FInd Your Music!

YOUR COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL: OVER THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY MUSIC EDUCATION. FIND YOUR MUSIC!

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Chordial Notes - July 2015



July Notes

Kerilie McDowall NCM

It is summer festival season in BC! There are numerous impressive music festivals to attend to expand your musical palette for some entertainment and active music listening for a fun summer. A few of the most popular local island festivals include the Vancouver Island Music Festival, Islands Folk Festival, TD Victoria International Jazz Festival, Victoria Ska Fest, BC Shellfish Festival, Filberg Festival, Hornby Island Festival, Sooke River Bluegrass Music Festival and the off island and very popular  (and my personal favorite) The Vancouver International Jazz Festival. What a way to get your music listening in and work on active ear training! Pull on your sun hat, lather on the sunscreen, dig out the picnic basket and sun umbrella and get ready for fun filled days to soak in and enjoy the best entertainment that BC has to offer! Be sure to join us for all the exciting summer programs that the NCM is offering this summer in 2015!

JAZZ SUPER STAR CONCERT AT SIMON HOLT RESTAURANT!
The faculty super star jazz performance with Ingrid and Christine Jensen, Ken Lister, Joel Miller and Jon Wikan is coming up soon! Concert tickets are now available at $30 in advance and $35 at the door. This impressive, fun and amazing jazz super star performance will take place on Wednesday July 22nd at 7:30 PM. These musicians are some of North America’s finest musicians, so do not miss this very special concert event! 

SUMMER JAZZ INTENSIVE WORKSHOP WITH CHRISTINE AND INGRID JENSEN, JOEL MILLER, KEN LISTER & JON WIKAN
                                                                               
You won’t want to miss multi-JUNO award winning saxophonist  and composer Christine Jensen on  faculty this summer with highly admired trumpet player and flugelhorn player JUNO winner Ingrid Jensen!        Also featured on faculty is multi-JUNO winning bassist Ken Lister, award winning Montreal saxophonist and composer Joel Miller and New York City drummer/composer Jon Wikan. They will be conducting the special Summer Jazz Intensive program July 20th-23rd, 2015 this summer with a final student and jazz super star performance at Simon Holt Restaurant on July 22nd. The price for the workshop is $450.00. Student bursaries are available. This is your chance to study and learn from some of the top players/composers from
 North America’s jazz world and work on your musicianship and jazz knowledge and further extend your mastery of improvisational skills, technique, theory and more. Join us for the fun and this once in a lifetime opportunity. Space is limited. Call 250-754-4611 now to reserve your spot and/or email us at ncmusic@island.net for further details, hope to see you there!

NEW! WORLD MUSIC PROGRAM WITH PATRICK OLMSTED                                                                                   
Enrollment is heating up for the Summer 2015 World Music Program with NCM guitar and ukulele instructor Patrick Olmsted. Courses offered may include: Gypsy Jazz Guitar, Discover Spanish Guitar, The Mighty Uke! (Ukulele), Latin Guitar, Open Tunings, African Guitar and Finger Style Arranging. World Group Ensemble Classes may include Paris Combo (a la Manouche), Latin Ensemble (Son Montuno), Salsa (Begine the Merengue!) and African Ensemble. Students can choose based upon their personal preference to study privately, or with a group class. Please join us!

NCM’s Kerilie McDowall recently had a chat with instructor Patrick Olmsted and caught up with Patrick’s latest news to share with prospective guitar and ukulele students.

NCM: Speak about your background history in music and how you got your start with guitar. PO: Our family always had music in the house. I started playing guitar as a teenager at age 15. I was exposed to a great amount of multicultural music and different musical styles with exposure through my family while I was growing up.
NCM: Who were your mentors and instructors, and were you encouraged to become a professional musician? PO: I studied guitar with a Spanish instructor from Seville named Manuel Galvez at the Mount Royal Conservatory. I started performing in clubs at the age of 18.
NCM: Tell us about the styles you like to explore as a guitarist and you’re
upcoming World Music Guitar Classes that you  are offering as an instructor at the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music. PO: Right now I am very excited about the new curriculum that I am creating for the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music. We’re offering guitar and ukulele classes in many wonderful styles of world music from gypsy jazz, guitar, Latin, Flamenco, Latin, Spanish, jazz and gypsy jazz.
NCM: What is your general advice to young students who are in the process of mastering the guitar and learning the art of performance as to how they can best advance their skills? PO: Learn some new styles of music. Get exposed to some of the world styles of music at the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music and most importantly listen to as much music as you can.
NCM: It’s been a pleasure meeting with you and learning about the NCM World Music Program, I thank you so much for the chat today.  To close what is your website address and when is the best time to reach you at the NCM? PO: You can get in touch with me anytime at the NCM and also at www.gabriola guitars.ca.

