AWARD WINNER AND RECITAL MADNESS!!
It’s that time again when all the
hard work of the past year gets put on stage! We have performances and events
coming from every direction and we know that they will all be fantastic as we
enter the final leg of the academic year. Our students have also been in the
news, we hope that you have been keeping up with that! The Conservatory is
being very well represented at the BC Provincial Performing Arts Festival in
Penticton this year with students Jasmine Mather, Alex Kolodinsky, Max Segriff,
Uei-Young Jung, Madeline Erickson and Lilu Scott all preparing for their
Provincials performances at the beginning of June. Way to go all of you! We
know the hours of practice and dedication it requires along with huge support from
your families to make the cut! Also, the Nanaimo Youth Choir, has, yet again,
been invited to the “Provincials” as they are affectionately known around the
Conservatory. Kudos to our wonderful choir! We all send huge appreciation to
the instructors who seem to know exactly what to say and do to help our
Conservatory students reach these upper levels of achievement. Hats off to Karl
Rainer, Patrick Olmsted, Cindy Speelman, James Mark, Christine McMahon and
Marian Smith for their inspiring instruction! And the treat is that we get to
hear most of these students perform at the Festival of Recitals on May 31st.
It’s that time again when all the
hard work of the past year gets put on stage! We have performances and events
coming from every direction and we know that they will all be fantastic as we
enter the final leg of the academic year. Our students have also been in the
news, we hope that you have been keeping up with that! The Conservatory is
being very well represented at the BC Provincial Performing Arts Festival in
Penticton this year with students Jasmine Mather, Alex Kolodinsky, Max Segriff,
Uei-Young Jung, Madeline Erickson and Lilu Scott all preparing for their
Provincials performances at the beginning of June. Way to go all of you! We
know the hours of practice and dedication it requires along with huge support from
your families to make the cut! Also, the Nanaimo Youth Choir, has, yet again,
been invited to the “Provincials” as they are affectionately known around the
Conservatory. Kudos to our wonderful choir! We all send huge appreciation to
the instructors who seem to know exactly what to say and do to help our
Conservatory students reach these upper levels of achievement. Hats off to Karl
Rainer, Patrick Olmsted, Cindy Speelman, James Mark, Christine McMahon and
Marian Smith for their inspiring instruction! And the treat is that we get to
hear most of these students perform at the Festival of Recitals on May 31st.
FESTIVAL OF RECITALS – MAY 31, 2014
The Festival of Recitals will be held on May 31, 2014. Lasting
a full day from 10 AM to 5 PM, more than 100 Conservatory students will show us
what they have learned in the past year. Please make sure that you have signed
up with your instructor as the sheets have been removed to start the
preparations for the program guide. There will be a full day of music making starting
at 10 leading into noon when we have scholarships to award to 14 deserving
students! After the scholarship performances we will continue our day with the
Suzuki program and then a number of solo performances. There will be
refreshments available for sale all day and the menu will be similar to last
year with those fantastic vegetarian samosas, all natural smokies from the
Sausage House, served with organic greens and the 5 Minute Gourmet’s homemade
organic dressing, so come hungry! And then there’s also the Silent Auction…
SILENT AUCTION AT THE FESTIVAL OF RECITALS!
Now we don’t want you to get too excited but we have
such great Silent Auction prizes this year that we are just a little bit
worried that you won’t want to play, or watch, because you will be wanting to
keep your eye on the bidding! Some of the great prizes include: A stay at the
Grand Hotel with breakfast; A Bluetooth headset from Ford Nanaimo; a gorgeous
teak lamp from the Teak Tree; 2 $250 gift certificates for group music lessons
at the Conservatory; piano tunig from Pianoforte; a wind instrument spa day
from Fine Tuning Instrument Repair; gift baskets from St. Jean’s Cannery and
Perkins Coffee; dinner for two at the Bistro @ Westwood Lake; a ukulele and
stand from Tom Lee Music and and iPad Mini, yes, that’s right, and iPad Mini
donated by the Starko family! We are still accepting items until the 23rd
of May so please let us know if there is something that you have for the
auction, and come ready to bid on some great things, all proceeds support the
Conservatory’s bursary and scholarship programs!
REGISTER EARLY FOR THE FALL AND SAVE!
Save on your annual registration fee by registering
early! Register at the Festival of Recitals (or before) for fall 2014 with your
deposit and fees and you will save $20 on your annual registration fee (total
$15 for indivduals and $35 for families), after May 31 save $15 until the of
June (total $20 for individuals and $40 for families).
