The Town of Sackville is honouring a celebrated pianist for her contributions to the local arts and culture scene. 

On Wednesday, Janet Hammock is being inducted into the Sackville Arts Wall, a series of plaques overlooking the Waterfowl Park on Main Street.

A jury selects new inductees every two years in recognition of their achievements in the literary, performing and visual arts.

A fourth category, Arts Builder, honours citizens or groups that have "made a significant contribution to the cultural and artistic development of our community."

Hammock, who holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale University, has been named Arts Builder.

She moved to Sackville in 1975 to join the Department of Music at Mount Allison University, where she taught for 26 years.

"Determined from the outset that music should be a community-wide experience, Janet has conducted public workshops in deep listening, has taught numerous courses for the Tantramar Seniors College, and from 2010 to 2016 published a column entitled Sackville Soundscapes in the weekly Tribune-Post newspaper," a citation from the Town of Sackville states.

Over the past seven years, she has also hosted “Fly Me to the Moon,” a radio program on CFTA FM in Amherst, N.S. showcasing local musicians.

Last week, CHMA interviewed Hammock at her sunlit studio, which is brimming with books and scores of music.

This report include an archived recording of Janet Hammock performing “Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano” by John Cage, the American composer, whom Hammock knew personally. 

It also includes Hammock playing “Prière,” a song or fragment written by the French composer Erik Satie. She dedicated the song to Sackville resident Vallie Stearns-Anderson, who died last week.