Don Chrysler Competition 2013

Five Talented Young Finalists Make One Exciting Evening
It was an impressive field of candidates with strengths that ranged from flashy pyrotechnics to the sweetly musical, but at the end of the night on April 27th, it was Keaton Ollech who walked away with first prize. Second prize went to Ceilidh Briscoe.
Ollech, who is fifteen and studies with May Ling Kwok, wowed the audience with his performance of the first Beethoven piano concerto, Opus 15. He will perform the Beethoven with the Sooke Philharmonic at our October concerts, and takes home $500.
Briscoe, who played the Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5, K. 219, receives $300.
Cash prizes are courtesy of Long & McQuade.
This year’s jury was composed of David Stratkauskas, who leads the Victoria Children’s Choir—Apprentice Choir, as well as working as an organist and jazz musician; Dolores Vann, from Gabriola Island, who has a distinguished career as a violinist; and David Watson, our Principal French Horn, who is also a choir director and organist.
While the jury was deliberating, members of the audience were invited to vote for the young performers, and the audience had its own opinion. A total of 42 ballots were cast. People were asked to rank their top three favorites. When these votes were weighted and tallied, Blythe Allers had secured the top spot with his performance of the virtuosic Violin Concerto in E minor by Julius Conus. Keaton Ollech was in second place, and Ethan Allers secured third place with the Shostakovich cello concerto. Ceilidh Briscoe and Lucy Zhang placed fourth. Zhang played the Mozart piano concerto No.12, K.414.
The audience was invited to make comments, which you will see below the excellent performers’ photos, snapped by Michael Nyikes.
Of course the jury’s decision is the important one, but the audience choice ballots remind us of the subjective element in any artistic competition. All the young musicians who played on Saturday were impressive — no one present would have argued with that.
It was a delightful evening and it went very smoothly, organized by a team of Sooke Philharmonic performers and board members, who are always ready to support the next generation of musicians. The audience, too, was a mix of musicians and SPO volunteers, and of course the competitors’ family and supporters.

Ceilidh Briscoe – lovely legato… shows love and mastery of her instrument

Ethan Allers – great performance of a difficult piece

Keaton Ollech – such poise …. a joy to watch and listen to such talent

Lucy Zhang – slow movement took my breath away

Blythe Allers – gutsy, nervy feel to the playing… thrilling!

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Norman Nelson and the Diamond Jubilee Medal

Norman and a few friends at Journey Middle School

Norman Nelson and the Diamond Jubilee medal:
More than just showing up.

Any musician will tell you there is a lot of work involved in his or her trade. First of all, time and effort in large quantities are needed to before you have mastered the skills you will need. Then you have to turn up for the variety of gigs you are lucky enough to line up. You will also need to teach your instrument in order to make ends meet. These are the facts of any musician’s life. It’s pretty full, especially if that’s how you make your living.
Norman Nelson, our esteemed maestro, has done a lot more than that.
Admittedly, he is a master musician, though it’s rumoured that he did have to learn, just like any mortal. He has had a long, illustrious career, as you can read in any Sooke Orchestra programme. However, he never paused at what is the usual life path, even for a first-class player.
Fast forward to fifteen years ago, when Norman and Jenny moved to Sooke. Any other musician with his C.V. would have said to himself: “I know plenty of people in the Victoria music world. I’ll ring up a few, and see what’s happening. I can do a little playing, maybe even a little conducting. There are several orchestras in Victoria, I believe. I suppose I can give a lesson or two.”
Not Norman. He decided to set up his own orchestra, and did – in Sooke. And it’s a great success. People come from far and wide, begging to play with him. Norman is very good at getting the best from each player, and of course, he’s a tremendous musician. Not only did he set up the orchestra—he added a week-long chamber music workshop, to share his own passion for and expertise in string ensemble playing. Then a concerto competition, to encourage all those hard-working, talented youngsters who would love nothing more than to play with an orchestra. Next, mentoring youngsters at the Sooke middle school, which was lucky enough to attract a music teacher able to get a music programme happening there.
All this did not come about solely through Norman’s own efforts. At each step of the way, people joined in to help, whether as volunteers or musicians or teachers, or supporters. But it was Norman and his wife Jenny who always put in the most work and who had the good ideas.
On December 1st Randall Garrison will be presenting Norman with the Diamond Jubilee medal. Other Esquimault-Juan de Fuca recipients are people who have served in fire prevention, search and rescue, and social activism. Chief Planes and Elida Peers each got one. Norman is the only artist in the bunch. Did he get it for playing the violin? We don’t think so. It was the incredible work he has done creating this great community of musicians, supported by Sooke, and all the wonderful music that is being enjoyed in Sooke, Metchosin, and Victoria.

