This work was a collaboration with conductor Graeme Langager, the Director of Choral Activities at the University of British Columbia School of Music and .the director of the UBC University Singers.
Premiere Date: February 2020
Premiere Location: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, Vancouver BC
Performed by: Kirsten Wicklund & Peter Smida, movement & choreography
University Singers & UBC Choral Union
Music by David Lang and Arvo Pärt
Graeme Langager, conductor
Corey Hamm, piano
Tiffany Chen, graduate thesis recital
"just" is a duet work created by kirsten wicklund & Peter Smida...
Kirsten Wicklund (she/her), born in British Columbia, trained at Goh Ballet Academy, Modus Operandi Contemporary Training Program, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, The Banff Centre, and on scholarships with American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet.
As a dance artist, she has performed with The Washington Ballet, Ballet BC (2014–2021 under Emily Molnar, C.M. and Medhi Walerski), and Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (2021–2024). She has originated roles in creations by Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal, Pina Bausch, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Akram Khan, William Forsythe, Emmanuel Gat, Johan Inger, and many others.
As a choreographer, Wicklund has created works for Ballet Edmonton, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Dutch National Ballet’s Junior Company, New York Choreographic Institute at New York City Ballet, Ballet BC’s Take Form, and Ballet Kelowna. Her piece Overcast was a finalist at the International Choreographic Competition Hannover (2021).
Recent commissions include FIELD for Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (World Premiere 2024, Antwerp), FIREBIRD for Alberta Ballet Company and with a new work upcoming for Staatsballett Nürnberg and the Dutch National Ballet in 2026.
In 2024, Wicklund became Artistic Director of Ballet Edmonton, leading the ten-dancer company with a vision for bold, risk-taking contemporary ballet and dance theatre.
Creator & Performer: kirsten wicklund
CREATOR & Performer: Peter Smida
Peter Smida (he/him) is a Canadian dance artist, rehearsal director, and creative collaborator, currently serving as Creative Associate and Rehearsal Director with Ballet Edmonton. A Royal Winnipeg Ballet School graduate, he performed with Ballet BC for 12 years, dancing works by Crystal Pite, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, and others. As a choreographer, filmmaker, and digital content creator, he has contributed to projects internationally, including collaborations with Kirsten Wicklund, Crystal Pite’s Kidd Pivot, and Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, and teaches across Canadian institutions including Modus Operandi and Arts Umbrella Dance Company.
Peter’s film “Let me leave so that you may continue” was recently featured on the Tanstheater Wuppertal (Pina Bausch Company) Create’s Platform as part of their Digital Stage Series. His passion and underlying mission is to explore new ways to create and tell stories with the physical body through the mediums of dance, theatre and film.
Conductor: DR. Graeme Langager
Graeme Langager is Director of Choral Activities at the University of British Columbia School of Music. A passionate and dynamic conductor, Dr. Langager is sought-after as a clinician, adjudicator, educator and guest conductor. He has performed throughout Europe and across North America, appearing in such venues as St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Stefansdom in Vienna, Carnegie Hall in New York, St. Nicholas in Prague, St. Stephen’s in Budapest, as well as in cathedrals and concert halls in Italy, Spain, and France. His choirs have also performed at numerous choral conferences, including: NCCO (National Collegiate Choral Organization), ACDA-AR (American Choral Directors Association Conference, Arkansas), IAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators), MENC/NAfME (National Association for Music Education), and the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals.
He has taught for more than 20 years in universities and colleges across the United States and Canada. Langager received the doctoral degree in choral conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and the master of music degree from California State University, Long Beach.
