CHORDIAL NOTES - APRIL/MAY 2013

conservatory Students Triumph at the  Upper Island Music Festival
Working hard to develop their skills is what helps our students shine at the Upper Island Music Festival every year, and this year is particularly shiny! The following students played beautifully at the UIMF Honours Concert at St. Andrews Church on Sunday April 14: Clif Clemotte and Chloë Harbattle, violin students of Karl Rainer; Uei-Young Jung, flute student of Cindy Speelman; Lilu Scott and Akela Szasz as well as Britanny Hannah, voice students of Christine McMahon; and the Nanaimo Youth Choir directed by Marian Smith.  Pippa Williams, piano and oboe instructor at NCM, attended the concert (and accompanied students) said "I was super impressed with the level of these students. They were fantastic!"

In addition the following students were awarded bursaries for their hard work!

Vocal: Lilu Scott and Alekla Szasz (Christine McMahon)

Brass and Woodwinds: Uei-Young Jung, Ella Hannesson and Andrea Stachow (Cindy Speelman)

Strings: Chloë Hardbattle, Ben Lange and Jasmine Mather (Karl Rainer), Serena Jack (Marjorie Cullerne), Ethan McDermid (James Mark), Joo-Young Jung (Veronica Wagner)

Guitar: Karolina Malinowska, Alexander Kolodinsky (Patrick Olmsted)

Finally the following students have the honour of being UIMF Provincial Representatives May 26-30 in Chilliwack:

Brittany Hannah, Senior Classical Voice

Clif Clemotte, Intermediate Violin

Maddy Erickson, Junior Violin (James Mark)

Festival of Recitals

June 1, 2013 10 AM to 5:30 PM

The sign up sheets are filling up, so don't forget to put your name in! Scholarships will be awarded at the event, refreshments and silent auction...it's also our 35th birthday celebration!

SUMMER JAZZ INTENSIVE IS BACK!!

AUGUST 20-23, 2013

Thanks to the enormous success of our first inaugural Summer Jazz Intensive, we are pleased to announce that we will continue the program this August.  Led by Juno award-winning musician and composer Christine Jensen, a top notch faculty of professional jazz musicians will guide beginner to intermediate-advanced students through the ropes of improvisation, instrumental techniques, ensemble playing, and more. Stay tuned for details, including more about the Jazz Superstar concert.

INSIDE YOUR STUDIO!

·         Cindy Speelman - flute, recorder: Congratulations to all the flute students who performed beautifully at the Upper Island Music Festival - Uei-Young Jung, Ryley Hounsome, Andrea Stachow, Jake McDermid and Ella Hannesson. Congratulations to Marion Drage who completed her Grade 3 flute exam in January.

·         Christine McMahon - voice: Christine McMahon is proud of voice students Brittany Hannah, Elizabeth Herman, Lilu Scott and Akela Szasz for their prizewinning work in the Music Festival. Brittany was chosen as Provincial Rep. (Senior Division) for the fourth year in a row, and performed in the Honours Concert at St. Andrew's United on April 14th.  In the Adult Open Division, Elizabeth Herman received four Gold medals and one Silver.  The adjudicator, Kevin Zakresky, was so enchanted with the 'Letter Duet' of Elizabeth and Brittany from The Marriage of Figaro that he requested an encore performance, and the singers repeated the entire scene, much to the delight of the audience!

·         Teresa Borek - piano: Congratulations to Laura Stachow who performed in the Upper Island Music Festival in March and received 1st place in Post-Romantic class and 1st place in Concert Group class.

·         Marian Smith - Nanaimo Youth Choir: The Nanaimo Youth Choir opened the Honours Concert of the Upper Island Music Festival on April 14th by leading the singing of O Canada. Following they performed their repertoire that they received a mark of 95 for during the festival competition in March. They were recommended to the Provincial festival as representatives from the local festival. The NYC have been first place winners at the Provincials for the last three years. On April 17th both the Concert choir and the Junior choir presented a concert at the Port Theatre as part of the Schools on Stage program sponsored by the Port Theatre and Island Savings. The audience consisted of 760 school children and the remainder of the seats were filled with adults. The choristers consider this to be one of the highlights in their singing season!

·         Marilyn Rummel - harp: High excitement in the NC harpworld this month. First Hayley Farenholtz - gr. 6 - and Kaleigh Stroink - Gr. 8 - were awarded Gold Medals by the RCM for their excellent exams last spring. (photo on Facebook) Both of them, along with other members of the NC harp ensemble will be travelling to Vancouver next week to participate in the Vancouver Kiwannis Music Festival harp classes. Our first road trip! And on a sad note we mark the passing of Rella Meston, who was enthusiastic member of the adult harp ensemble. Rella was also an administrator of the Nanaimo Conservatory in its early days. Her memorial service will be help Sat. April 27, and Marilyn Rummel and the adult group will play harps in her memory there.

In Other News...

MUSICAL THEATRE

Our Spring Break Musical Theatre Worshop with Joëlle Rabu and Rick Scott was incredible and much fun was had by all! Students worked all week at the Conservatory on music written by Rick, which Joëlle created wonderful choreography and staging for. Even the shy students seemed to have a great time. The performance at Nanaimo Centre Stage was superb. Check out our Facebook page for lots of great pictures!

