It is hard to believe another fall is upon us!  Private lesson classes have resumed here at DCMS and class lessons will be starting over the next few weeks with classes in African Drumming, Music for Tots, Jazz Ensemble, and our Triple Threat Music Theatre Class.

[frame src=”https://www.dcms.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/IGP8998.jpg” width=”240″ height=”IMAGE_HEIGHT” lightbox=”on” title=”IMAGE_TITLE” align=”left” ]
We have had a busy summer with various summer programs running at the school including our  South Delta Jazz Festival and our Thrive City String Boot Camp in conjunction with the St. James Academy in Vancouver.  The Jazz Fest featured an entire week of performances here at the school, while our the String Camp featured for the first time two faculty concerts held at the nearby All Saints Anglican Church Parish.  We hope to bring even more free concerts to the community next summer!

We are pleased to announce that our South Delta Jazz Festival (Stephen Robb) has been nominated for a second year in a row for the Delta Chamber of Commerce Hat’s Off Award for Culture and Tourism.  The awards will be presented at the Delta Chamber of Commerce Hats Off Awards on Friday November 16th at the Delta Town and Country Inn.

Check us out on our Facebook page, or follow current events on our Twitter Stream with our Music Director Stephen Robb.

 

Spring Break and Easter Vacations
Delta Community Music will be on Spring Break from Monday March 19th until Sunday April 1st inclusive. There will be no regularly scheduled classes during this time, but please consult with your teacher as individual teachers may have scheduled makeup lessons over the break period.
For the Easter Break there are no scheduled classes Friday April 6 or Monday April 9, 2012


Upcoming Group Classes – Sping Term

  •  Triple Threat Theatre Class – term 3 April 16 – June 11. Sign up and info about the class available on our website
  •  Music for Tots – term 3 Monday April 2 – June 4th (8 sessions). 2:15 – 3pm Mondays at the music school
  •  African Drumming with Kris Bowerman – term 3 April 4 – June 6th. 10 weeks. $140 plus $10 registration plus $5 annual membership fee.  As this is an intermediate class (not a beginning class, there is a beginning class with Kris available through Delta Continuing Education (school board)) new students need to meet with the instructor first to make sure they are eligible to take this course. Wednesday evenings 7:30 – 9pm at the music school.
  • Sarah Westwick is running a beginning ensemble masterclass for young string players in early Suzuki books once per month usually the first Sunday of the month. If you are interested in learning more about this leave a note for Sarah at the school office.

Faculty News
Our faculty not only is very dedicated to our students, but are also very busy musicians in their own spheres.

  •  Congratulations to cellist Bo Peng who has become the newest member of the Borealis String Quartet, based right here in Vancouver BC. Bo will be touring later in March with this group to California and this summer will be performing in Germany and Italy with the ensemble. Bo is also now on faculty at the new VSO School music teaching both cello and chamber music, and is an Adjudicator next month for the Vancouver Women’s Musical Society Orchestral Instruments Scholarship Competition.
  •  Our guitar and bass instructor John Walsh has just completed a ten day tour of Australia with singer Dan Mangan. Congratulations to Dan for receiving four Juno nominations last month and to John who was also the bass player on those recordings.
  •  Pianist Suzanne Klukas has been busy performing with Caroline Harder, Mezzo-Soprano; Dale Throness, Baritone; and Connie Gitlin, Clarinet. Works by Brahms, Vaughan Williams, and Fleming. Robert Fleming was a distinguished Canadian composer and the uncle of Judy Pierce, who is on the board of DCMS. Also Suzanne performed in a house concert this past weekend with Connie Gitlin. Connie has recently moved to the west coast after retiring as principal clarinet of the Winnipeg Symphony and Manitoba Chamber orchestras. Suzanne will also be performing in a faculty concert at Trinity Western University Sunday March 11th at 2:30pm.
  • Our percussion instructor Elliot Polsky was in Whitehorse this past weekend to take part in a big musical collaboration and performance with aboriginal artists from all across the north, as part of the cultural festival for the 2012 Canada winter games.
  • Violinist John Littlejohn is touring in Ontario performing a series of school concerts throughout Toronto and southern Ontario with the Infinitus String Trio at the end of March.
  • Violinist Sarah Westwick and clarinetist Stephen Robb performed earlier in February with Cameron Wilson, Joe Trio, Leslie Dala, Mark McGreggor, Joe Elworthy and others in a memorial concert for Violinist and conductor and former DCMS instructor Wallace Leung (1968 – 2002) in recognition of the tenth anniversary of his passing. The concert held at the recital hall of the Vancouver Academy of Music and organized by Leslie Dala featured music associated with Wallace. Former DCMS piano instructor Sylvie Beaudoin also came up from Baltimore, Maryland to perform at this event as well. Funds were raised for the Wallace Leung Memorial Scholarship at the Vancouver Academy of Music.
  • Pianist Bernie Duerksen is busy preparing for a performance of the Dvorak Piano Quartet for a concert this spring as a part of the West Coast Chamber Music Series. The concert will be April 1st at the Unitarian Church in Vancouver.
  • Pianist Cheryl Carruthers is busy working for the Royal Academy of Dance (Toronto) accompanying Ballet classes and exams.
  • Trumpeter Christopher Robertson performed with his Cosmos Brass Sextet this past October at a concert in Abbotsford BC and premiered a Fanfare for Brass Ensemble composed by Stephen Robb for the occasion.

