Keyfest session

We are having the last Keyfest sessions of the school year on Saturday, April 13th 2013.

 

I encourage you all to participate as it is included in your tuition.  See below for details.

Oakville Keymaster Session on Saturday April 13^th in the Merriam Music Recital Hall

11:00am Voice Keymaster Session hosted by Nicole Stellino

Topic: Improve your Musical Theatre Style

12:00pm Piano Keymaster Session hosted by Phoebe Leung

Topic: How to Combat your Stage Nerves

Free Masterclass

Merriam Music and Western University Music have close ties and because of this I have arrange to host a live streaming of a masterclass hosted by world renowned pianist, Andre LaPlante.  We will be streaming this FREE event in the Oakville recital hall on October 6^th at 11am.  The performers will be students of the Western Music faculty.  This session is best suited to advanced level students and would certainly be a great training for any students interested in continuing studies at the University level.  Some of you teachers may be interested too!

 

We will post signs but please be sure to mention this to your students and sign up at reception so we have an idea of how many will be attending.

 

Again, this is a free event for staff, students and parents.

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHY

Over the last decade, Canadian pianist André Laplante has firmly established himself as one of the great romantic virtuosos. He garnered international attention after winning prizes at the Geneva and Sydney International Piano Competitions, then capturing the silver medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow . Critics have compared him with Ashkenazy, Horowitz and Rudolph Serkin, placing him in the elite circle of virtuoso pianists who do not hesitate to take risks. In 2005, Mr. Laplante was honored to be named an Officer of the Order of Canada. In that same year, he was awarded the Prix Opus for Best Performer of the Year. In 1999, he received two Opus Awards for live performances: “Best Concert in Montréal” and “Best Concert in Québec Province.” Most recently, in 2010, he received another Prix Opus, this time for Best Concert of the Year. In recent years, Laplante has appeared as orchestral soloist with the Montréal and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Sir Neville Mariner, on tour in Europe with the Toronto Symphony under Andrew Davis and with the Royal Philharmonic under the baton of the late Sir Yehudi Menuhin during their extensive North American tour. Recent seasons have also included a major concert tour of the People’s Republic of China, recital tours of the Far East, Australia and North America, and appearances at major music festivals, including the Debussy Festival (France), Pecs Festival (Hungary), Orford Festival (Canada), Cascais Festival (Portugal), Salzburg Festival (Austria), Festival International de Lanaudière (Canada), International Summer Festival (Canada), Domaine Forget (Canada), and the TCU-Van Cliburn Institute (USA). Mr. Laplante performed with the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in Malaysia as well as a critically acclaimed appearance with orchestra and quartet in an all French Festival with the Buffalo Philharmonic. He also appeared with the Columbus Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra of Ottawa and Club Musical de Québec, as well as performances with the Toronto, Québec, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver, Lexington, Pasadena and México City symphonies. André Laplante has served as a juror of the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, the International Music Festival in Australia, the CBC National Competition, the Honens International Piano Competition, the William Kapell International Piano Competition. An active recording artist, André Laplante’s releases on the Analekta label include works by Ravel and Rachmaninov, an award winning Brahms album (Félix 1996), and a Liszt recording (Félix 1995) which was voted best solo classical album of the year by the Toronto Star. He has also recorded for CBC and Melodia: his performance of Jacques Hetu’s Piano Concerto No. 2 for CBC Records won the 2004 Juno award for orchestral recordings, as well as the Western Canadian Music Award. His recording of Tchaikovsky No. 1 with Joav Talmi and l’Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, was nominated for the 2001 Felix Award ; and in 2010 his recording of Liszt’s Années de Pèlerinage was awarded a Felix Award for Best Classical Solo Album of the Year.