Congratulations, Norman, from all of us!

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Alice Haekyo Lee

photo Michael Nyikes

Alice Haekyo Lee, our October soloist, recently made time in her busy New York schedule to answer a few questions we sent her.

Alice, of course, won our hearts at the Don Chrysler Concerto Competition last spring, with her wonderful performance of the Saint-Saens violin concerto.

She is in New York enrolled in the Julliard Saturday school, and in case you don’t have time to look it up for yourself, below is what Julliard says about the program:

The Juilliard Pre-College Division is a program for students of elementary through high school age who exhibit the talent, potential, and accomplishment to pursue a career in music.

The curriculum includes weekly lessons in the major field, chamber music, and classes in music theory and ear training. Additional electives are offered in areas such as composition, music history, conducting, and other specialized topics.  Students are given ample opportunities in solo, chamber, and orchestral concerts.

Here are Alice’s remarks:

High Notes: How are you liking New York? How do you live, have you rented an apartment?

Alice: New York is really really really really really really awesome!!! And although my mom doesn’t like it as much as I do because New York is really crowded, I love it. I really like tall modern buildings and lots of lights and technology and colors and people and shops.

The only bad thing to me is that New York is really smelly, especially in the morning because all the garbage is put out in front of the restaurants.

But even though New York is so awesome, I still miss Victoria a lot! 

Hopefully by the end of this week, we’ll be able to go into our apartment (we’ve been staying for almost three weeks in hotels and home stays)

We have rented an apartment right across from Manhattan in New Jersey, and although we haven’t moved into it yet, we have been in it, and the view is fantastic because our windows face the city. 

H.N. Do you have siblings, and are they with you there?

Alice: I have an older brother who is 11 years older than me. He’s in San Francisco right now.

H.N. Which school did you attend in Victoria?

Alice: I used to go to St. Michaels University School, and then I switched to home schooling for middle school, so I have a lot of time for practicing violin.

H.N. Tell us about Julliard.

Alice: Juilliard is awesome as awesome can get. The outside of the building is made out of glass and is very modern looking while the inside is more worn down. Almost every hallway has students walking up and down searching for their classroom or talking with their friends or standing against the walls waiting for their classes. The thing I like most about Juilliard is that everyone has the same kind of passion that I have and I feel more like a normal person, when at school (or anywhere) I felt a bit lonely because everyone was talking about the latest pop star or video game and I wouldn’t have any idea what they were talking about. Even though after I have finished my classes on Saturday (pre-college is only on Saturday) and I think I’m going to drop from exhaustion, I really like Juilliard, just like the way I really like New York. 

H.N. Are there other students your age?

Alice: There are a lot of students who are my age (which is 12) and all of them are really good. 

I’m really looking forward in working with the orchestra!!!!! I will be returning to Victoria on October 22nd to rehearse for the concert.

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Goodbye, Jim Warner

Jim Warner, Spring 2011

Dear Friends
By now, most of us in the orchestra have been notified of Jim Warner’s death and we are stunned and, of course, at a loss as to how to get our thoughts together. A few of us have been fortunate enough to have known Jim since those very first tentative rehearsals in the St. Rose of Lima Church basement when 14 or so of us simply prayed that Beethoven’s mind was elsewhere. That was back in 1997 and now here we are, a very few years later, and hundreds of dedicated lovers of music – whether players and colleagues, volunteers, board members or just audience members – have had the pleasure of hearing Jim’s lovely playing over and over again as the programs have slipped by and the concert seasons come and gone. I simply can’t say much more, except to anticipate the feelings that we all surely must feel – and say what a privilege it has been to have rejoiced with him in all his enthusiasm after a rewarding concert and shared his agonies beforehand in having to deal with all those wretched reeds. So – no worries now Jim, and my baton is still in C major, as you always pointed out …
Norman

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The Sooke Philharmonic Chorus sings Purcell

Above: The Chorus in 2010

This coming weekend, the Sooke Philharmonic Chorus joins the Sooke Philharmonic Chamber Players in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Join us on Saturday, March 31st, at the Sooke Baptist Church at 8pm, or Sunday April 1st at the New St. Mary’s Church in Metchosin at 2:30 pm, for a programme of work by this terrific seventeenth-century English composer.

