Vanessa Klassen receives her DMA degree
By Joan Janzen
This is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of Vanessa Klassen, who grew up in Kindersley, along with her parents Deborah and Doug Klassen and siblings Cole, Bret and Charity. Her parents were excited to be able to attend her graduation from Ohio State University, where Vanessa received her DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) degree.
“Graduating with my doctorate this year was pretty exciting,” Vanessa said. “We actually call it ‘The Ohio State University’; it’s a huge university. When I graduated there were 12,000 people graduating on the same day. Everybody was in the stadium, with a capacity of over 100,000 people. The only people allowed to walk across the stage are the PhDs and DMA’s. They had the DMAs walk first. I was number eight to graduate that day out of 12,000.”
It was a huge moment, accompanied by a big story of Vanessa’s journey along the way. Her story began in Kindersley, where Vanessa began taking music lessons. “I got excited in Grade 5 when I got a band instrument. I picked up the clarinet; I was kind of good at it and enjoyed it,” she said. “I started taking private lessons with Steve Mealey in Grade 8 and all through high school. I participated in some provincial honour bands and went to provincial music festivals. Eventually I decided I wanted to keep going in music.”
Vanessa obtained her Bachelor of Music degree at Brandon University in 2016. “Throughout my post-secondary studies, I’ve had the honour of competing in provincial and national music festivals, and performing with the National Youth Band of Canada and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, touring in Spain in 2019.”
“When I got to the end of that degree I thought maybe I should apply for my masters,” Vanessa said. She applied at three universities, and got accepted at Ohio State, which was her first choice. “But I couldn’t have gone if I didn’t receive a fellowship.”
However Vanessa did receive a fellowship. “The fellowship, along with a position as a Graduate Teaching Associate, gave me a tuition waiver and stipend which funded my graduate studies during both my master’s and doctorate, which was amazing! There was no way I could have gone otherwise. It was pretty big,” Vanessa concluded.
Vanessa received her Master of Music degree in 2018. She took a year off in between her master’s and doctorate and came back to Canada where she taught band in Eatonia.
Throughout her impressive career, Vanessa has held on to her Canadian roots. “The research for my dissertation was on Canadian clarinet music,” she noted. “I always think of my first clarinet teacher, Steve Mealey, and how he was my first inspiration. He has been my encourager throughout all my trials and successes since I started band in Grade 5, and for that, I am forever grateful.”
Vanessa described the music world as very competitive, and there have been moments when she wondered if a career in music would be worth all the hard work. However, now she can honestly say “It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been worth it”.
“I’ve been blessed with amazing friends, colleagues and teachers. My teachers have made a difference in my life, and I want to continue their legacy with my own students,” Vanessa said.
For the time being, Vanessa is back in Kindersley. “I’m applying for professor positions at universities; there are a lot more opportunities in the States,” she said. “I love sharing my passion with students and I love making music with other people.”
We look forward to hearing about the grand opportunities that lie ahead for Vanessa, as she shares her passion and love for music with the world.
