Greetings!
Following up on Timothy Chooi’s performance for 300 students from four inner city schools, we have had the joy of reading numerous thank you cards from the children at Mount Pleasant Elementary School.

Each card is hand decorated with a scene of the concert or of Timothy’s violin. Two cards feature the audience members shouting out their appreciation… “nice, epic, cool, amazing, love it, catchy, wow, super, you rock, awesome, that was fast.”

Of course, younger people are less likely to editorialize and so we see one patron, sitting in the back row, whose thought bubble reads: “Zzzzzzzz…”

Many student gave us examples of what they learned and Timothy’s age topped the list as the most interesting. One wrote, “When I saw Timothy he was really young. I thought he was going to be 27 years, but he’s 18 years old.”

Supplemented with a study guide assembled by our office, the children learned about early violin makers Amati and Stradivarius, violin construction, pitch, and the different sounds produced by the violin. “I learned that the violin used to be partly made of cat guts. Yuck!”

The study guide became an important tool for the students’ teacher to further the their learning experiences in the classroom. “We also learned after the performance that there are many different violins. There was even a Chinese violin that was called the Erhu, and it is very slim and only had one string.”

Of course, Timothy’s playing was greatly appreciated: “My favourite part was when Timothy played the music and told us to imagine.”

Letting imagination run free, one student claimed one of Timothy’s chosen works “sounds like a Bugs Bunny cartoon, when Elmer Fudd is chasing Bugs all over the place!”

Of Ravel’s Tzigane, another wrote, “I like the piece called Gypsy because it made me think if I had any family members that were gypsy and I do have a grandfather and a grandmother who were gypsies.”

Several students noted the financial support that made it possible for them to journey to the Vancouver Playhouse for a proper theatre experience. “Thank you for paying our expenses to see the show.”

For this, we must say “Bravo!” to the TELUS Vancouver Community Board, which provided a grant to make all of this possible. Without this organization’s strong belief in access to arts and culture for our young people, this enriching, inspiring opportunity would have been missed by 300 students.

Another “Bravo” goes to Odlum Brown, our Season Sponsor and Sponsor of our Children’s Community Outreach Program. Odlum Brown has helped to bring a lot of joy to many children.

“Thank you so much for letting the class have the chance to listen to the violin player because we had a blast.”

Yes, we did, and it was our great pleasure.
Leila, Paul & the VRS Staff

Visit Vancouver Recital Society’s blog for more great content.

For more great photos visit St. James Music Academy Blog

House Beautiful: A growing concern

Fearlessly starting a new garden in their late 80s, an Oak Bay couple open the gates to their oasis of plants, paths and water features for the Victoria Conservatory of Music’s garden tour.

A celebration of style on the home front

Writer Grania Litwin and photographer Frances Litman are known for their sense of style and knowledge of outstanding design. They tour homes around the south Island, talking to homeowners, interior designers, architects and artists who influence the way we live.

‘We don’t have a lawn anymore, because we don’t want to go through that whole bit with grass ever again,” Ann Nation said with a sigh of relief.

“George is 92 now and I’m not far behind – we’re getting awfully old and fuddy,” she joked, as she strolled through her beautiful, youthful garden just off Oak Bay Avenue, with its patios, paths and lush plantings.

The Nations may be an elderly couple but they still burn with creative energy and recently created a new garden. The seed was planted five years ago when they decided to design a much smaller house and a fresh, luscious landscape.

Their new garden is part of this year’s Victoria Conservatory of Music tour next weekend, and the event itself is being dedicated to Ann, who started the tours 30 years ago. While Ann started the tour, her mother, Alix Goolden, started the conservatory.

“She wasn’t particularly musical,” Ann said, “but she just felt it was needed here, and she was a doer. She was thrilled when Robin and Winifred Wood agreed to come from London and head it.”

Carrying on the family tradition, Ann and George also hosted plant sales for many years at their former house, helping to raise more than $500,000 for music programs – with assistance from team dynamos John and Sally Wood.

Read the entire article at the Times Colonist

The Second half of the concert saw the Aurora Trio take the stage. Mary Byrne (flute), Annabelle Stanley (harp) and Christine Prince (viola) made very technical pieces look effortless and sound beautiful.

We have one concert left in this years VCM Presents concert series and hope you will join us on May 26th for Sara Davis Buechner. Concert Details Here

Duration: 7 weeks
Tuition: $105.00 for first child/$84.00 for siblings
Free for siblings who are under 9 months old as of the first day of class.
When: Thursday mornings
- Music Discovery (9am – 9:45am)
- Music and Creatures (10am – 10:45am)

Here is a look at some of the joy we share each week:

Final Children’s Music Concert of our series on May 12th!

The Little Prince on May 12th – 3pm
With music composed specifically for Music Corner by Victoria Symphony composer-in-residence, Anna Hostman, this beloved story by Antoine de Saint-Exupry takes you to the distant planet Earth where the fox will remind you why your rose is not like all the others. This special presentation features two guest artists: saxophonist Giuseppe Pietraroia and juggler Drew Denny.

Free pre-concert activities begin 1/2 hour before showtime, each concert is approximately 1 hour and you’re welcome to also stay after the concert to try some instruments and meet the musicians!

Admission

Kids: $12
Parents: $15
(Siblings under 9 months old free)
Call 250.386.5311
In Person – 900 Johnson St (VCM front desk)

We had fun at the last two concerts…. SEE

Carnival of the Animals

The Magic Flute

The evening was MC’d by CTV’s Louise Hartland and our auctioneer was the very persuasive Eric Charman. The Honourable Ida Chong spoke (pictured below with Louise Hartland) and our team of volunteers were exceptional keeping the evening running smoothly from start to finish.

Thanks to everyone who supported our school! We hope you enjoyed the wine, food and music and we look forward to seeing you again very soon.

Cheers,
Blaine

Fourth from the left – Giuseppe Pietraroia, conductor in residence Victoria Symphony; back row fifth from the left – Composer in Residence for the Victoria Symphony is Michael Oesterle, sixth from the left – Brian Fremlin

Tickets: 250.386.5311 / 900 Johnson St (Front Desk) – Also available at the doors
Adults $25, Senior/Student $15
(free for VCM faculty & students)

BRING A TWEEN/TEEN FREE!
Each adult ticket holder to any VCM Presents event may bring one guest aged 10-19. Ask us about a ‘Bring A Tween/Teen’ ticket for free admission!

Enjoy a taste of ‘Une flute invisible’ by Camille Saint-Saens performed by Nicholas, Mary and Kathryn.

Check out the VCM Presents Faculty Spotlight event page for the complete program.

As far as I know you could be witnessing the largest ‘Music Mob’ ever attempted in Canada!

It’s 15 minutes of magic so make sure you’re at the Market Square by 3:30pm so you don’t miss the show.