The Nanaimo Conservatory of Music World Music Classes will run for 6-8 weeks at $10.00 per class and will run in the evening on weekdays. This exciting program offers the full flavours of guitar and ukulele music styles from around the globe. Learn a new world music style or enhance your current skills.  Call Oriana at the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music now at 250-754-4611 to learn more or to register!

SUMMER REGISTRATION AND SUMMER HOURS If you are registering for summer music lessons you will need to pay for them in advance at the NCM office, just contact Oriana Tierney to register.  Please take note that our upcoming summer Nanaimo Conservatory of Music office hours will be from 10-5 pm Tuesday to Thursdays.

NANAIMO YOUTH CHOIR PLACES FIRST IN BC PROVINCIALS FOR SIXTH TIME AND AN INVITE TO CARNEGIE HALL!
Congratulations to the Nanaimo Youth Choir who placed first in the BC Provincial Music Festival again for the sixth time!  In addition, Artistic Director Marian Smith and the Conservatory are very excited to announce that Nanaimo Youth Choir has been invited by Distinguished Concerts International New York as conducted by Cristian Grases to perform at prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City for a June 12th,  2016 performance!

Marian Smith and the choir are hoping through fundraising efforts to attend the 2016 performance invite at Carnegie Hall, an honor for any choir and especially for our smaller local Vancouver Island region. Congratulations are in order for the Nanaimo Youth Choir for their excellent performances and impressive repertoire under the direction of Marian Smith making local Nanaimoites very proud. Donations to support the choir for their New York travel and costs can be made at the Conservatory. All donations are eligible for a charitable tax receipt.
 
GIFTED NANAIMO CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC STUDENT UEI-YOUNG JUNG PLACES SECOND AT THE PERFORMING ARTS BC PROVINCIALS
Ten year old talented, exceptional young flautist Uei-Young Jung placed second at this year’s province wide BC Provincial Arts Festival. Uei-Young is studying the flute at the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music. Jung performed JS Bach’s Suite in B Minor and Suite Modale by Bloch at the Provincials. Jung’s Nanaimo Conservatory of Music flute instructor Cindy Speelman was also very happy to learn that Uei-Young Jung had placed first in the 2015 Concerto Competition for Young Musicians held by the Nanaimo Chamber Orchestra. In addition, this year Uei-Young also won a Jean Apland Scholarship Award from the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music.  On the recent Provincials win, instructor Cindy Speelman said that the BC Provincials indicated that Uei-Young has “good stylistic interpretation, beautiful expression and musicality”. 

Uei-Young said that she was “happy and surprised” at the wins and was very much looking forward to her
performance with the Nanaimo Chamber Orchestra this past June on the 6th and the continuation of her music studies at the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music. The talented young flautist performed with the Nanaimo Chamber Orchestra led by Karl Rainer at Brechin United Church in Nanaimo. Flautist Jung performed compositions by Bach, Handel, Joaquin Rodrigo, Haydn Wood and Hubert Parry as the featured guest artist. This outstanding and inspiring young music student is an example of the impressive fine talent that Vancouver Island has to offer the larger cultural community of BC and Canada. The Nanaimo Conservatory of Music, the community of Nanaimo and NCM teacher Cindy Speelman are all very proud of Uei-Young’s recent accomplishments.