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Jessica Woollard talks to our October soloist, Nelson Moneo.

Jessica Woollard

The upcoming SPO concerts October 29th and 30th will find Jessica in the first violin section, where she has played off and on since 2006. Jessica moved to Victoria from Sudbury, Ontario, in order to do a Masters Degree in English at U Vic. She has accomplished this feat and is now employed at Glenlyon Norfolk School as a Communications Officer. As part of her job, she interviewed our soloist Nelson Moneo for the school website and we are happy to provide the link to her post, below Nelson Moneo’s photo.

Jessica also works as a freelance writer and invites you to visit her website: jessicawoollard.ca

Below, a photo of our competition winner, Nelson Moneo.

Photo by Cheryl Alexander.

Here is the link to Jessica Woollard’s interview:

http://w3w.mygns.ca/gns/life-at-gns/student-life/nelson-achieves-childhood-dream

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Musical Friends

Our next two concerts, June 24th and 25th, are entitled Musical Friends and feature Ann Elliott-Goldschmid and Pamela Highbaugh Aloni, the leader/first violinist and cellist of the Lafayette String Quartet. Don’t expect tea and crumpets from these friends: they are playing Brahms’ Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra, and it is a wild ride.

The Lafayette String Quartet has been together for 25 years. High Notes asked our two soloists whether the Quartet is anything like a family.

Ann Elliott-Goldschmid responded like this:

We are a family for sure. We have grown up together! We have had to find ways to make our working lives compatible. Like a marriage, this has taken a lot of work on the part of every individual. For the most part, however, we get along well even though we are all extremely different.

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David Stratkauskas

David Stratkauskas is a man of many sides. He is the Music Director of the Victoria Children’s Choir, Recital Choir, which will be performing Hans Krasa’s Brundibar this Saturday April 9th at the Sooke Community Theatre at 8:00 pm, and Sunday April 10^th at 2:30 pm at New St. Mary’s Church, 4125 Metchosin Rd.

In addition to a background in church choirs, this versatile musician plays organ and piano. David is equally at home in jazz, contemporary and classical music. He currently holds the position of Music Director at St. John the Divine Anglican Church on Quadra Street in Victoria.

David is a Vancouver native who got his start on a Bontempi electronic organ at the age of seven. He says that his parents were not particularly interested in music, but that Yamaha had a comprehensive music education system. Playing an electronic organ led naturally to jazz. If you had a chance to stop by the Jazz Cellar in Vancouver this past November, you would have heard him improvising on their B3 organ.

David completed two music degrees at UBC, mostly centered on classical music. His Master of Music is in music theory. When he graduated, he paid off his student debts by playing Broadway show tunes on the piano, on a cruise ship.

For years David worked as a musician for hire, accompanying choirs and singers, and teaching. He moved to Europe in 2003, following an interest in church music. He was appointed as the musical director at St. Michael Church, Wandsworth Common, and in 2007 he moved to St. Mary’s Church, Stoke Newington. While in London, David also played piano in Brown’s Hotel for their afternoon tea.

David taught at the Colourstrings Music School in Muswell Hill, London. Colourstrings is a Kodaly-informed teaching approach that started in Finland and has been taken up in a few other places such as London and Vancouver.

Another recent concert he was involved in (March 12, 2011, at St. John the Divine) was a performance of James Tenney’s In a Large Open Space, together with the Montreal string quartet Quatuor Bozzini. This work gives musicians a set of pitches based on the harmonic series of a low F, based on the range of their instruments, and asks them to perform these while spread out in the space. The effect is said to be like being inside a sound wave.

