Spring Recital

The first week of June, all of our students perform solo pieces, showing the culmination of their year’s work. It is always so much fun to see the improvement since their first performance in the fall.

This year we are doing a fascinating experiment – since there are public health restrictions in place on public gatherings due to the current pandemic, we are moving our recital on line!

We will host the recital as a Zoom meeting.

Here is the note that went out to everyone, with the link to join the meeting and all the tech requirements and protocols:

https://suzuki-flute-recorder.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Gmail-ESFRS-link-to-online-RECITAL-Thursday-June-4-edit.pdf

Looking forward to this!

And here are some snippets from last year’s recitals:

and dress rehearsals:

Bach in the Subways, March 21 2019

On J.S. Bach’s birthday (March 21 and into the weekend) musicians all over the world unite to perform free Bach in subways & public spaces, all day & all night, to share our love for our art form and sow the seeds for future generations of classical music lovers.

ALREADY PLANNING FOR 2021: 

Hi all, due to the new recommended protocols for social isolation to prevent spread of infectious disease, our Bach in the Subways event at Bonnie Doon has been cancelled by our host venue. Please celebrate Bach’s birthday at home, by playing his music, and stay healthy! We’ll be bach in 2021!

Still planning to play at Bonnie Doon LRT station and shopping centre. Watch this space for details as things are finalized!


Bach in the Subways, March 2019:

Our 2019 event was at City Hall on March 21, the actual day of Bach’s birthday! So we threw him a party complete with cards, hats, and noisemakers. The music was a “lottery concert” (selections drawn at random) of pieces by Bach and his family from Suzuki books 1 through 6 for recorder and flute.

 


Bach in the Subways, March 2015:

A Bachin Sub 2015 - 015In Edmonton,we were at the City Market in City Hall, and at the Churchill LRT station  We started at noon and stopped when we ran out of Bach.

A Bachin Sub 2015 - 030A Bachin Sub 2015 - 077

The flutes, recorders, violins, violas, and cellos played everything from the Anna Magdelena Bach notebook to the Double Concerto for two violins.A Bachin Sub 2015 - 063

The students were from the Suzuki organizations for both string and wind instruments:

Society for Talent Education
https://ste-suzukistrings.org
Edmonton Suzuki Flute & Recorder Society
https://suzuki-flute-recorder.ca

Here’s a short video taken by one of our parents: Post.

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:

SAMSUNG DIGIMAX A503In 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!

 

 

Mini-Concert in the Lobby of the Winspear Centre

We were invited to perform in the lobby of the Winspear Centre as part of the Alberta Music Conference. The invitation came at a time when we had only two regular group classes before the performance date. But no worries! Students in Suzuki programs are always reviewing their repertoire, so we are ready to play on short notice! We quickly put together a short program that included ALL our students, from the 5 year old beginners to the more advanced students in high school.

Flûte Alors!

Flûte Alors! is a dynamic recorder quartet from Montréal. They passed through Edmonton on Wednesday, February 21, and we are grabbed  them as they went by for an amazing evening of concerts and classes!

 

5:00 – 6:00 pm: Masterclass / Workshop for young recorder players

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm CONCERT! Bach ’n’ Jazz

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Masterclass / Workshop for adult recorder players

All events were at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church,  9155 79 Ave, Edmonton

Many thanks to Edmonton Recorder Society for co-sponsoring the concert, and to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church for the use of their facility.

Masterclasses

Our students take advantage of visiting artists to receive extra lessons from performers from all over North America. These lessons are often presented in a masterclass format. A masterclass is when the lesson is also attended by many other students, who all take notes and learn from the individual lessons. Suzuki Institutes provide a unique opportunity for younger and beginner students to experience lessons in masterclasses. Older and more advanced students can often participate in masterclasses and workshops presented by visiting artists through the Edmonton Flute Association and Edmonton Recorder Society.

Recently, one of our  flute students participated in a masterclass at U of A with Paolo Bortolussi.

  

And our recorder students were able to have a masterclass with members of Flute Alors!

 

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