FESTIVAL OF RECITALS AWARD CEREMONY AND SILENT AUCTION FUNDRAISING SUCCESS!
The Festival of Recitals took place on Saturday May 30th, 2015 and featured scholarship presentations and our very talented student performers. Congratulations to our students on their exceptional and fine performances!  Scholarship recipients include: Kipling   Szasz; Joo Young Jung; Zoe Hyman; Charmaine Sims; Sean Hagarty; Jack Mace; Laura Mace; Ella Wyndlow; ChloĆ« Hardbattle; Anya Mikes; Martin Hermans; Lilu Scott; Max Sander Segriff; Leah Reinhart; Jonah      Manson; Karolina Malinowska; Uei Young Jung and Maddy Erickson.

As for fundraising for our silent auction, bidding was competitive and helped us raise a total of $2000.00 for our scholarship and bursary fund for our students! A grateful and appreciative thank you to businesses and individuals who donated their time, silent auction items and services including: Tom Lee Music, Old City Organics, artist Gerda Hofman, The Veronica Wagner family and estate, Nanaimo Toyota, McLean's Specialty Foods, Yellowpoint Lodge, Island Naturals, Lobelia’s Lair, BOCA, West Coast Classic Floral Design, St. Jean’s Cannery, The Teak Tree, Wild Pebble Jewellery, Mission Hill, artist Claudia Grey, chef Peter Bowen, baker of delicious cookies and muffins Jedha Holmes, special and lovely beautifully music themed violin and music printed cookies by professional baker Michelle Hardbattle, music CDs from Jane Coop and John Capon,  the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music staff, faculty and board, including Executive Director Kathleen Darby and staff Oriana Tierney and Kerilie McDowall, The Vancouver Island Symphony and The Flying Fish. Thanks to you the community for your continued generous support.   

FOUND: A Fit Bit Flex-Please identify it at the NCM office.

STUDIO NEWS FROM THE VOICE STUDIO OF CHRISTINE McMAHON
Kudos to fourteen year old Lilu Scott, who received two Honourable Mentions for her performances at the Performing Arts Provincial Festival in both the Junior Classical Division and the Vocal Variety section.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Herman, RCM Grade 10 student, who was recently accepted into the Advanced Singers Program at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, a ten day intensive workshop comprising of private lessons, masterclasses and coachings, culminating in a final concert.  Participants worked to the highest standard in repertoire, technique, physical awareness, confidence and presence. Well done!

FROM MARILYN RUMMEL’S STUDIO
We've had a great season in the harp studio- many thanks to students, parents and supportive people who understand that it takes time to learn... but it is time that you spent developing yourself along with your skills. Congrats to all. Lots of exciting plans for the fall.‎ First is our student teacher pilot program. Hayley Farenholtz, who has been my student for the past 6 years is becoming my student teacher! She will teach new beginners and current students who want to try lessons with a young and inspiring harpist. She will teach under my supervision and will be studying pedagogy along with her own harp studies. The Edinburgh harp festival is held every year in April and next spring my advanced harp group and I will attend! This exciting plan will need help funding so we'll be doing a series of fundraising concerts in the fall and winter. If anyone knows of performing opportunities that would add to the travel account please let me know. There will be a new group class‎ for beginners starting September 24, 2015. Registration will be through the city and it will be suitable for absolute beginners or current students who want to add some group time to their studies. Lessons will be in person and by videos which can be streamed at home in your practice room! A new adventure that I'm really looking forward to. Tell your friends! There will limited summer lessons in Duncan from July 15 to Aug 5, and then I'm off to Harp school in Wells in the Cariboo. Several students are attending, including Cassidy Stagg who is the recipient of the Ann Gillespie scholarship for 2015. Harp lessons begin Sept 15.

STUDIO NEWS FROM KEN LISTER
NCM Bass instructor Ken Lister would like to congratulate his student Riley Poystila for her success in winning a full scholarship to Douglas College Summer Jazz Intensive in Toronto! In addition, at the West Coast Jazz Festival, Riley won a partial scholarship to Berkley Summer Jazz Intensive. Hooray for Riley and congratulations!

SYMPHONY BY THE SEA-Saturday, August 8, 2015 | 6:00pm Maffeo Sutton Park
Enjoy the sounds of The Vancouver Island Symphony by the Sea! Under the direction of Calvin Dyck, with special guest tenor Ken Lavigne and other surprise musical guests. Bring your blanket or lawn chair and your picnic basket! Donations collected to support this event.