David Stratkauskas enjoys working with children and tells us that you have to keep things interesting with the youngsters, but that the basics of a children’s choir are the same as for adults: good repertoire and respect. Children recognize fine music and enjoy a challenge, just like anyone.

Stratkauskas is a Lithuanian name, but you have to go back to his paternal grandparents for the generation that was Lithuanian-born. David is married to Soile Stratkauskas, a fine Baroque flute player who studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and has played with such groups as The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

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An interview with Jim Stubbs our Trumpet soloist

The Stubbs Trio

Our February soloist is Jim Stubbs, who will be playing the Haydn trumpet concerto. Jim played with the Metropolitan Opera for about twenty-five years. Yes, in New York. When you are at the concert this February 19^th in Sooke, or February 20^th in Metchosin, don’t miss his biography. There’s a lot in there! The New York Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic (Russia), LaScala and the Bruckner Orchestra, Lenz — and that’s just a start.

How did this busy professional land in the Gulf Islands?

That was our first question to Jim, when we recently had a chance to talk to him.

He said that he knew of the existence of the Canadian west coast (not all New Yorkers do) through two adult children of his, who knew the region and had been to Victoria.

Back in New York, Jim and Laurie, his wife, a professional bassoon player, spent a lot of their time in the car, getting to rehearsals, getting to concerts. Although they lived just across the river, on the New Jersey side, they would have to leave home an hour or an hour and a half before down beat, to be on time. Jim names traffic as one of the big stressors of life in the city. Also, he was a very busy man, as his biography fully attests.

One day Laurie Stubbs Googled Saltspring, and liked the alternative look of the Island: organic farms, sheep, plenty of artists. She liked that it’s built on a rock. Next, she Googled condos. Three and a half years ago, the Stubbs arrived, with son Matthew, then 11, and daughter Sarah, then 15, ready to try something completely different.

Jim says he is pleased his children have experienced both New York and Saltspring, two contrasting lifestyles.

Jim has done more than sit on the Ganges dock and watch the tide go in and out. Together with Laurie and Matthew, who is a pianist, he founded the Saltspring Chamber Players, which has presented a variety of interesting work, from Stravinsky to all six Brandenburgs, to solo piano works, presented by Matthew.

Jim tells us that he often put together informal concerts in New York City, for reasons as varied as fundraising for immigration lawyers, to playing for the homeless. In New York City, he says, it’s always easy to find people who are willing to play.

Another of his Saltspring endeavours is Bach on the Rock, a chamber choir and 

chamber orchestra, which gives combined concerts twice a year together. They are doing Elijah, this spring; they have done the Christmas Oratorio. The orchestra also performs on its own and recently played the Haffner Symphony;

We know opera fans wouldn’t forgive us if we failed to ask about his twenty-five years at the Met. He tells us he enjoyed playing on stage and did it many times. He played herald trumpet, an instrument that looks like the trumpets in Egyptian hieroglyphs: long, straight and narrow. Usually they have a flag of some kind hanging down.  At the Met, they are used on stage in a number of productions such as Aida and Lohengrin. He also played in the Meistersingers, Carmen, and the one onstage trumpet note in The Magic Flute. 

For the Haydn concerto, Jim will be using a relatively small E-flat trumpet. The work was originally scored for clarina, a kind of keyed woodwind, which had (it is assumed) the elegance and flexibility of a woodwind instrument, and which makes it a challenge to perform on the trumpet.

Jim is more than up to it. We have already enjoyed his playing in the Christmas Oratorio and the Messiah.

Sooke: EMCS at 8:00 on Saturday, February 19^th .

Metchosin: New St. Mary’s at 2:30 pm on Sunday February 20^th.

See you there!

interview by Sonja de Wit of Sooke Phil High Notes

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Secret Gardens not so Secret anymore!

“The Sooke Secret Garden Tour again this year proved to be a major success as a fund raiser for the SPO.  Thank you to all who came and supported this event and again our sincere thanks to all those who contributed their gardens and their time to its success”.

Enjoy photos courtesy of Brian Potter and ANGi PHOTO and DESIGN…

Just click on read more then click a thumbnail to see a larger copy of the photos

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