Più Mosso Opus 19 No. 2 March 2019 Saskatoon, here we come! What’s Inside The FCMF Board of Governors is excited about the 2019 National Music Festival being hosted by the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association and Saskatoon 2019 1 the Department of Music at the beautiful historic campus of the University President’s Message 2 of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, from August 6-10th. Performance Opportunities 2 Each year the National Music Festival brings together the best classical music Events in Saskatoon 3 students from every province, to perform in the top venues in the country, Competition Venues, Travel, Raffle 4 to interact and hear and learn from each other, to have workshop sessions Accommodation Options 5 with distinguished adjudicators, and to compete for the top festival prizes in Tourist Information 6 Canada. It is a truly unique Festival that enriches the lives of both performers For Delegates 7 and audiences alike! From the National Office 7 The provincial representatives in each discipline compete, culminating in a Board of Governors 8 final Grand Award Competition on August 10th, where a first prize of $5,000 Adjudicators 8 will be awarded to the competitor chosen by the panel of adjudicators. We 2019 Early Response Supporters 9 are excited to announce that the 2019 winner will also receive performance CMFAA News 10 opportunities with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra and the Thunder Alumni News 10 Bay Symphony Orchestra. From the History Book 13 The opening session of the Annual Conference will be held on August 6, with Signifcant Contributors 14 a full day of discussions and the Annual General Meeting on August 11. How you can help us flourish 15 Contact Us 19 Plan now to join us in Saskatoon! Saskatoon Skyline Photo credit: Stephen Nicholson President’s Message As Prairie people we tend to start conversations with the topic of weather, or maybe it is a Canadian thing! The seasons come and go, and we enjoy the beauty of a colourful autumn or the sparkling starkness of a bright winter day, and we weather the storms. The FCMF Board of Governors has had a very busy autumn and winter with teleconferences, committee meetings, renewing contracts, and making plans for the 2019 National Music Festival. February 16 and 17, 2019 the FCMF Board of Governors met in Toronto to work with David Hartley, a governance specialist. It was exciting and heartwarming to see and hear the ideas and optimism grow within the meeting room throughout the sessions. The result of the weekend was a more cohesive Board working together on a list of priorities unifying, growing, and raising the profile of the National Music Festival competition for young Canadian classical musicians. The experience is reminiscent of the following quote: “We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise, we harden.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe The 2019 National Music Festival will be held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on the beautiful campus of the University of Saskatchewan. Please join us on August 8 and 9 to hear some of the finest young musicians compete at the national level in the nine disciplines. The Hosting Committee has made wonderful preparations for this event. “Thank you” to the SMFA members of the Hosting Committee - Bonnie Nicholson, Dianne Gryba, Sherry Sproule, and Carol Donhauser. Your attention to detail is sincerely appreciated and will enhance the NMF experience for the competitors. The generosity of the University of Saskatchewan is gratefully acknowledged. Congratulations to the local and provincial music festivals that are so important in the musical development of young Canadians. Enjoy the journey this spring! “I believe in process. I believe in four seasons. I believe winter is tough, but spring is coming I believe there is a growing season. And I think that you realize in life, you grow. You get better.” -Steve Southerland Performance Opportunities The FCMF is very excited to announce that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra in BC and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra in Ontario. These agreements provide for the Grand Award Winner at the 2019 National Music Festival to have a performance opportunity with the Symphony Orchestras in an unpcoming season. Details of the Prizes: • The winner of the 2019 Grand Award shall be presented in an upcoming season. • The orchestras will communicate directly with the GA Winner to determine repertoire for the performance. Repertoire may be chosen from the GA Winner’s repertoire of the 2019 National Music Festival or as agreed upon by the orchestras and GA Winner. • The orchestras will assist the emerging artist to develop a media kit, including appropriate biographies and other materials as needed, as well as work with the artist to prepare for media interviews and their publicity surrounding the performance. • The in-kind value of the performances is $3,000; this includes in-kind value of the performance fee, flights transportation to and from the performance, ground