Contemporary Showcase is a festival of contemporary music by Canadian composers. ESFRS students participate in this festival both as soloists and in ensembles. Here are some performances from the 2019 festival:
Category Archives: Group Classes
Groups & Grads February 21, 2019
Groups & Grads 2015 at Stanley Milner Library Theatre
This concert is the showcase concert of the year for our program. It features both solo performances of students who are celebrating completion of a book level, and group performances from the ensembles.
This year Groups & Grads will be at Knoppers Hall, Kings University (9125 50 St. NW)
Concert starts at 6:30 pm – students should arrive by 6:00 pm for set up and tuning.
Admission is free! Bring a friend!
Groups & Grads 2017 at City Hall
Groups & Grads 2016 – check out the bass recorder and bass flute!
Click here for more information about the ESFRS book level graduation program.
Celebrate the Season at the Alberta Legislature
photo: Kelly Komm, 2018
Our groups often perform in the Alberta Legislature building during the holiday season. We perform under the rotunda in the main entrance before the grand staircase – a beautiful setting! This is part of the Celebrate the Season event hosted by the Legislative Assembly Visitor Services.
In 2016 we were joined by members of the Edmonton Recorder Society for some of the pieces. Here are some highlights from that performance:
Here’s some highlights from the 2015 performances. The Silverwinds senior trio playing the Healey Willan setting of the Huron Carol:
A collection of highlights featuring many of our different flute and recorder group combinations:
And from 2012, the senior trio playing Joy to the World:
and a Gavotte by Boismortier:
November Group Concert
At the end of November, our students perform duets, trios, quartets, and other ensemble music that they learn in their group lessons. The group lessons are an important community building part of our program, and it is in the group lessons where the students learn the skills that will keep them able to play music with their friends throughout their adult lives.
We welcome families who are interested in having lessons with their children. Come to the concert and see what we do! Registration in our program is open year-round. Click here for registration information.
In 2018 and 2017, the concert was at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, where we also have our regular weekly group lessons. Here are some highlights from the 2018 concert:
And highlights from the 2017 concert:
Here is the link to the rest of the playlist, if you want to see the whole concert:
In 2016, the concert was at Holy Spirit Lutheran Church. Here is a short selection featuring the Silverwinds playing in 7/8 with a bass flute:
And another selection from 2016, featuring our beginners playing their very first ensemble piece:
In 2015, the concert was at the Strathearn United Church. Here are some highlights from that performance:
In 2013 and 2014, the concert was in the Expressionz Cafe. There were many favourable comments about the coffeehouse setting. Many parents enjoyed being able to sit back with a latte while enjoying the concert. Unfortunately, Expressionz had to close, so in November 2015 we found a new venue. Thank you Expressionz, for hosting us!
Kiwanis Music Festival
ESFRS Students are encouraged to participate in the Edmonton Kiwanis Music Festival when their teachers feel that they are ready to benefit from this experience. What is the Kiwanis Festival? Its an opportunity to play in a concert AND have a lesson at the same time. Here’s how it works:
Students who enter the festival choose to enrol in a class, which is sorted by age, instrument, or playing level. Once the Festival organizers have received all the participants, they schedule the classes to perform in short concerts at various times throughout the day. (Yes, you may have to miss school to participate – but its more fun than a dentist appointment 🙂 ) After each class performs, the adjudicating teacher will them give each performer comments related to their performance, identifying strengths and challenges. Sometimes these comments are verbal, sometimes they take the form of a short lesson. It depends on the adjudicator. The adjudicators are very fine artist teachers who are brought in from out of town. For the 2018 Festival, we will get to perform for the famous Canadian clarinetist James Campbell. This is a wonderful opportunity to get feedback from an excellent musician.
If you want to participate in the Festival, check with your teacher first to see what piece you should prepare to play if it is appropriate for you to participate. Then you go to the Festival website to register on-line or print out the registration form to mail (or scan and e-mail): http://www.edmontonkiwanis.com/musicfest/registration.html#regforms There are links on this site to pay your entry fees as well.
Here are the class numbers that our students will often enter. This is not all of them! Check with your teacher for more possibilities. The Suzuki Flute classes are not part of the provincial festival syllabus, they are special classes for our youngest students that we added at the local level a few years ago when we had Dr. David Gerry come to be the adjudicator :
- Suzuki Flute 5 + under: K41900
- Suzuki Flute 6 + under: K41910
- Suzuki Flute 7 + under: K41920
- Suzuki Flute 8 + under: K41930
- Suzuki Flute 9 + under: K41940
- Suzuki Flute 10 + under: K41950
- Suzuki Flute 12 + under: K41970
- Suzuki Flute 14 + under: K41990
- Recorder Solo Pre Grade 1 standard: 47310
- Recorder Solo Grade 1-2 standard: 47320
- Recorder Solo Grade 3-4 standard: 47330
- Recorder Solo Grade 5-6 standard: 47340
- Recorder Solo Grade 7-8 standard: 47350
- Woodwind Solo 12 + under: 48000
- Woodwind Solo 14 + under: 48010
- Woodwind Solo 16 + under: 48020
- Woodwind Solo 18 + under: 48030
- Flute Solo Pre Grade 1 standard: 41310
- Flute Solo Grade 1-2 standard: 41320
- Flute Solo Grade 3-4 standard: 41330
- Flute Solo Grade 5-6 standard: 41340
- Flute Solo Grade 7-8 standard: 41350
- There are other classes for concertos, sonatas, and modern music, as well as special scholarship classes. Consult with your teacher to find out more possibilities. Your group may also participate in a chamber music class.
