Dr. Ajay Heble
Dr. Ajay Heble is the founding Director of the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation (IICSI), and Professor of English in the School of English and Theatre Studies at the University of Guelph. His research has covered a full range of topics in the arts and humanities and has resulted in 16 books published or in press, numerous articles or chapters, and over 100 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows trained and mentored. He was the founding Artistic Director of the award-winning Guelph Jazz Festival and Colloquium (he served in that capacity for 23 years, retiring in 2016), and is a founding co-editor of the peer-reviewed journal Critical Studies in Improvisation/Études critiques en improvisation (www.criticalimprov.com).
Dr. Heble is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2016 SSHRC Impact Award in the Partnership category, the 2014 Dr. Winegard Exemplary Volunteer Award, and a Teaching Excellence Award from the Student Senate Caucus at the University of Guelph. In 2019, he was awarded an honorary degree (Doctor honoris causa) from 17, Instituto de Estudios Criticos in Mexico. In 2023, he was awarded the prestigious Killam Prize in the Humanities.
Heble is also an accomplished pianist with a long background as a performer. His first CD, a live set of improvised music called Different Windows with percussionist Jesse Stewart, was released on the IntrepidEar label in 2001. His recent recordings include Hold True / Accroche-Toi), The Time of the Sign, and Le gouffre / The Chasm, all with his improvising quartet The Vertical Squirrels (and released on the Ambiances Magnétiques label).
