StFX music professor Paul Tynan will be teaching and performing in Mongolia this summer and he will be bringing two StFX music students with him to the international stage.
Prof. Tynan has been named the North American representative to the International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ) and will travel to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for the organization’s 2026 conference. During the July 6-11th event, he will lead one of six ensembles composed of international student participants, as well as facilitate workshops and take part in panel discussions.
Following a competitive selection process, second year student Matthew Patstone and third year student Alex Mills were also chosen to attend. Both will perform, attend lectures and workshops, and collaborate with peers from around the world.
“To say I was surprised would be an understatement,” Prof. Tynan says of being named the North American representative. “There are so many wonderful music educators involved with the IASJ who could serve in this role. It’s a real honour.”
He says the opportunity to connect with international peers and exchange ideas in jazz education is especially exciting.
The IASJ is a global organization that brings together institutions and educators from across continents. Its annual conference, held in a different country each year, offers top students the chance to perform in international ensembles, take part in masterclasses, and collaborate with leading artists.
“I’m also personally quite excited to experience all that Ulaanbaatar has to offer culturally and to be there, on the land. Hopefully, that will inspire some new compositions,” Prof. Tynan says.
WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS
The opportunity for the students came about in an unexpected way. As part of its visiting artist series, the StFX Music Department hosted jazz bassist Martin Zenker, an IASJ board member, in October. During his visit, Mr. Zenker performed the music of Charles Mingus with the StFX Jazz Nonet, which included both Mr. Patstone and Mr. Mills. After the performance, he invited members of the group to attend the IASJ conference.
“He was impressed with what was happening in the department and how the students performed,” Prof. Tynan says. “That was their audition, but they didn’t know it at the time. This type of thing is not so uncommon in the music world. Sometimes there are formal auditions, but in reality, every day is an audition because you never know who’s listening.”
For the students, events like the IASJ are where magic happens, Prof. Tynan says.
“Making connections and collaborating with new people in new environments really fuels the fire,” he says. “Of course, you can do that at home to an extent, but there is no better way to engage the sense of exploration and discovery that is so beneficial to the creative process than when in a new and different place.”
ONCE IN LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY
“It is such a once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Mr. Patstone of Victoria, BC, “and I am very thankful that I will get to travel to a new country and do what I love, play jazz.”
Music is a career that forces you to do a lot of networking, build connections, and make friends, he says. “I am really looking forward to meeting musicians from all around the world and forming connections that may allow me to travel and play music across the globe in my future.”
He’s wanted to study, live, and perform in Europe for a long time, and he is hoping that this opportunity allows him to make connections that will help him pursue a career in playing overseas. “I am confident that I will meet awesome new friends in Mongolia that will help me achieve these goals in my future career.”
Mr. Mills of Ottawa, ON was equally thrilled to learn about the opportunity.
“I mean, it’s not every day you get an email asking if you want to travel internationally,” he notes.
Along with traveling to a new continent, he says it will be a great opportunity to meet, play with, and speak to musicians from all over the globe, from internationally acclaimed professionals to students like himself. Name recognition is important in the music industry, he says, and he believes this experience and making these connections will help him in future. He is also potentially looking to do postgraduate studies in Europe so this experience may also help open doors to that.
