The year 2022 marked the gradual return to in-person activities and live performances. It felt so refreshing!
Edward Duan 2022 BC Piano Competition Winner
A special solo recital featuring the North Shore nominee to the BC Piano Competition, Edward Duan, was held Sunday, September 11, 2022 at the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in North Vancouver. This event was very well attended and offered an extremely exciting program enjoyed by all.
Shortly after that Edward won the BCRMTA Provincial Piano Competition which was held at the seaside resort Tai-na-Mara on Vancouver Island. Next, Edward will be representing British Columbia at the CFMTA/FCAPM National Piano Competition, being held, July 6th & 7th, 2023 in Edmonton, Alberta. Congratulation to Edward an his teachers Ralph Markham and Ken Broadway.
Sunday Recitals, Meetings and Fundraising
Several Sunday students’ recitals took place over the year. We donated the proceeds of these recitals to a local Ukrainian relief fund organization which provides supplies to orphanages, daycares and child care centres for refugees affected by the hostilities. The money we donated was specifically used to buy school supplies, art supplies and other essentials for children.
It was exciting to start the 2022 – 2023 school year knowing that we were returning, once again, to in-person events, including the monthly Executive and General Meetings. A positive result from the last few years of the pandemic was that we have honed our technological skills, allowing all members, near and far, to attend our branch meetings and events.
Our North Shore Branch hosted hybrid Executive and General Meetings (GMs), to accommodate those members still wary of meeting in person starting in September 2022. There were a lot of issues surrounding holding meetings in person as well as on Zoom, however we managed to work our way through these issues (especially for the larger GMs) to hold productive meetings.
Professional Development
The NS BCRMTA hosted two very exciting and informative workshop presentations this season. The first was held following our Tuesday, September 13, 2022 GM and featured Rennie Nahanee, a member of the Squamish First Nation and the Deacon at St. Paul’s Parish on the North Shore. For our members, this was a professional development opportunity and an outreach initiative with the First Nations community.
Teaching Students with Developmental Disabilities was the theme of the second workshop.This was a workshop designed to help teachers take the first steps in accommodating students with various developmental disabilities. North Shore branch members as well as neighbouring, Lower Mainland RMT’s joined workshop leader, Birgit Giesser, for an informative session that included many creative ideas and practical tips!
Exam Awards Presentation and Recital
Every year we celebrate the best Conservatory exam results of our students in a dedicated event in November. The day of this event in 2022, was Sunday, November 27th. It was very exciting once again to be able to produce this as an in-person event.
This season we had 27 student performers and award recipients. Almost all achieved marks above 90% on their exams, including Edward Duan, student of Ralph Markham and Ken Broadway. Edward won also the RCM Gold medal. Edward will be representing BCRMTA in the CFMTA Piano Competition.
The Lucille Little Trophy, donated by the family of long-time North Shore member who passed away several years ago, is awarded to the student receiving the highest mark in Conservatory Levels 8 – ARCT. This year’s winner was Cindy Liang, a student of Nicholas Rada.
A big thank you and congratulations to JoAnn Primeau, Kelly Nobles, and Stanislava Deltcheva, our MC who created an atmosphere of warmth and festivity with the audience. A big thank you and congratulations to JoAnn Primeau (chair of the committee) and all the teachers who participated in the organization of the event and in preparing their students!
North Shore Music Festival – 50th edition
Finally we were able to start planning for the 50th edition of our NS Music Festival after a two-year hiatus.
Diana Marr, who helped shape and steer this festival for many years, has now retired. We are deeply grateful to Diana for inspiring the educational value of this event, as well as for her many years of service.
A big thank you is due to Alice Rada, who for many years has insured the smooth operation of this two-week event. Although both Diana and Alice are stepping away from their roles they are still providing mentorship and guidance. Thank you!
The present NS Music Festival Convenor is Denise Killick. Denise has piloted our new website and online registration platform, which has by no means been an easy task! After many hiccups, trials and tribulations setting up the new online registration and Festival Program, we are happy to announce that we have close to 300 entries registered for this year’s festival.
RCM Teacher of the Year Award 2022
We are very happy to announce the 2022 recipient of The RCM Teacher of Distinction for the British Columbia and Yukon Region, Canada was none other than our NS BCRMTA Past President, Stanislava Deltcheva. Congratulations to Stanislava!
Loss of One of Our Most-respected Former Members
In the fall of 2022 we received very sad news that one of our former members, Bernice (Bunny) Pearce. Bunny passed away on September 6th, 2022. Many of us remember Bunny as an active member of our branch for many years, who was awarded the RCM “TEACHER OF THE YEAR” Award in 2011. Our Branch truly lost a vital and outstanding member of our musical community, she is sorely missed by many.
Marcia Meyer