March 2016 Notes
Kerilie
McDowall NCM
Sunday March 27th, 2016 is that very special time of the year when the wonderfully generous Easter Bunny arrives with Easter eggs and special goodies and treats for children all over the world! Traditionally this special holiday is a time when many children go on Easter egg hunts and play games and it’s a ton of fun for the family!
March is also the month when magical shamrocks, leprechauns and happy smiles arrive for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations as we celebrate all things Irish on March 17, 2016. Children also look for four leaf clovers in our emerald green British Columbia clover patches. The special four leaf clovers are supposed to bring good fortune to the lucky finder!
A reminder to check with
your instructor about your lesson schedule over Spring Break and be sure to
sign up for our Pirates Fun-filled Musical Theatre program. Remember don’t
forget to purchase your Janina Fialkowksa tickets at the Port Theatre!
NCM WINS A FINALIST POSITION FOR THE ARTS CATEGORY AT THE NANAIMO BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS!-The Greater Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce has announced that The Business Achievement Awards will be presented in an ‘Oscar-style’ red carpet event Friday March 4th at the Port Theatre. “Paparazzi, upscale appies, plenty of bubbly available, a jazz band in the lobby, a 10 piece big band on stage to help welcome winners to the podium, and an After Party at Minnoz will surely all help add to the festive atmosphere and mood” says Chamber CEO Kim Smythe. The Nanaimo Conservatory of Music does face some competition within the Arts category, but is thrilled to be honoured as a Nanaimo community finalist for the year of 2016!
NANAIMO
CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC RECEIVES $5000 FROM NANAIMO FOUNDATION-The NCM is very pleased
to have been awarded a $5000.00 grant for building upgrades! Thank you Nanaimo
Foundation, we are grateful!
ARRR BE DARRRR! SHIVER ME TIMBERS! PIRATES!! MUSICAL
THEATRE PROGRAM WITH LINDSAY SUDDABY!! The Nanaimo Conservatory
of Music’s Musical Theatre program runs March 14-18, 2016. Classes will take
place from 10 am - 4 pm. For working parents drop off is as early as 8:30 am
and student pick-up is as late as 5 pm. This workshop will teach students to
build confidence and learn about co-operation with others and allows students
to express themselves creatively through singing, drama and stage movement with
a FUN pirate theme as taught by NCM instructor and Nanaimo Youth Choir assistant
director Lindsay Suddaby. The program offers exceptional performance training,
with a focus on theatrical characterization, teamwork, exploring creativity and
problem solving.
The course fees are $350.00. Call 250-754-4611 or visit the Nanaimo
Conservatory of Music office at 375 Selby St.
www.nanaimoconservatoryofmusic@gmail.com for more details.
CANCEL ALL PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS! PURCHASE
YOUR JANINA FIALKOWSKA NCM ANNUAL FUNDRAISER SOLO PIANO CONCERT TICKETS NOW!-Enjoy this once
in a life time opportunity to see one of the globe’s top Chopin performers. Vancouver
Island concertgoers will support the Nanaimo Conservatory of Music by attending
the all Chopin Ms. Fialkowska concert, which in turn will help to raise funds
for Nanaimo’s community non-profit charitable music school. The concert takes
place March 13th at 2:30 pm. The NCM is
thrilled at this rare opportunity to present such a masterful and inspirational
performance artist. Janina receives only the highest praise from international
critics for her exceptional performances
Students who have already ordered their NCM
priced tickets already may pick them up now at the NCM office at 375 Selby St. High
school students only can purchase eyeGo tickets for just $5! The Nanaimo
Conservatory of Music is proud to be a community partner with Festival Nanaimo
for this special performance event. Order tickets now from the Port Theatre Box
office at 250-754-8550 to reserve your seat.
Ms. Fialkowska’s raves and accolades come from
top critics from around the world, “These recordings plain and without frills
are a true sensation and should convince, if not overwhelm, the last skeptic of
the human magic of her playing due to the outstanding musicality, the incredible
pianistic profile and the unique charm of this exceptional pianist.”-Attila Csampai
(Steroplay, Germany, August 2010)
“Indeed, lesser mortals may well weep with envy at such
unfaltering authority. She has done her one time mentor, Arthur Rubinstein,
proud.”- Bryce Morrison, Gramophone August 2010
Buy your
tickets now for the most highly anticipated concert of the season at the Port
Theatre. Ms. Fialkowska has recently sold out seats in Tokyo, Japan at the Musashino
Citizen Concert Hall, so buy your tickets soon in case they sell out!
