VAM String Quartet Concert with Amanda Chan: Brahms Piano Quintet

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The VAM String Quartet will be playing Bela Bartok’s Quartet No.1 and will be joined by special guest Amanda Chan to play Johannes Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F minor. They will also be playing works by Schubert and VAM’s Dr.Jacqueline Leggatt. Please join us for this concert at The Koerner Recital Hall on Sunday, May 26th, at 2pm. Tickets available online and at the doo. Free admission for VAM families and members.

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Changing Lives Beyond Our Borders: VAM Sponsors School in Kenya

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Last December VAM hosted a fundraising concert, “Sing For Hope” that raised funds for the New White House Academy (NWHA), a small primary school in Kenya that delivers big changes for the impoverished children of the Sagala Hill region. “Sing For Hope” was initiated and organized by Chloe Hurst, who in addition to being an acclaimed soprano, is one of VAM’s most valued and active faculty members as part of the Voice, Theory, and Early Childhood Education departments. Funds raised from “Sing For Hope” were used to replace the rusted and broken rain-catching gutters, buy new water tanks, and repair the large underground water tank – all desperately needed upgrades for a school that relies on collected rain water as their only water source.

Last Month, VAM collected donated recorders from our generous students that were delivered by Chloe during Spring Break where she led a team of volunteers who taught at NWHA. In Chloe’s words, “Their eyes lit up when they saw that we had brought recorders for them and that they were theirs to keep. NWHA teachers were also eagerly participating and learning so that they can continue to teach with the materials we left them. I will periodically be sending video messages with teaching tips for NWHA faculty”

It is a privilege for VAM to follow the inspiring lead of Chloe Hurst and enter a twinning relationship with NWHA as their primary Canadian sponsor. The transformative power of music and its effect on the development of our children and those abroad is truly exemplified by this initiative. May 12th’s Mark Fewer & Friends concert will be a special benefit for New White House Academy to assist with their targeted goal of raising $10,000, the amount necessary for NWHA to have running water. Thank you for marking May 12th, 7:00pm on your calendar and for supporting this incredible cause.

VAM students advance at the Canadian Music Competition and Chamber Music Festival results

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This past week four of VAM’s senior students, Albert Seo, Olivia Cho, Grace Sohn and Jack Li advanced to the national finals of the Canadian Music Competition. This year the national finals will be held in Sherbrooke, Quebec from June 18 to July 2nd. Albert, Olivia and Grace are cello students of Joseph Elworthy, and Jack is a clarinet student of Cris Inguanti.

Congratulations to these four and to all of our students who participated in the CMC preliminaries!

Bottom row (L to R): Albert Seo, Olivia Cho, Grace Sohn; top row: Joseph Elworthy

VAM also held the 30th annual Elsje de Ridder Armstrong Chamber Music Festival this past Friday, April 5th. Over 8 groups from VAM’s CMI program participated for an absolutely stunning evening of chamber music to a packed Koerner Recital Hall audience. They also competed for 8 tuition scholarships from a number of supporting groups and generous donors. This year’s festival was adjudicated by David Gillham, professor of Violin at the UBC School of Music.  Here are the winning groups and their scholarship prizes:

Alina Khvatova, violin; Madeline Hocking, violin; On-You Lee, viola; Nicholas Denton-Protsack, cello – Wallerstein & Van de Velde Scholarship
Hee Soon Yoon, violin; Angela Kim, cello; Sharon Yang, piano – Elsje de Ridder Armstrong Memorial Scholarship
Brian Kang, clarinet; Nicole Chung, cello; Claire Lee, piano – Iby Koerner Memorial Scholarship
Sophia Cho, violin; Olivia Cho, cello; Catherine Wang, piano – Eugenia & Evelyn Lawrence Memorial Scholarship
Vivian Liu, violin; Ray Han, horn; Aydan Con, piano – Provincial Chapter, I.O.D.E. Scholarship
Vivian Liu, violin; Emily Ahn, cello; Aydan Con, piano – Josephine Walton Scholarship
Jenny An, violin; Marko Miletic, viola; Grace Sohn, cello; Victoria Lui, piano – VAM Scholarship
Kathy Chen, violin; Brendan Ling, violin; Zachary Levin, viola; Albert Seo, cello; Candice Chiu, piano – VAM Scholarship 

All 26 participants of the CMI Festival with adjudicator David Gillham, CMI Director Andrew Dawes and VAM ED Joseph Elworthy!

Congratulations to all who participated and to those awesome coaches and teachers who made all of this happen!

Help VAM continue Ms. Armstrong’s legacy in developing young talent. Contact us to see how you can make a difference in music education!

Appointment of new Violin teachers

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VAM is pleased to announce the appointment of Dale Barltrop, concertmaster of the VSO, to our world-class roster of violin instructors, as well as Lawrie Hill and Nicholas Wright, who will be taking over as Co-Heads of the Violin program from the honoured Robert Rozek, who will be leaving VAM after 10 years of dedicated service to the school.