transportation, hotel accommodations for the duration of the engagement, and time developing media/marketing with the artist. FCMF Più Mosso 2 March 2019 Events in Saskatoon Welcome Pizza Supper and Competitor Briefing Competitors and their families, accompanists, delegates and volunteers are invited to a Pizza Supper and Trivia Hour in the Lounge at Education Building, USask on Tuesday, August 6 at 5:30 PM. Hosted in part by the student music groups of the Music Department, this is a wonderful opportunity for the 2019 competitors to meet and mingle with the other students from their province and other provinces before the Competitotr Briefing in Quance Theatre. Presentation by Mark Turner On Wednesday, August 7, competitors will have the opportunity to listen to and interact with Mark Turner of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra about the next steps in their career development. The lecture and Q&A session will be presented twice during the day of Official Rehearsals. The Industry and the Exponential Musician - Career Development for Emerging Classical Artists The next generation of classical artist has completely different expectations of what they want from their career, and often times they finishing their training ready to jump into an industry they haven’t had a chance to interact with yet. Mark Turner shares insight on what presenters are looking for, how to make yourself an asset to the industry, and what it means to be an exponential musician in the 21st century. Mark Turner is the Executive Director of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. Under his leadership the orchestra has seen transformative change to become one of the most innovative orchestras in the country. The SSO’s dedication and commitment to Canadian artists and composers, both established and emerging, is a trademark of their desire to help define the modern era of classical music. Mark serves the Canadian orchestral community, currently as a founding member of the IDEA committee (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access) and as delegate to many international conferences. His career includes work as collaborative pianist, artistic director, producer, radio host, consultant, educator, and competition juror. Mark’s work as producer has included collaborations with Jan Lisiecki, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Isabel Bayrakdarian, James Ehnes, Tanya Tagaq, Sara Sleam, Vince Mendoza and many more. “Oh, What a Night! Swing Dancing with the Saskatoon Swing Orchestra!” On Friday, August 9th competitors and their families, accompanists and delegates will be treated to a fun evening at Louis’. This USask campus pub will be the venue for a delicious buffet supper, followed by a “Jump n’ Jive” hour of dance instruction from Daria and Greg Malin and featuring the fabulous music of the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra led by Dean McNeill. Bring your costume inspired by the 1940’s when big band music provided a much needed escape from difficult times. FCMF Più Mosso 3 March 2019 Competition Venues University of Saskatchewan The USask Department of Music is one of the oldest in Western Canada and is on one of the most beautiful campus settings across the nation. With a present complement of nine full-time faculty members and twenty-two sessional instructors, the Department of Music offers a B.Mus. (Honours Performance and Individualized streams, as well as Music Education with Honours), a B.A. (Major in Music), as well as the M.Mus. and M.A. degrees in close affiliation with three Colleges: Arts and Science, Education, and Graduate Studies and Research. It has an established record of national and international interdisciplinary activities including a number of academic pursuits, performing ensembles, and a variety of outreach and engagement activities. Its faculty, students, and ensembles have been recognized nationally and internationally. The primary performance venues on the USASK Campus will include the historic Convocation Hall in the Peter MacKinnon Building and Quance Theatre in the Education Building. More details on venues in the June issue. Travel Information Air Travel When booking flights for the 2019 National Music Festival in Saskatoon, SK you can fly into the John G. Diefenbaker International Airport. Ground Travel - Airport Shuttle The Saskatchewan Music Festival Association is arranging for airport shuttle service at a cost of $25 round trip. You may purchase this option through the FCMF website to have a friendly Saskatchewan volunteer pick you and your baggage up and deliver you to your hotel or residence. Details on booking this service will be available in the June issues. Ground Travel - Hotel/Venue Shuttle The Staybridge Bridge/Holiday Inn Express Hotel is approximately a 6-10 minute walk from the performance venues on campus. The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service for hotel guests which can be booked. The SMFA is also arranging for another van to loop around the campus venues from Wednesday, August 7 to Friday, August 9 and possibly Saturday morning.