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GoodCHILD GRADY DUO
Goodchild Grady Duo is a clarinet and percussion duo formed in 2014. Through live music performances they strive to evoke emotion and share their passion for music. With their unusual instrumentation they enjoy new and exciting sounds and would like to take the audience on an exploration of sonorities. Their repertoire includes music from around the world, with a special interest in promoting the works of Canadian composers by performing them widely in Canada and internationally.
The duo has performed in various venues in Saskatchewan including the Strata New Music Festival, recitals and in 2016 were artists in residence at the Prairie Wind & Silver Sage Artist Residency. In May 2017 they premiered Dialogues by Toronto-based composer Shelley Marwood.
In 2018 they participated in the Winter Music Residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts, concerts in and outside of Saskatchewan, and a commissioned a new work by Saskatoon composer Kendra Harder. In July they performed at ClarinetFest 2018 in Ostend, Belgium.
The duo is now in Victoria, British Columbia and is planning exciting and new concerts and collaborations. In 2023 they had the pleasure of collaborating with composer Patrick McGraw performing his work The Wind.
“Their performances bring the cornucopia of emotion, talent, and inspiration that all great musicians have.”
Melissa Goodchild is originally from Windsor, Ontario and received her Bachelor of Music at the University of Windsor. In 2006 she received her Artist Diploma from the University of Western Ontario and continued to study there for her Master of Music in Performance and Literature. While in London in addition to University ensembles she performed in the Stratford Civic Orchestra and various other chamber music ensembles. After completing her studies in London, Ontario in 2008 she moved to Edmonton, Alberta where she taught at the Alberta College Conservatory of Music. In addition to teaching she performed in and around the city in groups such as the New Edmonton Wind Sinfonia, Opera Nuova and performances at the Citadel Theatre as well as solo performances at recitals. Melissa was the Second Clarinet with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra from 2012 through 2018 and performed in various venues throughout the city. In Saskatoon she performed in the Strata New Music Festival, been a featured soloist with the Saskatoon Serenade, the Saskatoon Concert Band, the clarinet choir Reedy, Set, Go! In the spring of 2019 she was thrilled to adjudicate winds and brass at the Brandon Festival of the Arts as well as the Kootenay Festival of the Arts.
In Victoria she enjoys teaching students of all ages in private as well as group settings including clinics for schools and at the Victoria Conservatory of Music where she teaches private lessons, chamber music, masterclasses as well as Clarinet Choir. She was happy to be part of the faculty at the University of Victoria as a term clarinet instructor for private instruction, chamber music coaching, and masterclasses for the 2021-2022 term. In fall 2023 she is excited to begin her Doctorate in Educational Leadership.
Kevin Grady received his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music from the University of Victoria where he studied with William Linwood. He has performed with many ensembles including the Victoria Symphony, Vancouver Island Symphony and was Second Percussion with Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. Kevin enjoys performing all kinds of percussion repertoire and has taken part in festivals such as The Zeltsman Marimba Festival, Northwestern Percussion Symposium, and Chosen Vale International Percussion Seminar. In Saskatoon he has taken part in the Prairie Music Residency and performs regularly with the Bridge City Brass Band and the Saskatoon Brass Band. As a soloist he has performed in the Strata New Music Festival as well as other venues in the city.
Kevin performs with several ensembles in Victoria and will often assist the percussion section of the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra.
Upcoming Events
Saturday October 26, 2024 Melissa will be sharing what she’s learned about motivation so far at the BCMEA Conference
Sunday November 17, 2024 1-2:30 Wood Hall 900 Johnson Street - Locally Grown, a concert of music from Western Canada featuring: Melissa Goodchild, Kevin Grady, Jennifer Mitchell, and Alexander Richards. Admission by donation
News & Updates
Posts
Repertoire
A selection of repertoire performed in concert
* Arranged by Kevin Grady
+ Commissioned by Goodchild Grady Duo
^ Canadian Work
Burton, Steven - Soufriere (cl/mba)
Burke, John - Stealth (bcl/mba)^
Buss, Howard J. - Impromptu (cl/mba)
Danner, Greg - Singing Wood (cl/mba)
Daigneault, Robert - Robin #2 (cl/vib)^
Debussy, Claude - Arabesque #1 (cl/mba)*
Edwards, Ross - Binyang (cl/perc)
Harder, Kendra - Cat Flight (Cl/perc)^+
Koyle, Gregg - Kumbengo (cl/mba)
Kreutz, Robert - Prisms (cl/mba)
Larsen, Libby - Corker (cl/perc)
Louie, Alexina - Cadenzas (cl/perc)^
Marwood, Shelley - Dialogues (cl and bcl/perc)^+
McGraw, Patrick - The Wind (cl/perc)^+
Reich, Steve - Clapping Music (hands)
Satie, Erik - Gymnopedie #1 (cl/mba)*
Saint-Saëns, Camille - The Swan (bcl/mba)*
Smith, Ronald Bruce - "...whisper to the night" (cl/gong)^
Van Markle, Karel - It’s All Tumbling Down (cl/vib)
Waley-Cohen, Freya - Blu-Tack (cl/bcl and Vib)
Various Winter Holiday Carols*
Music
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Goodchild Grady Duo
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Goodchild Grady
Lessons
Clarinet Lessons
Melissa is an experienced and professional clarinet teacher of all ages. She enjoys teaching private, group lessons, and working with students in schools and workshops. As an adjudicator she has worked with woodwind and brass students at the Kootenay Festival of the Arts, Brandon Festival of the Arts and Grande Prairie & District Music Festival.
Students enjoy personalized attention and goal setting including masterclasses, concerts, and chamber music opportunities. Online and in person lesson options available, for more information or a consultation please do not hesitate to contact her. You can also check out her bio on the Victoria Conservatory of Music website
“Thank you so much for always so patiently working with, guiding, encouraging, and supporting (them)!”
“...I was nervous going in, but the nerves faded right away.”