 

2012 Scholarship Recital
The 2012 Scholarship Recital is scheduled for Sunday May 6 in the Kinsroom at Delta Community Music School. There are two age categories – 12 years and under, 13 – 21 years. Age is as of January 1st, 2012. More information and application forms will be available at the school after March 7th.
Students planning to continue on in post secondary studies in music after Grade 12 graduation may be eligible to apply for the Kennell Scholarship for post secondary study. If you are interested in this please drop a line to Stephen Robb, Music Director Delta Community Music School at the school office.

Academy Awards Night at Sharkey’s
Our music school was chosen as the designated charity for the Academy Awards Dinner Event held at Sharkey’s Seafood Bar and Grill Sunday Feb. 26. Thanks to Andre and his staff, Ken Priebe and Randy Vannatter for producing this event and helping us raise funds for our scholarship and bursary program . A presentation was made to the school on March 10 at the faculty concert and $1200 was raised for the students of DCMS!

 South Delta Jazz Festival and Student Workshop
The ninth annual South Delta Jazz Festival runs July 3 – 7th 2012. Our faculty this year includes Len Aruliah (saxophone), Bill Clark (trumpet), Rob Kohler (bass), Brad Muirhead (trombone), Stan Taylor (drums) along with workshop directors Dr. Jared Burrows and Stephen Robb. Applications for the student workshop and more information will be available by mid March and on our website at southdeltajazzfesitval.com

 Thrive City String Boot Camp
We will once again be hosting the Thrive City String Boot Camp this summer, directed by John Littlejohn. The Camp will run at the Delta Community Music School from July 16 – 27, 2012. More information and application information will be available later in the spring. Last year’s event was a great success with a partnership with students from St. James Academy (East Vancouver) and we also hosted several inner city students from the Baltimore area.

House Concert Singer / Songwriters Series
Our Second concert in the Series was held on Feb. 12, and featured John Mann from Spirit of the West. The concert was sold out a month in advance and received rave reviews. We may hold one more house concert this year in May. Stay tuned for more info.

Halloween Disruption – Friday October 21 – Saturday October 29th
As per our rental agreement with the Corporation of Delta, the music school will be accommodating the use of the McKee Heritage House for the Corporation of Delta’s Haunted House Event. Starting Friday Oct. 21 the main part of building will not be available for use. Some teachers will be cancelling lessons between Friday Oct.21 and Saturday Oct. 29th as we have limited access to other facilities to use for the purposes of teaching.
A schedule will be available on our website before Oct. 21st that will indicate which teachers will be teaching, and where these lessons will be held.
Also there will be regular lessons held on October 31st, we will have full use of our facilities by that day after ten days of disruptions.

Annual General Meeting and Student Recital
The first Student Recital of the season along with the Delta Community Music School Society’s Annual General Meeting will be held Sunday November 6th, 2011 at 2pm at the All Saints Anglican Church (corner of Arthur Drive and Ladner Trunk Road). Recital signup sheets for students have been up for the past week in the Kitchen area. The sign up sheets will be up until Oct. 20th.

House Concert at the McKee Heritage House
This November we will be hosting our first “House Concert” at the music school The concept is to host small live concerts in small venues like people’s living rooms that allows audiences to have a closer more intimate connection with the performers. Our first House Concert at the McKee Heritage House will be Sunday November 20th at 2:30 pm featuring Ridley Bent. This event will be limited to just 40 tickets
Tickets: $20 per person. Tickets available online or at the door.
More information
Buy tickets online: http://ridleybent.eventbrite.com/

News and Events
Our faculty has been quite busy performing this fall. Suzanne Klukas presented a series of concerts earlier this month in West Vancouver Silk Purse and as a part of the Douglas College Arts One Series In New Westminster, A program of Chamber Music for Voice, Winds and Piano with Alison Nystrom, Suzanne Snizek, Connie Gitlin and Suzanne Klukas. John Littlejohn has been touring with his string trio Infinitus in western Canada since the beginning of October.
Our voice instructor Melanie Adams is taking part in a production of Supernatural Noir, a new innovative chamber operetta in the classic film noir style premieres October 28th at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island. This deliciously dark murder mystery is the first operatic work in Canada to be written completely in the film noir tradition. written by Kico Gonzalez-Risso, music by Cameron Wilson, Show runs Oct.28 – Nov.5th
Two of our former students were chosen as a part of the final eight bands in CBC’s Cover Me Canada contest on CBC Television. Congratulations to Evan Findlay (guitar), and Bryson Dodwell (drums) – both were participants in our Jazz Ensemble program for several years.

South Delta Jazz Festival Nominated for Delta Chamber of Commerce Award
The Delta Chamber of Commerce has nominated Stephen Robb and the South Delta Jazz Festival as a Finalist for the “special events and tourism award in the Delta Chamber of Commerce “Hats Off to Excellence” Award for 2011. The awards banquet takes place on Friday November 18th at the
Coast Tsawwassen inn. It is great for the school to receive some recognition from the community for this summer outreach program.

Coming Events
Halloween Disruption – Fri. Oct. 21 – Sat. Oct. 29
AGM and Student Recital – Sunday Nov. 6th 2pm
Mckee House Singer/Songwriter House Concert series – Sunday Nov. 20 with Ridley Bent – 2:30 pm
December Recital – Sunday December 4th 2011 at All Saints Anglican Church – 2pm