival
Since its inaugural event in 2014, Centric MusicFest has become a permanent fixture in the City of Lethbridge's flourishing art and music scene. Building upon the success of its founder, Jesse Plessis, the annual summer classical and art music festival has grown under the stewardship of Artistic Director Ryan Kolodziej to feature a combination of local and visiting world-class Canadian and international musicians from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Read more...
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