Nickle Family Foundation Piano Concert Series 2025

Home » Nickle Family Foundation Piano Concert Series 2025

PROARTS @NOON CONCERTS PRESENTS

______________________________________________________________________________________

The ProArts@Noon Concert Series is pleased to announce a unique series of five piano concerts featuring diverse and emerging performing artists.

The Nickle Family Foundation awarded Calgary’s ProArts Society funding to undertake the Piano Concert series, which will feature a diverse selection of local pianists performing a variety of artistic genres.

This special series will be part of the ProArts@Noon weekly schedule of Wednesday concerts.

There’s nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself. – Johann Sebastian Bach

Now in its twenty-third season, the ProArts@Noon Concert Series is a free, noon hour concert series presented by the ProArts Society, who rent the historic Cathedral Church in the heart of Calgary’s Cultural District for their weekly concerts.

The 2025 Nickle Family Foundation Piano Concert Series:

1. July 09 Timothonius Alai and Jane Madeleine (jazz duo)
2. August 06 Sandra Joy Friesen (classical piano)
3. August 27 Sheldon Zandboer (piano)
4. September 17 Claire Butler and Lauren Woods (piano and singer)
5. Early 2026 artist TBA

Artist Biographies

Timothonius Alai and Jane Madeleine  July 9, 2025

Timothonius Alai is a master of jazz piano, with education from some of the finest educators and institutions in the music industry. His unique playing style is born of his personal approach to playing stride, neo-soul, gospel, and contemporary soul music. His love of the arts led him to create several brands and spaces over the years with the support of community. As one of Calgary’s leading musicians and live performers, he brings his distinct playing acumen and unique management skills to serve community and organizations. With deep backgrounds in Jazz Performance at Mount Royal University and Music Composition, Electronic Production, and Music Business at the globally-renowned Berklee College of Music, Timothonius continues to remain a lifelong learner dedicated to honing his craft.

Jane Madeleine is a talented singer-songwriter who excels in the jazz and ambient pop genres, skillfully channeling her spiritual insights and personal experiences into her music. Her performances are a powerful blend of nostalgia and optimism, reflecting her childhood musical influences and her deep connection to her artistic talent. Frequently collaborating with Timothonius, she captivates audiences with a dynamic repertoire that includes both classic jazz standards and inventive renditions of popular songs. Through her artistry, Jane fosters a sense of community and connection, inviting listeners to embark on a transformative musical journey.

Sandra Joy Friesen August 6, 2025

Sandra Joy Friesen plays a broad range of repertoire and presents a variety of musical styles from traditional to contemporary, to interpretation of pictorial scores and interdisciplinary collaboration. In 2009, her studies in improvisation and free-interpretation with pianist Douglas Finch (London, England) became a turning point in her musical artistry and this practice continues to be a source of inspiration. During this time, she and her husband, visual artist Werner Friesen began interdisciplinary performance blending music with live-response painting and were members of the “eXperimental improv Music Ensemble” in Edmonton, AB, integrating artistic disciplines with composers, dancers, and actors. They continue with interdisciplinary performance as the duo, RESPONS2. Sandra Joy has been promoting the music of Canadian composers since the early 90s and was invited by the Association for Canadian Studies in Mexico and in Brazil to represent the University of Alberta and Canadian composers in solo piano recitals. Receiving generous awards from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and Edmonton Arts Council allowed her to complete her first recording Sound Reflections, Volume 1: Off the Shelf; a project of audio plus video recordings that provide interpretive context and address various challenges in contemporary music. Among her numerous musical passions, the elegantly refined and picturesque style of the French masters features regularly in Sandra Joy’s solo piano programs. She also possesses a special sensitivity in art song collaboration and has been performing this vast repertoire throughout her career as well as currently being the pianist for the Cantaré Children’s Choir.

Sheldon Zandboer August 27, 2025

Calgary’s finest jazz pianist, composer, arranger, instructor, and author Sheldon Zandboer is one of the most musically diverse and proficient piano/keyboard players in Western Canada. Specializing in jazz piano and widely recognized as one of Canada’s premier jazz talents, he has appeared on many recordings, theatre projects, song writing projects, jazz concerts, and film soundtracks.

Sheldon has performed globally since 1977 which makes him one of the most experienced keyboard player/pianists in Canada.  Any style you desire with a repertoire unmatched in Western Canada.

Sheldon has performed jazz before Queen Elizabeth, as well as the other members of the British Royal Family, international dignitaries, heads of state and publicly on four continents.

Claire Butler and Lauren Woods September 17, 2025

Pianist Claire Butler is from the North-East of England and studied piano performance at the Royal College of Music, London with professors John Barstow and Bernard Roberts. After graduating, Claire taught in music schools and continued performing in England before taking a position at the Bermuda School of Music. An experienced soloist and accompanist, Claire has performed concertos with orchestras in the UK and collaborated with many talented musicians. Now a resident of Calgary, Claire enjoys a varied musical career freelancing as a soloist and accompanist with a small studio of students.

Lauren Woods is a soprano from Calgary, Alberta. She completed a vocal performance diploma at Mount Royal University, and went on to the University of British Columbia where she received a bachelor’s degree in Opera. Lauren now carries a Master’s in Voice Performance from the Schulich School of Music at McGill University. She was recognized as a finalist in the Wirth Vocal Competition in Montreal, and was one of six singers to represent Canada in the international Belvedere competition in Amsterdam in 2015. 

Lauren was thrilled to return home and join Calgary Opera as one of their Emerging artists for the 2016-2017 season. Lauren has been fortunate to tour across Canada with Cowtown Opera in Toronto and Charlottetown, as well as Mercury Opera, in Alberta and Ontario. She’s worked with the edgy opera company on various projects including Fiamma (Magnetic North Festival in Ottawa) and 109 Underground in Edmonton (Omni tv documentary). Currently, Lauren is a featured soloist in Calgary with various choirs including the Juno-nominated Luminous Voices, for which she also sings as a regular chorister. Aside from performing, Lauren is a prominent voice/piano teacher and clinician in Alberta. She is extremely passionate about music and acting, and she believes that music broadens the mind, feeds the soul and enriches lives. 

TBA early 2026