Current Student Notices

Weekly Schedule

December is Concert Month

Junior Collegium & Orchestras: Thursday, December 6 | 7:00pm | Alix Goolden Hall
Senior Collegium Chamber Music & Voice: Tuesday, December 12 | 7:00pm | Wood Hall

Admission by donation. Small Receptions to follow each concert.

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Party Time!

On Monday, December 18 we will have coached sessions on sight-read carols and then a ‘party’ including the performance of these carols, pizza, snacks and a White Elephant Gift Exchange. Start looking now for a White Elephant gift: a quality item you already own that you are ready to pass on, or a low value purchased gift – think thrift store, chocolate, etc. (something that they would enjoy receiving themselves). Each student is asked to bring one gift for the exchange.

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Winter Break

The last Senior Collegium session is Monday, December 18. We resume on Monday, January 8. The Conservatory building is closed December 22nd – January 1st. See the Collegium calendar for all important dates.

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Spark to Flame

Congratulations to all who auditioned. The winners announcement will be sent out on Thursday, November 30.

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Snacks

Thanks to Max and family who provided snacks last week. On December 4, snacks will be provided by Jack and family.

Weekly Schedule

Chamber Competition

Congrats to everyone for beautiful playing. Prizes will be awarded at our concert on Tuesday, December 12.

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Snacks

Thanks to Walter and Miya and families who provided snacks last week. I would like to give a hero’s badge to Walter’s mother Aya Rees who has supplied both the Junior and Senior Collegium snacks for the last three weeks. Brava!

On November 27, snacks will be provided by Max and family.

Weekly Schedule

Please note: Monday is not a day off

Many schools have a Pro-D day on Monday but we will have Collegium as usual; including the Chamber Competition Dress Rehearsal. Also note that a ‘dress rehearsal’ is called that as it is an opportunity to practice performing in the clothes you will wear in front of the audience. Take advantage!

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Chamber Competition

Tuesday, November 21 | 6:00pm Juniors, 7:00pm Seniors | Alix Goolden Performance Hall

Bring an audience! This is a great evening of Chamber Music.

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Chamber Competition Warm-up Rooms

See warm-up room schedule here. Once you have warmed up, bring your cases, instruments and all belongings into Alix Goolden Hall. The warm-up rooms are only available for a very short time.

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Spark to Flame

Congratulations to all who have entered – there are 19 students entered.

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Snacks

Thanks to Walter and Elana and families who provided snacks last week. On November 20, snacks will be provided by Walter and Miya and families.

Weekly Schedule

Please note: Monday is not a holiday

The Statutory holiday for Remembrance Day is on Saturday, November 11 and the Conservatory building will be closed – this Saturday. On Monday, we will have Collegium as usual including an exciting Chamber Music Masterclass with Maestro Timothy Vernon.

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Collegium Concert at ArtSpring

Thanks to all the students and parents who made this such a successful trip. If anyone else has photos to share, please send them to Micki.

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Congratulations

Congratulations to Elana Lin for winning the Cowichan Consort’s 28th Annual Youth Concerto Competition! She will perform the concerto with the orchestra on March 9, 2024.

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Concert

Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra (which includes a number of Collegium students) will be performing at UVic’s Farquhar Auditorium this Sunday, November 12 at 2:30pm.

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Snacks

Thanks to Walter and Michaela and families who provided snacks last week. Next week, on November 13, snacks will be provided by Walter and Elana and families.

Weekly Schedule

Collegium Concert at ArtSpring

This Sunday November 5th at 2:30 with special guest mentor Yuel Yawney, violin. For the program see the Senior Collegium schedule.

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Payments due

Collegium Journals: $10 each. Salt Spring trip: $15. Have you paid for yours? If not, please do. In person or over the phone with the front desk staff.

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12th Annual Chamber Competition

Tuesday, November 21 | Alix Goolden Performance Hall | 6:00pm | Admission by Donation.
Invite your friends to a great evening of Chamber Music. Jurors: Anne Grimm, Soprano and Dr. Alexander Richards, Saxophone.