JANINA FIALKOWSKA MASTER CLASS: Take in
a Master Class with renowned Janina Fialkowska from 9:30 am-12:30 pm on Monday
March 14th, 2016 at 375 Selby Street, observers are welcome. A $10 minimum
donation is suggested for the Master Class. Please register with the office in
advance. Seating is very limited.
VANCOUVER ISLAND CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL- The
Vancouver Island Chamber Music Festival takes place April 14-16th at
the Nanaimo Entertainment Centre at 46 Nicol St. Tickets will be available at
the Port Theatre at 125 Front St. and 250-754-8550 on March 14th, 2016
and will also be available at the door. Join us for three heavenly days of
spectacular chamber music and fun! Artists include: Borealis String Quartet
with David Braid, Bourgeous Trio (a co-production with Lulu Performing Arts),
the Vancouver String Quartet, Victoria Baroque Ensemble, Orquestra Paraguas and
much more! Enjoy some really great chamber music workshops. Tickets are $20 per
show and $50 for a three day festival pass. Shows will take place at 7pm on
Thursday, Friday and Saturday with a 2:00 performance on Saturday.
Email
ncmusic@island.net for more information.
SUMMER JAZZ INTENSIVE WORKSHOPS-This summer’s Jazz
Intensive takes place July 18-22nd, 2016 once again with top
Canadian jazz composer and saxophonist Christine Jensen. As one of
Canada’s
most impressive artists, Christine Jensen offers instruction at NCM and brings
along some very special guests TBA! Registration is available now and spaces
are very limited. It is an extraordinary opportunity for some of Canada’s best
instruction within jazz with one of Canada’s best jazz composers/musicians.
Don’t miss out! Call 250-754-4611 for more information.
NANAIMO YOUTH CHOIR NEWS- Nanaimo Youth Choir
Director Marian Smith says that the
choir’s fundraising efforts have been going very well and that the community
has been very generous, but we aren’t quite there yet! The NYC has a way to go
before we reach our goal for our invitation and funding efforts for our trip to
New York City’s Carnegie Hall. We are asking the Nanaimo community to be very
generous in their donations towards the Nanaimo Youth Choir’s very worthy
cause. We can’t meet our goal without your support! If you
would like to make a contribution to help our choir go to New York City please
contact us at the NCM office. You can also donate through Nanaimo Conservatory
of Music’s Canada Helps site, just make sure to mention it is for the Nanaimo
Youth Choir New York City trip. Thank you so much for your kind and generous
support! Just call 250-754-4611 or stop by our office at 375 Selby Street to
donate and we will provide you a charitable tax receipt.
NYC TO PERFORM MARCH 11TH AT THE
UPPER ISLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL: Join both the junior
and senior choirs at the Upper Island Music Festival at St. Andrew’s church on
March 11, 2016 and make a donation while taking in a great show!
NANAIMO YOUTH CHOIR BOTTLE DRIVE SATURDAY
MARCH 12TH AT 9AM AT 3648 DEPARTURE BAY RD: Drop off your bottles until Friday evening at 3648 Departure Bay
Rd. Bottles can also be dropped off up until the
day before on March 11th at the NCM office at 375 Selby Street.
FROM
TERESA BOREK’S STUDIO: -Congratulations to LAURA MACE who received First Class
Honours (with the mark of 88) in her Grade 2 RCM Piano Exam in January. The following students
from Teresa Borek’s piano studio performed beautifully in the Winter Recital:
Hailey Hiles, Jason Valchar, Laura and Jack Mace, Anya Mikes, Alexandra
Bonkowski, Martin Hermans and Laura Stachow.
CONGRATS
TO FORMER NCM STUDENT AISSLIN NOSKY! CHECK OUT HER UPCOMING PERFORMANCE WITH
THE TAFELMUSIK BAROQUE ORCHESTRA!-
Aisslin performs with the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra on March 7th,
2016 at 7:30 pm at the Port Theatre. Enjoy a pre-show concert talk with Pierre
Simard. Tafelmusik presents House of Dreams by Alison MacKay. Tafelmusik will
take you on a magical journey to the meeting places of baroque art and
music—five European homes where exquisite works by Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and
