CHORDIAL NOTES December 2011
Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without. ~ Confucius
SEASON’S GREETINGS!
December is a time for so many, many wonderful musical opportunities, and we hope that you will be able to partake in many of them. This newsletter is filled with all kinds of concerts and events to help warm the cold days of winter and make our season bright! The Conservatory office will be closed from December 19 – 30, and will re-open January 2. Please check with your instructor for lesson times during this time. Many instructors continue to teach when the office is closed.
CALLING ALL FIDDLERS, CALLERS & DANCERS
It’s not too late to come an join in the fun on Saturday December 3, 2011 with David Kaynor. David Kaynor’s infectious fiddling and generous teaching are renowned across North America. Having learned and taught New England fiddling and dancing in the heart of New England his whole life, David is a recognized master of this form. Of his teaching, David says “I'm persistently watchful for ways to create the conditions of opportunity for transformative growth through music and dancing.”Fiddle workshop 10:30am -12:30pm | Caller’s workshop 1:30 --3:30pm (fiddlers are welcome to stay and play) | Dance workshop 3:30-5:30pm (fiddlers and callers welcome to stay and play and call for the dancers) | Concert 7:30 with Contra Dance after the break. First workshop: $20 | Additional workshops plus concert & dance: $10 | Evening only for the concert & dance $15
Sounds like tons of fun!! No dance experience necessary!
WHY NOT GIVE THE GIFT OF MUSIC THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Need a great gift idea? How about music lessons!! The Conservatory has gift certificates available in any denomination you might wish to choose, for the beginning student or one who has already been taking lessons. We provide a gift certificate and gift card when you purchase a gift of music lessons. Generally $100 will buy approximately a month of lessons in most instruments, or two to four months of group lessons like choir or orchestra!
Perhaps you have someone that is hard to buy for, the person who has everything? We have a solution for that too! The NCM is a charitable organization and a number of people in the past have made a donation in the name of their friend or relative who has everything!! A donation to the Conservatory in the name of your loved one is a “gift-gift” and a great way to celebrate the season! Again we provide a gift card as well as a tax receipt for the full amount of your donation.
ANNOUNCEMENTS and EVENTS (there’s a lot this time!!)
· Semester end Suzuki Flute/ Flute and Recorder Recital featuring the students of Cindy Speelman - Saturday Dec. 3 at 12 Noon in the Ensemble Room
· Hello Friends! Christine McMahon’s students are presenting a Christmas Benefit Concert for the Loaves & Fishes Food Bank on Sunday, Dec. 4. at 2 pm at St. Philip's by-the-Sea in Lantzville. We have a wonderful variety of Christmas solos, duets, and carols featuring nine singers from Voice Alive Music Studio, including Elizabeth Herman, Simon Tozer, Anastasia Glerup, Brittany Hannah, Rhyan Cavan, Janice Byerley, Sandy Bartlett, Andrea Georgiev and Christine McMahon. Donna Falconer is our accompanist, and Susanne Bullock will be our special guest on clarinet & flute.
· Community Carol Festival - Wednesday, December 7, 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s United Church, 311 Fitzwilliam St. Catch the Christmas spirit as eight of Nanaimo’s finest community choirs entertain and inspire with the sounds of the season at the annual Community Carol Festival. Listen to beautiful music and join the choirs in singing favourite carols. Following the festival, join the choirs at a reception in the church hall. Admission by donation. This year’s participating choirs are: A Cappella Plus under the direction of Rosemary Lindsay; Camerata Singers under the direction of Marian Smith; Harbour City Singers under the direction of Lionel Tanod; Island Bel Canto Singers under the direction of Lionel Tanod; Nanaimo Youth Choir under the direction of Marian Smith; Panache! a self-directed vocal ensemble of 6 women, including the Conservatory’s own Executive Director, Kathleen Darby; Sinclair Singers under the direction of Sharon Sinclair. For more information, please call 250 591 8676.
· Winter Harp – Saturday December 10 @ 3:30 PM at the Port Theatre. This holiday tradition is a wonderful event and if you come early you can hear the harp ensembles of Marilyn Rummel who teaches harp for the Conservatory and in her private studio in Duncan. Harp students will be accompanied by their violin playing siblings as well!
· MUSIC AT MIDDAY - St. Paul’s Anglican Church, 29 Church Street, Nanaimo; Organist: Peter Orme (Director of Music, St. Paul’s Church) - Wednesday, 14th December “French Noëls” Music by d’Aquin, Balbastre, and Franck 12.15 p.m. – 12.45 p.m. Admission free – donations to St. Paul’s organ fund.