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Snacks

Thanks to Max Wang and family who provided snacks last week. Snacks on November 6 will be provided by Walter and Michaela and families.

Weekly Schedule

Senior Collegium Parent Night

Thanks to all the parents who participated. Any parents who missed the session are welcome to book a private info session with Micki anytime – just send her an email.

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Collegium Journals

Payments for Collegium Journals: $10 each. Have you paid for yours? If not, please do. In person or over the phone with the front desk staff.

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Victoria City Hall Performances

There is room for one more trio to play on November 9 and up to 3 in April. If your group would like to take advantage of the volunteer opportunity, please contact Simon MacDonald.

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Exciting news

Tyler Evans-Knott, flutist in the Collegium Gardellino Trio has been invited to play the national anthem at the Indigenous Heritage Night of the Toronto Raptors November 15th in Toronto. Wow! Congratulations Tyler.

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Snacks

Thanks to Tyler and family who provided snacks over the last month. Snacks on October 30 will be provided by Max Wang and family.

Weekly Schedule

Senior Collegium Parent Night

Monday, October 23 | 5:00-6:30pm

All parents encouraged to attend. We will discuss the upcoming Tour to Salt Spring, the Chamber Competition, introduce parents to one another, answer questions and discuss the extended Goals of Collegium that are assessed in the annual evaluation survey. There will be tea and cookies! Please RSVP to Micki about whether or not you can participate.

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Workshop: “The Passionate Bow” with Julia Wedman, violin (Toronto)

Saturday, October 28 | 2:30-4:30pm | Church of St. John the Divine, 1611 Quadra St, Victoria
Fee: $30 | Register online here or email [email protected]

An exploration of baroque bow technique, with practical tips on how to embody emotions to create expressive, compelling music-making. Join Tafelmusik’s Julia Wedman for this interactive and fun workshop for all string players! Open to all ages 12 and up. Pitch 440. No baroque bow required.

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Concert: “From Folly To Sublime” Victoria Baroque With Julia Wedman, Violin/Director

Sunday, October 29 | 2:30pm | Church of St. John the Divine, 1611 Quadra St, Victoria
Tickets: $5 for students and youth | Purchase online here, email [email protected], or call 250.590.9770

Toronto-based violinist, Julia Wedman, joins Victoria Baroque for a programme featuring the cheeky and humorous side of baroque. Experience musical depictions of frogs, flatulence, and fencing, paired with music of otherworldly beauty. Music by Purcell, Schmelzer, Rameau, Vivaldi, Telemann, and more.

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Snacks

Thanks to Max Z, Joanne, Michaela, and families who provided snacks over the last month.

Snacks on October 23 will be provided by Tyler and family.

Weekly Schedule

Weekly Schedule

Weekly Schedule

Johnathan Crow Masterclass

Friday, September 15 | 4:30-6:00pm | Alix Goolden Hall

Robert Holliston, accompanist.

• Andrei: Bruch, Violin concerto No. 1 in g minor, I Vorspiel
• Elana: Franck, Sonata in A major, II Allegro
• Walter: Lalo, Symphonie Espagnole opus 21, I Allegro non troppo

Cookies and juice social time after for those who can stay.

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Senior Collegium Parent Night

Monday, October 23 | 5:00-6:30pm

All parents encouraged to attend. We will discuss the upcoming Tour to Salt Spring, the Chamber Competition, introduce parents to one another, answer questions and discuss the extended Goals of Collegium that are assessed in the annual evaluation survey. There will be tea and cookies! Please RSVP to Micki about whether or not you can participate.

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Snacks

We are asking that families contribute to a schedule of snack provision. If you haven’t yet signed up, please contact Micki soon.

Snacks on September 18th will be provided by Max Z’s and Michelle’s families.

Weekly Schedule

Welcome!

