Message from the Chairman of the Board - Festival 2012
The 52nd Kiwanis Music Festival will soon be upon us. Each year we evaluate those areas that can be improved and then make the changes that are necessary. To do this we need your feedback and suggestions and I thank you for it. You can be assured that your feedback is discussed at the Board level.
For those that had the opportunity to attend the 2011 Stars night held May 25th, you know what a great night it was. When you see and hear a night such as this, you quickly realize what has been accomplished by the great music education we have in our community. Both the participants and the audience tell us, it is the highlight of the Festival!
The Special evening would not have taken place without the hard work of many volunteers who pull it together. This past year David Hall coordinated the event and we sincerely thank David and all his volunteers for making this night possible!
On a rather sad note, a few months ago Mr. Raymond Vacchino of Toronto lost his life to a serious illness. It had been Raymond who financially supported the very successful Lois Marshall Memorial Vocal Competition for Open and/or Senior Voice Students since its inception. The Board thanks Mr. Vacchino for his faith in our Festival for choosing us to hold this significant event. Our hearts go out to Raymond’s family at this time. He certainly felt that Lois had changed his life, and Raymond, we can tell you that knowing and working with you has made London a better area for Open and Senior Voice Students. Thanks for your support!
Some new events to look at as you go through the syllabus are as follows:
- Section 26 highlights Piano solos for University (non-performance majors),
College and Post Secondary Students only.
- Piano solos for Secondary and Elementary School students only, in sections 27 – 30 and 42.
- In sections 44 to 47 Piano Concertos and Ensembles are for Secondary and Elementary School students only.
There are also some new Band and Orchestra Classes:
- Challenge Band Class 9301B/C and Band Class 9315 for Flexible Instrumentation.
- Class 9605B is for senior String Orchestra and Class 9607B is for Junior String Orchestra.
The biggest change for 2012 is that all formerly competitive Solo and Small Ensemble String classes in Section 60 through 69 will be non-competitive. All former class numbers and designations will remain unchanged except for the removal of the competitive element. Those classes leading to Trophy Competitions will retain the same “Invitation to Perform” at the appropriate Trophy Class. This will be determined by the sole discretion of the Adjudicator. This change was made after a survey of many London String Teachers. This is an exciting change to the String portion of the Festival. We will take a careful look once completed to see if it is as successful as we anticipate!
I’m looking forward to seeing you at the Festival in the spring which will be here before we know it.
Jim Scott
Festival Chair