· CHRISTMASTIME - Celebrate the season in song with Camerata Singers and Nanaimo Youth Choir. Friday, Dec 16 at 7:00 P.M. St. Andrew's United Church. Fitzwilliam and Wesley in the Old City Quarter. Tickets $12 Available from choir members or at the door. For more information, contact: Marian Smith 250-741-6998, marian@nanaimoyouthchoir.ca
· Marjorie Cullerne has a number of events coming up in the next few weeks --6. Sat. Dec. 3rd: Vancouver Island Symphony's A Brassy Christmas www.vancouverislandsymphony.com Tickets at the Port Theatre (Nanaimo) Box Office; Saturday Dec. 10, 2:00 PM violinist in the choir's presentation of Gloria by Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi at St. Stephen's United Church, Qualicum. The choir conductor is soprano Skye Donald; Sunday Dec. 11th, Marjorie's violin student "Works-in-Progress Recital". Phone Marjorie at 250 248 9339 for details re time and place; Friday December 16th, 6:00 pm Marjorie's violin and guitar duo, www.starlightreverie.com entertains in the main house at Milner Gardens Christmas Magic www.milnergardens.org; Thursday Dec. 23rd, 3:00 pm Marjorie leads an ad hoc group of instrumentalists to accompany The Children's Messiah, held at St. Mary's Anglican Church, Powder Point Road, Nanoose Bay, with Dr. Sherilene Chykoski, conductor.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
· Trumpets and horns herald in the Christmas season of festivities - it’s Nanaimo’s traditional family Christmas with the VI Symphony. Pierre Simard conducts the VI Symphony, Brass Players of the VIS, Malaspina Choir, and audience (sing-along) in A Brassy Christmas on Saturday, December 3, 7:30 p.m. Port Theatre. Tx: 250-754-8550.
· SINGALONG MESSIAH with Malaspina Choir and the Nanaimo Chamber Orchestra Sunday, December 18th at 3:00 p.m. at St. Andrew’s United Church* Come and ‘Singalong’ the stirring MESSIAH choruses and raise the roof! This is an opportunity to rehearse with our dynamic conductor, Wade Noble, as he puts the final touches on the choruses so we are all uplifted with the glorious music of Handel’s MESSIAH. Any questions please phone Rosalyn 250 585 6687 or visit our website, www.malaspinachoir.com
· The Strings Section of UIMF will take place on Friday, Saturday, Sunday March 9, 10, 11, 2012. The Adjudicator will be Dolores Vann, violinist.
· Nanaimo is hosting Provincials the last week in May too! Volunteers will be needed at registration and more. Please let the Strings Chairperson know at uimfstrings@hotmail.com if you are interested in helping out. Also, the chairperson's position of the strings section will be open after the 2011-12 year. Now would be a good time for someone who is interested to step in and learn while shadowing. This fun volunteer position requires basic computer skills, some phoning and record keeping.
REPORT ON THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
· The NCM Annual General Meeting was held on November 15 at 7:00PM. Two members of the Board resigned this year: Leslie Mathews, who had been the Secretary for a number of years and gave tirelessly of her time in so many ways, and Christine Farenholtz. Many, many thanks to both of these great people who served the organization over the past number of years. We wish you all the best for the future. The Board also welcomed a new member, Daryoush Firouzli, whose son, Sam studies guitar with Patrick Olmsted, joined the Board in October. A warm welcome to Daryoush, a local architect.
THANK YOU!
· To everyone who helped with the ¡Sacabuche! concert last month! The event was a huge success with over 180 tickets sold, and we are told that audiences in Victoria and Vancouver were not much bigger. The feedback we have been getting was that it was a world class concert and that Nanaimo was incredibly fortunate to have had such an event. The players of ¡Sacabuche! performed for us and all of the proceeds went to the Conservatory to support our charitable activities in our community. Thank you in particular to Linda Pearse, the group’s director; Donna Laing for her incredible commitment and hours of work; the Concert Committee for their support with all the little details; Kathy Grabher for sourcing funds to support the reception form Thrifty Foods; and Thrifty Foods for their support too; Christine Moore from Triple T Party Rentals for supplying glasses for the reception and for helping set it all up with Leslie Mathews; St. Paul’s Anglican Church for providing the venue; Cuyler Page for bringing his wonderful continuo organ up from Victoria for the Concert; Kimberly Plumley for proving publicity services; Tom Lee Music for sponsoring the Conservatory every year; all the board members who brought wonderful food for the musicians’ dinner and Peter Bowen, Youtube’s 5 Minute Gourmet for helping to make the dinner that much more special. We are completely blessed by all of the help and support for this concert which raised $2,500 for the Conservatory, a very valuable contribution in this, a challenging year financially! Hats off to everyone who helped out and also to everyone who attended this incredible event. We hope to have them back in the future!
· To Pat Wells who was seen again trimming in the garden over the past few weeks. If you notice that the garden always looks so lovely lately, it’s because Pat, a student of Cindy Speelman, has been tending the front garden with loving care for more than a year now!
NEW FEDERAL ARTS TAX CREDIT
A new federal arts tax credit of up to $500 is available for music lessons. Please let us know if you will be making use of this credit for your child’s music education. For more information please see: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/gncy/bdgt/2011/qa01-eng.html
CALENDAR
Please update your calendars, new dates have been added.
Dec 1 Adult Recital – Ensemble Room 7PM
Dec 3 Flute/Recorder Recital 12 Noon
Dec 3 Fiddle/Calling/Dance Workshops
with David Kaynor @ 10:30
Dec 7 NYC Community Carol Festival
Dec 16 NYC Christmas Concert
Dec 19 – 30 Winter Break (office closed)
Jan 7 Prelude Orchestra begins again
Jan 28 Winter Recital
Feb 24-26 VI Chamber Music Festival
May 6 Showcase Concert
June 2 NYC Year- end Concert
June 9 Spring Recital and Awards Ceremony
