Janice Lynn Waite Thompson was born on August 9, 1956 in Midale, Saskatchewan. The Waite family made a gradual migration west via Regina and Edmonton until arriving in Grande Prairie where Janice spent her formative years. She attended the University of Alberta, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree before spending a year at the Hochshule für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, Austria. On returning to Canada, Janice spent two years as repetiteur for the Edmonton Opera Association and then went on to attain a Master's degree in Piano Performance at Indiana University.

In 1983 Janice began her relationship with the Conservatory at Mont Royal University as a collaborative artist in the Academy Programme. She spent fifteen years as head of Acadamy Accompanying and eight years as coordinator of Music Performance Diploma Program, all the while maintaining a teaching studio and coaching chamber music. Her administrative skills also flourished in her role as president of the Instrumental Society of Calgary and as Coordinator of Chamber Music at the University of Calgary.

From the age of fifteen, Janice had a long association with the Banff Summer Arts Festival, initially as a resident in the advanced piano class, then joining the faculty in 1980. Recognized and admired for her intense musicality, she was very much in demand as a collaborative artist and chamber musician, performing with dozens of internationally recognized musicians. She was also a member of the ensemble Aubade from 1996.

Janice relished her work with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra as orchestral pianist and enjoyed several years as a soprano in the CPO Chorus. She also enjoyed traveling as an adjudicator and examiner for the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Janice married John Thompson in 1992 and both were blessed with daughter Emma in 1995. Janice’s beautiful spirit, kindness, wit and love of life will be greatly missed by her extended family, her students, colleagues and all those who knew her.

The Janice Waite Memorial Award

In order to celebrate the dedication and commitment of past President and Artistic Director Emeritus Janice Waite, the Board of the Instrumental Society of Calgary has established the Janice Waite Memorial Award.

In the nine years that Janice guided the ISC, she worked tirelessly to fulfill the mandate of this organization: that of offering an affordable chamber music series, presented by exceptional musicians from the Calgary area, giving these artists an opportunity they might not have otherwise, to expand their own repertoire and perform music they love.

At the same time, Janice also consistently watched and listened for new professionals to Calgary who might want to develop their chamber music experience and exposure.

With these thoughts in mind, the Board of the Instrumental Society of Calgary has decided that the recipient will be a musician performing on a concert in the upcoming season, is relatively new to Calgary, thinks creatively with regard to repertoire and demonstrates an eager involvement in the broader musical community.

The Janice Waite Memorial Award in the amount of $250, announced at the first concert of each season, will help the recipient cover the cost of music and/or rehearsal time. The Award also includes a reception for the winner after his or her performance, in order to give the audience the opportunity to get to know the recipient on a more personal level.

Tax-deductible donations to an Endowment to carry the annual cost of the Award will be accepted on an ongoing basis. For more information, please contact Artistic Director, Gianetta Baril via info@instrumentalsociety.ca.