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Meet New Registration Clerk Claire Heath!

Have you met Claire at the registration desk yet? Claire is one of our newer registration clerks, so we thought we’d share her story, so you can learn a little bit about the woman behind the smile.

Claire has been working behind the registration desk since May 2018, and she’s a wonderful addition to our team. Considering she was thrown into the figurative fire, starting as she did with the rush of registration for our 2018/2019 season, Claire always manages to maintain a positive and welcoming demeanor while helping clients navigate the registration process.

A Long-time Connection to Place des Arts

Although new to our staff, Claire is no stranger to Place des Arts. In fact, you could call her a PdA Lifer! Claire’s introduction to Place des Arts was, as with so many of our clients, through Mr. I’s Musical Rainbow program. Indeed, one of the things that most struck Claire when she began working here was how little Mr. I has changed. She says, “[Mr. I] is exactly how I remember him! I saw him when I first started working here and thought, ‘Wow! He hasn’t changed at all.’ And he’s still so good with the kids.”

After taking Mr. I’s classes for several years, Claire began taking group piano lessons with then teacher Eleanor Rogers and private flute lessons with Emry Laird, a long-time Place des Arts music teacher who retired at the end of last season.

Over her formative years, Claire also volunteered regularly at Place des Arts during our Summer Fun! art camps and at Fair in the Square, our outdoor summer event that ran for 10 years from 2000 to 2010.

Pursuing the Arts

Her years at Place des Arts had a profound impact on Claire, and she went on to complete her BFA with a major in photography at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.

When asked if she continues to pursue her arts practices, Claire says she still has all her musical instruments and dabbles with playing the piano from time to time. She also does a fair bit of photography but instead of using film, as she did while at Emily Carr, she has embraced, like most of us, digital technology.

Claire isn’t actively pursuing a career in the arts, but says she values it as a constant in her life, even if it is just as a hobby. Working at Place des Arts certainly keeps her connected to the arts and inspired by the people engaging in it.

Working at Place des Arts

About working at Place des Arts, Claire says, “It’s wonderful, actually! There’s such a sense of community and even behind the desk, everyone is so willing to help. As a student, and a volunteer and now behind the desk, it’s been a lovely experience.”

We’re thrilled to have Claire on staff and love that she brings a lifetime of engagement at the centre to her position. It would seem that, like so many others, Place des Arts is Claire’s life-long home for the arts!

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