To the first of the weekly Senior Collegium bulletins. These bulletins include the weekly schedule letting students know which rooms their coachings will be in and what and where the group session(s) will be. They also include any announcements deemed to be important to senior Collegium families. We send these bulletins to parents and faculty as well as to students, as we find the more everyone knows what is happening, the more chance of success the students have.

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Syllabus and Directory

The Senior Collegium Syllabus and Directory has been distributed by email. Please read it carefully and let Micki know of any errors or omissions. Also, compare the calendar with all of the other school and sport and other calendars which rule your lives and let us know of any possible conflicts over the next year, so they can be sorted out with the least disruption to your chamber group. If you would like a copy of the printed syllabus, let Micki know by Monday noon

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Fun Social

Friday, September 8 | 5:45-7:15pm | Wood Hall

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Johnathan Crow Masterclass

Friday, September 15 | 4:30-6:00pm | Alix Goolden Hall

Robert Holliston has agreed to accompany the Jonathan Crow masterclass. This is a great opportunity for our students to play for one of Canada’s leading violinists. We are very happy that Jonathan will be here twice this year!! He will be back for chamber music, at the end of the year with the New Orford Quartet.

Play order to be determined.

• Andrei: Bruch, Violin concerto No. 1 in g minor, I Vorspiel
• Elana: Franck, Sonata in A major, II Allegro
• Walter: Lalo, Symphonie Espagnole opus 21, I Allegro non troppo

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Student Orientation

The orientation session on Monday is for students. If parents have urgent questions, please email them to Micki.

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Senior Collegium Parent Night

Monday, October 23 | 5:00-6:30pm

All parents encouraged to attend. We will discuss the upcoming Tour to Salt Spring, the Chamber Competition, introduce parents to one another, answer questions and discuss the extended Goals of Collegium that are assessed in the annual evaluation survey. There will be tea and cookies. Please RSVP to Micki about whether or not you can participate.

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Snacks

It has been consistently shown that students need a nutrition boost at the end of a long school day in order to perform at their best during Collegium, and the social aspect is essential for our desired feeling of community and the friendships that are often established while students are in the program. We are asking that families contribute to a schedule of snack provision. If you haven’t yet signed up, please contact Micki soon.

Snacks on Monday, September 11 will be generously provided by Max W and Max F and families. The next week, on September 18 there is still an opportunity for a family to sign up for half the snacks with Max W’s family supplying the other half.

Jamie K Syer Collegium Scholarship Winners

The Jamie K Syer Collegium Scholarship is awarded annually to the Collegium student(s) who best exemplifies the spirit and purpose of the Collegium Program: excellence in music, teamwork and support of peers. This scholarship was created to honour Collegium founder Dr. Jamie Syer. For those who haven’t met him, you can read a bio of him here.

Previous winners include: Stephanie Galipeau, Ethan Allers, Hanna Williamson, Rae Gallimore, Kate Moran, Danielle Tsao, Hank Liu, Lexie Krakowski, Keziah Froese, Camilo Aybar, Charlie Dutton, Elana Lin and Charlotte Topshee.

All current Junior and Senior Instrumental Collegium students qualified. Nominations were accepted from Collegium students and coaches, and the award was decided upon by the Collegium Artistic Director and Animateur.

This year’s Junior Winner is Michelle George. She was described by her multiple nominators as “coming to coachings well prepared and ready to learn”, “consistently put forth her best efforts’, leads the group on the piano and at the same time knows how to listen and accommodate others” and “ she is good at making suggestions in a kind way. She is always friendly too”.

And the Senior Collegium winner is again Elana Lin, first student to win twice. Among the descriptions was “not only a superb violinist but one of the kindest people I’ve met in the program; they make an effort for everyone to feel included, even people they hardly know”.

Congratulations to Michelle and to Elana!

Weekly Schedule

Festival Roberto & Mary Wood Scholarship Competition Concert

Saturday, May 13, 7:00pm | Alix Goolden Hall

Good luck to Collegium candidates Layla Park, violin and Camilo Aybar, clarinet. Other Collegium alumni candidates are Jono Devey, piano, Carey Wang, piano, Luke Kim, cello. The other two of the seven candidates are Sahara Adamitz and Anjulie Djearam, singers. This will be an amazing concert.