BURSARY FORM FOR 2014/15 NOW
AVAILABLE
Families who would like to apply for a bursary to
support their music studies are encouraged to request a bursary form. The
deadline for the 2014/15 applications is May 30, 2014 with bursaries announced
for the fall by June 20, 2014. Bursaries are available to all students of the
Conservatory and are based on need. The maximum bursary is $500 and, except in
exceptional circumstances bursaries will not exceed 50% of the total tuition
for the year.
STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Congratulations to Lilu Scott (Prov. Rep) and Akela Szasz (Alternate), voice students of Christine McMahon, who were chosen to represent the local Music Festival in the Junior Division (Classical Voice) at the Provincials in Penticton in June. This is an opportunity not only to perform, but to hear the best young singers in the province and to receive instruction in workshops & adjudicated sessions. In addition, both girls tied for the highest mark in Voice in the 2013 Gr. 4 RCM exams with a mark of 93%, and were recently awarded their Gold Medals. Well done, girls!
- Congratulations to these students for a wonderful performance at the Upper Island Music Festival; Moji Alabi, Ella Hannesson, Uei-Young Jung, Grace Karreman, Jocelyn Maguire, Jake McDermid, Ji- Yoon (Monica) Mun, Elaine Tschofen, Pat Wells.
- Congratulations and Good Luck to Ji-Yoon (Monica) Mun for being excepted into the Music Program for the Fall at the University of Victoria.
- Special Congratulations to Uei-Young Jung who recently performed at the UIMF Honors concert and received scholarships. She will also be representing the Nanaimo area in the Junior Wind section at the Provincial music Festival in Penticton in June. Good Luck!
- Congratulations to Jasmine Mather who has been accepted into the music program at the University of Victoria.
- Hats off to our BC Provincial Performing Arts Festival representatives in Penticton this year with students Jasmine Mather, Alex Kolodinsky, Max Segriff, Uei-Young Jung, Madeline Erickson, Lilu Scott as well as alternates Akela Szasz and Serena Jack.
- Congrats and best wishes to Hayley Farenholtz who participated in the Vancouver Kiwanis Festival this year.
- Congratulations to Serena Jack won two firsts at the Upper Island Music Fesitval.
- Congratulations to the Nanaimo Youth Choir who have, once again achieved high marks in the Upper Island Music Festival and are representing us at the Provincial Perfoming Arts Festival.
SUMMER JAZZ
CAMP with Juno Award Winner – Christine Jensen!
August 5-8, 2014 – Program Director
Christine Jensen has been so busy this year travelling the globe with her music
that we are lucky we are able to bring her back for another iteration of the
Summer Jazz Intensive! Christine’s 2014 JUNO win has launched a series of
concerts and touring that will keep her schedule packe through the summer. Just
after her engagement with the Port Townsend Jazz Camp she will come to her
hometown, Naniamo to offer up her jazzy wisdom to our students once again.
Tuition for the Summer Jazz Intensive is $350 if you register by June 20th
and students who have participated in the past and bring a friend get $50 off
their tuition and so does the friend! Please call us for more information and
registration. We can email you the brochure too. The program is designed for
students ages 14 to adult and for any instrument. (After June 20th
tuition is $400)
Community Events
- Panache Singers presents: An Evening with Panache! Saturday, May 24 @ 7:30 PM Tickets $15. Come and see Panache in concert on their own for the very first time! With songs like Wild Mountain Thyme; Ain’t No Mountain High Enough; Sentimental Journey and many more. Executive Director, Kathleen Darby is one of the members of the group. Tickets are available through Panache members, and at the Conservatory.
- St. Michael’s Presents “Chemainus Classical Concerts” - “Stolen Moments” At 2 pm on Sunday, May 25, 2014, in the intimate setting of 1891 heritage St. Michael’s Church, Chemainus, cellist Joel Stobbe and his most talented protégés will perform a wide diversity of repertoire from the 1600’s to the present, “borrowing” music originally intended for other instruments and cleverly rewriting it for cello ensemble. If opportunities to hear solo cello are rare, imagine... five cellos! Following the performance, stay for a delicious “Meet the Artists Reception”! Tickets ($15 in advance or $20 at the door) are available at Valley Vines to Wines (Mill Bay), Ten Old Books (Duncan), Mike’s Books (Crofton), Salamander Books (Ladysmith) and the Chemainus Festival Inn or by calling 250-748-8383.
- Symphony by the Sea - August 9th at 6pm - Featuring Calvin Dyck, Ken Lavigne, members of the Vancouver Island Symphony, and other surprises!
CALENDAR
May 31 Festival of Recitals
June 5 Suzuki Piano End of Year Recital – St. Paul’s
Aug 5-8 Summer Jazz
Camp
Please
check with your instructor to see if they are teaching over the summer,
summer
lessons (July and August) must be paid for in advance before the end of June.