JABLONSKI SOLO PIANO CONCERT

The Krzysztof Jablonski concert has been celebrated as one of the best concerts in Nanaimo in many, many years! Plus this fundraising concert raised over $6,000 for the Conservatory which has been a local not-for-profit charity for 35 years. Thank you to everyone who helped make this concert a smashing success. In addition, Mr. Jablonkski gave a wonderful master class to senior students from all over the area.

Conservatory Student and Faculty Events

Clif Clemotte, Jasmine Mather and Maddy Erickson will be playing a fundraising concert raising money to offset provincial trip expenses and summer music course tuition. The performance will take place on Friday May 10th at St. Pauls Anglican Church , 100 Chapel Street, at 7:30 PM. Sharon Wishart will be accompanying. Admission is by donation, tickets available at the door. Please cone hear some great music and support our student artists!

Please note that our Faculty concerts are finished for this year due to all the other wonderful things we have going on! Check back in the fall.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Vancouver Island Symphony Community Day  - FREE Family Events with the VI Symphony

Saturday, April 20, Port Theatre - Reserve your Complimentary Ticket: 250-754-8550

Musical Instrument Zoo (11 a.m. -12 noon); Noteworthy Kids Music Club Family Event (11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.); Open Rehearsal (12:30-1:30 p.m.)

Lulu Performing Arts Society (Gabriola Island) presents

Adrian Brendel, cello, Michelle Mares, piano,

Phoenix Auditorium, Gabriola, May 2, 2013, 7:30 pm

This is a very special concert by two world class musicians. We had them last season. They gave us a beautiful concert then. They will play Beethoven, Bartok and Schubert.

The Vancouver Island Symphony presents

Birds of a Feather

with Guest Artist: Paolo Bortolussi, Flute; Conductor: Pierre Simard

Saturday, April 20, 7:30 p.m.; Port Theatre, Nanaimo; Tickets: 250-754-8550 www.porttheatre.com

(Pre and Post-Concert Talks)

Soaring with the sound of birds and nature -  On Saturday, April 20, the Port Theatre will be filled to the rafters with the beauteous melodies of birds and nature in a fascinating blend of music that creates images of the natural life in the far north, birds in flight, and tranquil European pastures. And in the lobby – displays about birds.

Island Bel Canto Sings of Love and Nature

Island Bel Canto Singers will evoke the senses with song in their upcoming concert In the Garden, Songs of Love and Nature on May 5. The program takes gems from many genres. Down by the Salley Gardens is a traditional Irish song with words by poet William Butler Yeats. Eidelweiss by Rodgers and Hammerstein is a much-loved air from “The Sound of Music”.  Among the familiar pieces, there is also an unusual and hauntingly beautiful contemporary composition by young American composer Eric Whitacre – Five Hebrew Love Songs. Nanaimo Ecumenical Centre, 6234 Spartan Road, Sunday, May 5, at 7:30pm. Tickets $15, children under twelve are free. For more information, visit the choir’s website or call Kim at 250-591-7733.

Yellow Point Singers with guests Panache! (Kathleen Darby's ensemble) present an afternoon of choral music Sunday April 28 at 2:30 PM at the Oceanview Community Church in Ladysmith. Tickets $10.

CALENDAR

May 7     Chorfest begins

May 14   Suzuki Violin Recital

June 1    Festival of Recitals / 35^th Anniversary

June 6    Suzuki Piano Recital

CHORDIAL NOTES - MARCH 2013

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR THE CONSERVATORY
Nanaimo Conservatory of Music was originally conceived as the Central Vancouver Island Community Music School in 1977. Heilwig von Königslöw, a violin instructor and eager chair of the relatively young music department at Malaspina College, realized that there was no way for aspiring classical music students to access the kind of professional instruction they needed without having to go to Victoria or Vancouver. With a first year that included just 32 students and 6 part time faculty, the organization's impact was immediately and gratefully welcomed by its community. Now, with approximately 380 students and nearly as many faculty as our entire student body in the '70s, we are continuing to offer the Central Island region the best in quality music education and programming. Our Spring Break Musical Theatre Workshop is one example of our continuing innovation. With instructors Joelle Rabu, an internationally recognized and award-winning actor, singer, and writer, and Rick Scott, one of Canada's best loved children's entertainers, students will explore various aspects of performance, including characterization, vocal techniques, and movement for the stage. Transferable creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork skills are also addressed. With childcare available from 8:30am to 5:00pm, this is an excellent opportunity to learn and have fun during spring break. The camp runs every day from March 18, with a grand finale performance in the afternoon of the 22nd at Nanaimo Centre Stage. Thanks to the enormous success of our first inaugural Summer Jazz Intensive, we are pleased to announce that we will continue the program this August. Led by Juno award-winning musician and composer Christine Jensen, a top notch faculty of professional jazz musicians will guide beginner to intermediate-advanced students through the ropes of improvisation, instrumental techniques, ensemble playing, and more. Stay tuned for details, including more about the faculty concert!