Tickets: Cash at the door $20 general; $10 students/seniors/children

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Benefit Concert: Syria & Türkiye Earthquake Relief

Saturday, May 13, 4.00pm | Christ Church Cathedral, Quadra at Rockland

Classical musicians come together in aid of earthquake-ravaged Syria and Türkiye

Admission by donation. All proceeds will support the Earthquake relief via the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund. All donations over $20 are eligible for a charitable receipt.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Türkiye and Syria are still struggling to find adequate shelter and sanitation, two months after a devastating earthquake hit the region. Despite an appeal for $1 billion to support survivors, only 10% of the required funding has been raised, making it difficult to address the humanitarian crisis. Moved by the plight of her homeland, Turkish violinist Müge Büyükçelen, who now resides in Victoria, has rallied her colleagues from the Victoria Symphony, the Emily Carr String Quartet, and other classical music organizations to organize a benefit concert to raise funds for the survivors of the earthquake. “I couldn’t just stand by and watch the crisis unfold,” said Büyükçelen, a long-time member of the Victoria Symphony and the Emily Carr String Quartet. “I started discussing the idea of a benefit concert with my colleagues shortly after the earthquake happened, but we couldn’t come together until now.” The concert is taking place at a time when help is most needed, as international support tends to drop off once the story fades from the headlines. Büyükçelen and her colleagues will perform Turkish music alongside some more well-known classical repertoire at Christ Church Cathedral on Saturday, May 13. The Cathedral’s Priest in Charge, The Reverend Canon Jeannine Friesen is honoured that the cathedral will be hosting the event. “This concert is a reminder of our call as Christians to heal the world wherever it is most broken,” she said. “Even when a disaster is no longer on the front page, it doesn’t mean that our duty to care and repair is relinquished.” Donations collected at this concert will be passed on directly to the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, which provides cash and in-kind support directly to those who need it most in Türkiye and Syria (https://pwrdf.org/).

The Musicians Müge Büyükçelen violin Arin Sarkissian flute Robert Holliston piano Mieka Michaux viola Alasdair Money cello Cory Balzer violin Donald Hunt, organ

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Final Coachings

The last coaching and group sessions are Monday May 15th. All students are expected to attend these sessions. For the group session that day, there will be pizza. If you have special requests about pizza, please let Micki know right away.

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Snacks

This week the snacks were generously provided by Michael and his families. Thank you to them and to all who brought such yummy goodies to the after concert reception. This Monday on May 15th it will be Layla and Roni and family’s turn to provide treats to go with pizza.

Weekly Schedule

Congratulations

Congratulations to all who have played in the Festival. We are pleased for your successes and look forward to hearing more at Honours Concerts and Provincials and Nationals.

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Term End Concert

Our term end concert will be Tuesday, May 9th, 7:00pm in Alix Goolden Hall. Invite your friends!. We hope that the families not specifically requested to help with snacks on Mondays this year will each provide a plate of goodies for the year end Concert on Tuesday, May 9th.

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Last Coaching

The last coaching and group session are Monday May 15th. All students are expected to attend these sessions. For the group session that day, there will be pizza. Do let Micki know if you have dietary needs or will not eating pizza that day.

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Emily Carr String Quartet

Friday, May 19, 5:00pm | Christ Church Cathedral 930 Burdett Ave Victoria, BC

Tickets: At Eventbrite $30; Students $10+ s/c

Join us in this family event celebrating Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn’s romantic compositions for string quartet! Fanny’s String Quartet in E-Flat Major and Felix’s String Quartet in F Minor Op.80 will complete the ECSQ’s performance of all Mendelssohn String Quartets. You will also hear Vancouver composer Jennifer Butler’s “The End of the World (or Else the Beginning)” featuring flautist Mark MacGregor. These concerts will also be livestreamed on the Cathedral Website.