VWA | Annual Luncheon followed by the Annual General Meeting

The Victoria Women's Association Presents the Annual Luncheon followed by the Annual General Meeting 

Where: Alumni Hall, Room 112, Old Vic

About this event: Celebrate 130 years of the VWA with members, guests and the Vic community over lunch. Professor Tom Reynolds will use the piano to illustrate his topic, “Improvisation and Life: Some Insights from Jazz.”

Reynolds explains that improvisation is a fundamental feature of jazz. It can also be an imaginative way of exploring human flourishing and spiritual vitality, linking creative personal expression with communal transformation and belonging.

In his book Moving to Higher Ground, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis of Jazz at Lincoln Center observes that jazz’s innovative and adaptive character involves a range of postures and activities, including risk, courage, trust, respect, attentive listening, navigating change and working things out with others. Jazz resonates with hope and vitality, resilience and resistance.

Through description and musical demonstration, this presentation explores how jazz offers insights into improvisation in human life as a transformative and spiritual way of being in the world.

About the speaker: Thomas Reynolds is an associate professor of Theology at Emmanuel College. Committed to an interdisciplinary and relational vision of theology, he is especially interested in interreligious dialogue and disability studies. He has published numerous articles and two books.

His second book, Vulnerable Communion: A Theology of Disability and Hospitality, reflects on his life as a parent of a child with disabilities and seeks to promote greater openness to disability experiences in faith communities.

As a jazz pianist, Reynolds has also been exploring music as a way to reimagine care, faith and transformative life together in community. In his younger years, he played music professionally in Nashville, Tennessee. He continues to compose music and perform regularly in the Toronto jazz scene with his trio and other groups.

Luncheon:

We look forward to seeing you and members of the Vic community.

If you have any food requirements, please let us know or email the VWA by Thursday, April 1, at vwa1897@gmail.com.

Cost: TBD. Tickets must be purchased by Thursday, April 1.

• You may bring cash (exact change is appreciated) or a cheque payable to the Victoria Women’s Association to the February 24 and March 24 VWA meetings.
• Cheques payable to the Victoria Women’s Association may also be mailed to the VWA, c/o Alumni Office, Victoria University, 73 Queen’s Park Crescent E., NFH 106, Toronto M5S 1K7.
• This is a ticketed event. We can accommodate only those with tickets to hear the speaker.

The VWA Annual General Meeting follows at 2 p.m.