The grade standards are not the grade you are in at school! They represent the grade level of your chosen piece according to the Royal Conservatory of Music syllabus. Check with your teacher to find out what the grade of your piece is.
Some of the classes have a competitive element. The adjudicator will give a percentage mark and declare and first and second place in the class. Others are non-competitive. In non-competitive classes they give ratings such as S (superior) and D (distinction). In this case D is an excellent mark!! (not like on your school report card.)
Student performances from the Edmonton Kiwanis Music Festival – April 2015
Mid Term Mini Concerts
Something new we are trying for the 2017-2018 season: we take the group night in the middle of the term and turn it into a small concert, where we all play for each other instead of having our regular classes.
This is very informal. There is no dress code. Unlike our large recitals that we have in January and June, not everyone will play solos, only those who are recommended by their teacher as having something ready. Each group will play something they have been working on, so every student will have an opportunity perform in their groups.
Since not everyone will be playing a solo, there is no set rehearsal time with a pianist before the concert. Each student is responsible for their own accompaniment. This can be playing as a duet with a teacher, or teachers can play the piano parts. If you are playing a more complex piece that requires a piano specialist to accompany you, you are responsible for arranging a pianist and rehearsing in advance. So even though the concert is more informal, individual students have to take more responsibility for their preparation.
This event is open to the public. Students can invite friends and family. Anyone who is interested in seeing what we do in the ESFRS program is welcome to drop in.
Borealis Suzuki Winds Institute 2017
The 2017 Institute featured many guest artist teachers from all over the world!
Music cognition researcher and Suzuki Flute teacher trainer Dr. David Gerry presented public lectures at McEwan University and a training class for teachers.
Christine Hildebrand was here from Germany – she attended the teacher training class and worked with some of our local students.
And the The Fourth Wall was here at the Fringe Festival, so we grabbed them on short notice for a fantastic workshop!
10th Anniversary Celebration
January 28, 2017
10th anniversary Concert Celebration
Groups performed:
Mixed group with teacher Kathleen Schoen
Recorder group with teacher and pianist Dorothy Beyer
Flute group with teacher Beth Gardner
Soloists also performed on both flute and recorder:
And of course there was cake, and flowers, and general happy celebrations:
In our program, the beginners start out like this:
and end up sounding like this:
Many thanks to photographers Asanka Dissanayaka, Jackie Lalonde, Kelly Komm and Thomas Schoen.
Thanks to Susanna So for organizing and donating the cake.
Thanks to McEwan University for the use of the concert hall.
Thanks to Dorothy Beyer for playing the piano.
Opening Play-in and FREE drop-in beginner class
The first group event of the year is our opening play-in to start the fall term of group classes. All the students gather at the same time to play their known repertoire together. This is an opportunity for the youngest and the oldest students to play together and learn from each other in a multi-level group.
The beginner class, which we call the “Toolbox” class, includes students who have just begun their lessons. Often they will be working on fundamental skills away from the instrument. Since having the instrument is not a requirement to participate in the beginner class, we open it up to any parents with children who would like to try a class to see what it is like.
Group classes are normally on Thursday evenings, but we moved the play-in to the weekend in order to be part of the Alberta Culture Days events. Time and location of this year’s event:
Saturday Oct. 1, 2016 – Nordic Studio A, Arts Barns
- Beginner drop-in class (anyone can participate) 11:30 am – 12:15 pm
- Multi-level demonstration class noon – 1 pm
- Grand march and performance in the Gazebo in McIntyre Park 1 – 2 pm
Check out our listing on the Alberta Culture Days page: click here
Borealis Suzuki Winds Institute 2016
The Canadian Recorder team at the Instrument Olympics
Mixed doubles “breath tennis” at the Instrument Olympics
The highlight of the Institute this year was the “Instrument Olympics”, inspired by the Summer Olympics happening in Rio de Janeiro at the same time.
Events included the Instrument Balance Beam, Feather Float, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Mixed Doubles Breath Tennis, Scale Relays, and Long Note. And of course, every participant received a Gold Medal at the medal ceremony on the last day .
Canadian Rhythmic Gymnastic Recorder Team at the BSWI Instrument Olympics
Gold medal presentation on the last day of the BSWI Instrument Olympics