LIVE AT THE PORT THEATRE!
Solo piano 2:30pm March 17th, 2013 at the Port Theatre
Mr. Jablonski is an internationally award-winning pianist who has appeared professionally both on recordings and in concert for most of his life. We are thrilled to bring this virtuoso back to the Port and invite you to also attend his master class for advanced students (observers may attend for an additional $10 fee), which takes place on March 16th at 2:00pm here at NCM. For tickets, please call the Port Theatre at (250) 754-8550.

SPRING BREAK MUSICAL THEATRE WORKSHOP
March 18th-22nd children ages 7 – 12 years 10am to 4pm Drop off as early as 8:30am and pick up as late as 5:30pm Tuition is $350 Take $100 off if you sign up before 6:00pm, Thursday, February 28th

FESTIVAL OF RECITALS
We are now in the planning stages for the Festival of Recitals. This event is also going to be our 35th birthday bash! Students, please make sure you save the date of June 2nd, 2013. The day starts at 10:00am and will run until 5:30pm. Information packages will be made available from your instructors very soon.

CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL POSTPONED
Due to funding and scheduling conflicts, we have decided to postpone the Vancouver Island Chamber Music Festival to November. Luckily, this means we have extra time to plan and build a bigger and even better festival – including headlining act ¡Sacabuche!

NEW FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: KATRINA RUSSELL, BASSOON
After obtaining her Bachelor of Music degree in performance from the University of Victoria, further studies took Katrina to Toronto, Banff, and Boston, Massachusetts, where she attended the New England Conservatory of Music. There she pursued her interest in the Baroque bassoon, and was granted a graduate diploma in historical performance with distinction. Having spent nearly two decades in London, England, where she played and recorded with the King’s Consort, the Hanover Band, L’Orchestre de la Champs Elysees, and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, among many other ensembles, Katrina has returned to Canada and now performs with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra.
Favourite food: as a committed lover of most food and drink, I feel the only answer to this one is something rather frivolous, so I'll have to say "Champagne and Strawberries", perhaps with a little dark chocolate on the side!
Favourite non-bassoon instrument: given that my husband is a horn player and maker, I think in the interests of marital harmony I have to say "French Horn". Also, I can honestly say that (for better or worse) I know far more about French horns than any other instrument (bassoon excepted, of course).
Strangest gig: the Knowledge Network recently broadcast a repeat of a program I was involved in a number of years ago that definitely qualifies as my strangest gig. I was booked to play with an orchestra called The English Concert in London, England, to dress in period Eighteenth century costume (complete with wigs, frills, etc.), to spend the day until 1:00am being towed up and down the River Thames on a barge whilst playing Handel's "Water Music" as part of a documentary about the first possible performance of that work. We were playing from copies of the original hand written parts, which were difficult to read a the best of times (sometimes the difference between ink splodges and notes are far from obvious), but once it became dark, all we had were candles on the edge of the music stands which kept blowing out in the wind. The fumes from the diesel engines of the tug boats were also blowing straight at us, making for a very strange juxtaposition of time and technology!

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT James Mark is very proud of Maddy Erickson, Leigh Hanika, Ethan McDermid, Aidan Olmsted, and Venice Roetman for their excellent work at the Festival!
Marjorie Cullerne is pleased to announce that Serena Jack received First Place in the Concerto class, Own Choice class (grade 8), and the Folk Fiddle Solo class (14 years and under)!
Rhys Wong has won the Gold Medal for Preparatory Guitar! He'll be honoured at UBC's Chan Centre for Performing Arts, March 3rd. Congratulations to Rhys and teacher Patrick Olmsted!

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Upper Island Music Festival - Vocal
March 1st to 5th at various times, see www.nanaimomusicfestival.com St. Paul's Anglican Church
Young vocalists’ performances are observed by qualified and highly respected adjudicators, who provide encouragement and advice for improvement. This is your chance to support tomorrow's big talent!
Nanaimo Chamber Orchestra - "Prelude to the Ides" March 9th at 7:30 PM -- Brechin United Church and March 10th at 2:30 PM – St. Edmund's, Parksville
Featuring violinist Karl Rainer as soloist to perform "Winter" and Summer" from Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Tickets are $20/$10 for students (under 12 free), available from the Port at (250) 754-8550. Pat Coleman Trio featuring faculty member Ken Lister
March 15th & March 16th at 6:00 PM – The Vault
Standards and more! Vancouver Island Symphony – “Serenades for Spring”
March 16th at 7:30 PM – The Port Theatre
The symphony & soprano Nadya Blanchette serenade with the passion of Bartok, creative delight of our own Maestro’s world premiere, introspection with Barber’s emotionally fueled Adagio, soaring sensations with Rachmaninoff and joyous deliverance with Tchaikovsky.

CALENDAR
Mar 16 Krzysztof Jablonski master class
Mar 17 Krzysztof Jablonski concert
Mar 18 Spring Break Musical Theatre
May 7 Chorfest begins June 2 Festival of Recitals / 35th Anniversary Follow us on Facebook! http://facebook.com/nanaimoconservatoryofmusic