Rena is one of Canada's leading chamber music pianists.
Following a 30-year international performance career, she collaborates in innovative of teaching/practices for artists,
generating trans-disciplinary intersections and fusions across realms of arts, humanities, sciences, and medicine.
A founding member of UBC's Transcending Boundaries initiative, she is a contributor to the
Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health's new BC Brain Wellness Program.
Following a 30-year international performance career, she collaborates in innovative of teaching/practices for artists,
generating trans-disciplinary intersections and fusions across realms of arts, humanities, sciences, and medicine.
A founding member of UBC's Transcending Boundaries initiative, she is a contributor to the
Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health's new BC Brain Wellness Program.
Completed Projects
Transcending Boundaries - A Constellation of Interdisciplinary Conversations and Concerts - Brain, Exercise, Arts, Trans-disciplinary Synergies - October 19, 2019
This third annual Transcending Boundaries Concert was convened by Rena Sharon as part of HeartBEATS, celebrating Arts, Health and Well-Being trans-disciplinary research and initiatives at UBC and in the Vancouver community. This event showcased and explored how Art connects us to wellness, health, and to everyone/thing else — for example, dancing helps Parkinson's patients, singing promotes well-being and memory for dementia patients, music-based therapies helps stroke victims regain speech and autistic children communicate. Arts and humanities help medical students develop skills and empathies, while medical/psychotherapeutic practices help music students with injury prevention and performance confidence. Exercise-based community arts assist health and well-being across the lifespan. Drama therapies traverse an array of conceptual and emotional boundaries. Art modalities can be powerful agents of knowledge translation across the academic spectrum, and build eloquent bridges for cross-cultural understanding. HeartBEATS included speakers and performers from a broad spectrum of artistic practices and diverse research areas whose work draws connections between realms.
The Enchor Choir (Director - Morna Edmundson)
Dr. Nicola Levell - Professor of Anthropology Flight of the Hummingbird: The art of storytelling and well-being (Photo - Alina Ilyasova) |
From Unity to Diversity - Pluralism in Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra (photo courtesy of VICO)
Dr. George Belliveau - Professor and Head, Faculty of Education, Department of Language and Literacy Education
Research Based Theatre and Well-being (photo courtesy of Dr. George Belliveau) |
The Transcending Boundaries group is now centered at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health; BC Brain Wellness Program. The BCBWP was created and launched in Oct 2019 by Transcending boundaries group member, Dr. Silke Creswell, who is now its Director. More information about webinars offered by the BCBWP can be found at https://www.bcbrainwellness.ca/current-programs
Recent Publications
Sharon, Rena. (2020). Art song pedagogy and performance practice: Re-envisioning the realm in the 21st century. In H. Gudmundsdottir, C. Beynon, K. Ludke, & A.J. Cohen. (Eds). The routledge companion to interdisciplinary studies in singing, volume II: Education. (pp. unknown) Routledge.
https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-Interdisciplinary-Studies-in-Singing-Volume/Gudmundsdottir-Beynon-Ludke-Cohen/p/book/9781138061149
https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-Interdisciplinary-Studies-in-Singing-Volume/Gudmundsdottir-Beynon-Ludke-Cohen/p/book/9781138061149