Marais were played against a backdrop of paintings by Vermeer, Canaletto, and
Watteau. For tickets call the Port Theatre Box Office at 250-754-8550 or visit
125 Front Street.
FACULTY AND
STUDENT FEATURE SPOTLIGHTS:
CALVIN DYCK – Violin
Faculty: Calvin
Dyck started music on the accordion at age 5 and the violin at age 8. Despite a
college aptitude test recommending a career as a "tug-boat captain",
Calvin went on to get his doctorate in violin from the University of Southern
California. He is in demand as a violin teacher and adjudicator, and performs
around the world with his interactive shows "The Golden Violin" and
"Moscow to Madrid". His eclectic career has taken him to surprising
places — from playing in Cuba to dog sledding in Whitehorse. Currently
Concertmaster of the Vancouver Island Symphony, he also free lances with North Shore
Sinfonia, the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Calvin
has recorded 3 CDs for MCC Supportive care services Meditation, This Shining
Night, and One Small Child. His Fourth cd "The Dancing Violin" was released
in November, 2006. Calvin's website: www.calvindyck.com.
LAURA
STACHOW – Piano Student: Laura Stachow is a grade 12 Principal's List
student at Ladysmith Secondary School. She has loved music ever since she was
young and started taking piano lessons at age 8. Currently, she is studying
Grade 10 RCM piano. Laura also enjoys playing the trumpet and euphonium in her
school's concert band. Additionally, Laura has a passion for singing and has
sung with the Nanaimo Youth Concert Choir for 9 years. Laura will be performing
as a vocalist at New York City’s Carnegie Hall with the Nanaimo Youth Choir. Miss Stachow is a piano accompanist for the
Junior Nanaimo Youth Choir, the Nanaimo Church of the Nazarene and works as an
Assistant Cook at beautiful Yellow Point Lodge. In the summer she enjoys
picking blueberries at her family's certified organic farm.
Laura’s piano teacher Teresa Borek, has this to say about Ms.
Stachow: “ I have known Laura since 2007
in my professional capacity as her piano instructor at the Nanaimo Conservatory
of Music. She is well advanced in her piano studies, currently working on Grade
10, following The Royal Conservatory of Music Program.
Musically gifted, Laura has been an outstanding student and an
asset to our school. From the time she has begun piano lessons, Laura has been
involved in many activities at the Nanaimo Conservatory and outside, performing
every year in school recitals and Open House events. In 2015 Laura participated
in the masterclass with the renowned Canadian pianist Ian Parker. Most recently
she performed mini recitals in two senior homes, promoting an upcoming piano
concert of another great Canadian pianist, Janina Fialkowska. After one of
these events I received the following review from the event coordinator: “What
a lovely girl and a great little pianist. She handled her presentation
beautifully, the people at Nanaimo Senior’s Village loved her and I was
impressed with her generally. She is terrific – can’t say enough!”
Laura also has a passion for singing and for the last nine years
she has been a member of the Nanaimo Youth Concert Choir. In September 2015 she
was accepted as an accompanist to the Nanaimo Junior Choir.
I have to say that Laura truly loves playing piano. Not only has
she developed into a fine musician with a great sensitivity and creativity in
her ability to express music beautifully, she has turned out into a very
poised, mature and caring young lady. Her exceptionally warm and friendly
personality, as well as her enthusiastic attitude, leaves a lasting impression.
Over the years Laura has demonstrated great responsibility, commitment and
thoughtfulness. These virtues make her a role model and inspiration for all my
younger students.”
COMMUNITY
EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: NANAIMO CHAMBER ORCHESTRA- "Essence of Spring" -March 19 and 20, 2016 with Guest Pianist,
Sarah Hagen. Sarah Hagen will be
performing Mozart’s Concerto No. 12 in A Major with the Nanaimo Chamber
Orchestra on Sat., Mar. 19 in Nanaimo -Time: 7:30pm Location: Brechin United
Church 1998 Estevan Rd. Tickets: $20 at the door, students $5, under 12 FREE
Sun., Mar. 20 in Parksville-Time: 2:30pm. Location: St. Edmund's Anglican
Church 407 Wembley Rd. Tickets: $20 at the door, students $5, under 12 FREE
Tickets also available through www.porttheatre.com for both performances.
.
BULLETIN BOARD: HEINTZMAN GRAND PIANO FOR SALE- 6 FOOT
PIANO 1922- $3000 OBO, newer Ronson hammers, 20
years ago was professionally stripped and refinished to
mahogany colour, beautiful sound. Sings in treble clef and crisp, resonant
bass. Serial number 68038 Call 250-390-9532 to view.