Under the leadership of this new team, we introduce a new, comprehensive Violin Program, designed to guide students and empower them with the skills and experiences neccessary for them to become beautiful, inspiring players and outstanding leaders in their communities.

The program consists of a weekly masterclass session with either Ms. Hill or Mr. Wright, and a monthly masterclass seminar with Mr. Barltrop that is open to all VAM students and parents. At the cornerstone of this program is the Concertmaster Apprenticeship Program, which will train a select number of outstanding violinists on how to lead a violin section, how to lead an orchestra and more.

Want to know more information? Check out the Violin Program Brochure.

Welcome Dale, Lawrie and Nick!

Spring Break Hours

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There will be no regular lessons OR classes from Monday, March 18th to Sunday, March 31st, 2013.

* Lessons will resume Monday, April 1st
* Classes will resume Tuesday, April 2nd

Building Hours during Spring Break:

Monday, March 18th – Friday, March 22nd:
9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Monday, March 25th – Thursday, March 28th:
9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

The building will be closed both weekends & Friday, March 29th in lieu of Good Friday.

VAM Forms Strategic Partnership in Hong Kong

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Revitalization Scheme for a heritage landmark of the 1930s-built Haw Par Mansion approved-in-principle by the Hong Kong Government to launch an integrated music learning institution.

Our warmest congratulations to the Aw Boon Haw Foundation, a charitable organization set up by Ms. Sally Aw, a philanthropist herself, who has been awarded “Approval-in-principle” (AIP) by Hong Kong”s Commissioner of the Heritage’s Office, Development Bureau, for the re-adaptive use of the 1930s historic Haw Par Mansion.
VAM is honored to be an invited strategic partner to the HPMF initiative, along with other alliance partners including the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), and the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO).

VAM’s role at HPMF will include assisting and supporting in curricular planning and development by introducing systematic and innovative musical programs that have been successfully tested and implemented in North America. In addition, HPMF and VAM have a shared mandate to facilitate mutually beneficial exchange programs for students and faculty of both institutions that will provide a meaningful platform of cultural and educational exchange between Hong Kong and North America.

Mr. Joseph Elworthy, Executive Director of VAM: “HPMF represents a unique opportunity for VAM to carry its legacy of educational and performance success to a new international frontier through collaboration with our esteemed HPMF strategic partners.”

Remarked by Mr. Tom Chan, Chair Emeritus of the HPMF Steering Committee, “The breadth of VAM’s innovative programs and its depth of systematic music learning/training will surely be a great leverage for HPMF to jump-start its program in Hong Kong. We are pleased to see a stronger international tie between Hong Kong and North America with the VAM and RCM alliances.”

Also strengthening the tie between North America and Hong Kong, the well-known Vancouver firm, Bing Thom Architects led the architectural component of the Haw Par Music Farm proposal.
The Mansion is expected to complete its architectural conservation work for its re-adaptive use in early 2017.

‘From the New World’: VAMSO Concert with double Cello guests

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Tickets on sale now! Please join us for the next VAMSO Concert, entitled From the New World, featuring VAM Executive Director Joseph Elworthy and Faculty member Ariel Barnes. Vancouver-based composer Jocelyn Morlock features the duo in her work entitled Aeromancy. Also on the program are Dvorak’s most inimitable work, his Symphony No. 9 (From the New World), inspired by New America of the 1900s, and Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger, the Prelude to one of the most ambitious operatic works in the Romantic genre.

In addition to this blockbuster program, this concert will also be recorded for the Naxos’ recording label!

Adults: $10
Seniors/Students: $6

Find out more info and purchase tickets here.

Free Ear Training workshops

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Still can’t quite hear that major 6th interval? VAM is offering free Ear Training workshops for registered VAM students who are taking the upcoming RCM exams in January (Grades 5 to 10 only).

Workshop #1: Tuesday, December 4
Workshop #2: Tuesday, December 11

RCM 5 to 6: 5:00 – 6:00 pm
RCM 7 to 8: 6:00 – 7:00 pm
RCM 9 to 10: 7:00 – 8:00 pm

If you are interested in signing up for one or both sessions, please email Jacquie at [email protected] to register.

VAM ED Joseph Elworthy conferred top degree

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VAM Executive Director, Joseph Elworthy, has just been conferred a Diploma of Fellows from the Royal Conservatory of Music. This degree is awarded to outstanding persons who have made significant contributions to the arts in Canada. Past recepients include Oscar Peterson, Teresa Stratas, Robertson Davies, Adrienne Clarkson, Michael and Sonja Koerner, and Leon Fleisher.

Congratulations Joseph! You have definitely made an impact at VAM and hope you continue to do so in future years.