UPEI presents 2011 Distinguished Alumni Awards, March 27
The UPEI Alumni Association will present its 2011 Distinguished Alumni Awards on Sunday, March 27 to the Honourable Marion Reid, Paul Jelley (posthumously), and Carrie-Ann Matheson, recipient of the inaugural ‘Inspiring Young Alumna Award.'
The public event begins at 7:00 pm in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium in Don and Marion McDougall Hall on the UPEI campus and features a keynote address by Matheson, as part of the UPEI Student Union's Inspiring Alumni Speaker Series.
Both Reid and Jelley have contributed to their community and to the public service in a variety of ways. Reid is an educator and former lieutenant-governor and speaker of the PEI Legislative Assembly, while Jelley was a long-serving deputy minister in the government of Prince Edward Island. He passed away in 2009.
Matheson has reached great heights in the realm of classical music despite her young age. As assistant conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, this active performer has collaborated with renowned conductors and musicians from around the world.
Alumni Association President Perlene Morrison says, 'We are pleased to partner with the UPEI Student Union in honouring these three distinguished alumni. We invite everyone to attend this special event to be inspired by the significant contributions that our award recipients have made to Prince Edward Island and the global community.'
Student Union President Rob Livingstone adds, 'UPEI has so many graduates that have gone on to contribute great things to our community and to society. The Student Union is proud to be a part of celebrating the accomplishments of this year's recipients, and hopes that the event will inspire current students to dream big and achieve greatness as well.'
A reception will follow in Schurman Market Square.
For more information on this event, please contact Sjors Reijers, UPEI Alumni Officer, at sreijers@upei.ca
Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients for 2011
The Honourable Marion Reid, C.M., O.P.E.I.
Marion obtained her teacher's certificate from Prince of Wales College in 1946, and continued her education at both Saint Dunstan's University and UPEI over the decades that followed. In 1997, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from UPEI for her outstanding career as an educator and faithful representative for the people of Prince Edward Island. As a former member of the Legislative Assembly, first female speaker of the Provincial Legislature, and lieutenant-governor of Prince Edward Island, Marion has displayed the determination, integrity, and passion for public service that is an example for all graduates to follow.
In recent years, Marion has been honoured with the first PEI Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year award, an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Mount Saint Vincent University, and written a best-selling autobiography entitled These Roots Run Deep. She continues an active public life through speaking engagements and as co-Chair of the L.M. Montgomery Land Trust in their effort to ensure a piece of PEI's north shore will remain as it was during L.M. Montgomery's lifetime.
Paul Jelley
Paul received his Bachelor of Arts degree from UPEI in 1972. While at UPEI, he was a member of the varsity hockey team, and often said he obtained a degree in hockey. Paul later served as head coach of both junior and minor hockey teams, was a goaltender coach, and founder of a goaltending school. He also served in executive roles within the PEI sporting community, including as president of both Hockey PEI and Sport PEI.
Paul retired from the government of PEI in the spring of 2009 as deputy minister of finance, secretary to treasury board, and chairman of the master trust pension advisory committee. He served both the Robert Ghiz and Pat Binns governments in that capacity. From 2001 to 2004, Paul was PEI's deputy minister of development and technology. Premier Binns appointed him deputy minister of agriculture in 2000, bringing him back to the provincial government after 10 years as CEO of the Ottawa-based Canadian Broiler Hatching Egg Marketing Agency.
His dedication to the community, to his family, and to youth has made Paul a model graduate of the University of Prince Edward Island. Paul died in November 2009, and will be receiving this Distinguished Alumnus designation posthumously.
Carrie-Ann Matheson
Carrie-Ann graduated from UPEI in 1996 with a degree in Music. She is an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera and is a member of the Met's select full-time regular music staff, where she works as pianist, prompter and vocal coach. She has assisted such renowned conductors as James Levine, Daniel Barenboim, James Conlon, Marco Armiliato, Fabio Luisi and Louis Langrée, among many others. Particularly interested in the development of emerging artists, she was staff coach of the Metropolitan Opera's prestigious Lindemann Young Artist Development Program; a position that was created for her upon the completion of two years as apprentice coach/pianist.
An active performer, Carrie-Ann has collaborated in recital with some of the world's most prominent artists, including Marilyn Horne, Diana Damrau, Joyce di Donato, Susan Graham, Barbara Bonney, and Ruth Ann Swenson. A long-standing Marilyn Horne Foundation artist, she has appeared numerous times at Carnegie Hall under their auspices. Her chamber music credits include performances with members of the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
Carrie-Ann is also a faculty member at Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, and holds the position of head coach/head of music staff at Canada's Opera on the Avalon Festival. She has served on the coaching staff of the Los Angeles Opera, the Cincinnati May Festival and on the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and the International Vocal Arts Institute where she worked in programs held in Israel, Italy, France, Japan, Canada and Puerto Rico. She was co-music director of the Centro Studi Italiani Opera Festival in Urbania, Italy and was producer and music director of 'Opera Night in Asia,' a series of concerts in China and the Philippines.
Carrie-Ann is a featured pianist and vocal coach in the Metropolitan Opera's film The Audition, which documents the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition, and makes a cameo appearance, as herself, in the Met's HD release of Bellini's La sonnambula.
