Free tickets for Friday’s UPEI Recital

Hi all, just to let you know that there are some free tickets available for Friday night’s concert for students:

From an email: There will be two opportunities to hear the Island Camerata Players (Frances Gray; piano, Morgan Saulnier; flute and Natalie Williams Calhoun; cello) this coming weekend. Friday, September 28th at the Dr. Steel Recital Hall at 7:30 pm and again on Sunday, September 30th at Trinity United Church in Summerside at 3 pm.

http://news.upei.ca/media/2012/09/20/island-camerata-players-perform-morgan-saulnier-natalie-williams-calhoun-and-france

Once again the UPEI Music Department would like to offer each private music teacher 5 free tickets for your students to come to one of these recitals.

If you have interested students please send me their names by noon on Friday and I’ll add them to the list at the door.

Natalie says: if anyone is interested, please let me know as I have 5 tickets to offer to students! Jen might be available to give out hers as well…

Thanks!

N

Theory lessons

If any of you are interested in starting theory lessons, or perhaps continuing from where you left off, Natalie is experienced in teaching all the various levels of Rudiments as well as history, harmony and counterpoint in the Royal Conservatory of Music system. There are possibilities for private lessons as well as group lessons, depending on the number of students at a particular level, and costs range from $7 and up depending on the length of the lesson and the number of students involved.

Please contact Natalie via email at cellonatw@gmail.com or via cell phone at 316-0850 for more information.

Thanks,
N

Newsletter September 14, 2012 – Intermediate & Senior Singing Strings

Hi all, and welcome to the new music making season of the Singing Strings!

 

I hope you got your registration complete on Wednesday and have received a receipt in return… if not, please let us know when you will be sending your registration forms and money in as we need to have everyone registered by the end of September. Fees can be paid either for the whole year or for just the first term – further information on fees is posted in another post on this website, or email Natalie for more information.

Please remember to hold onto your music and bring it with you to every rehearsal or gig or concert you attend. ***Anyone who loses any part of their music will be responsible to pay $0.25 per sheet for another photocopy so save your money and don’t lose your music!

Senior Singing Strings – there is further information on a newly confirmed gig on October 4 posted on this website – Natalie does have more information if needed.

As most of you know, we like to have someone from each orchestra bring treats every week to share with their fellow musicians. Jen very kindly donated the treats on the first week, but we will be sending around a schedule for everyone to fill out with their preferred week to contribute in the next few days. For this coming week, the students bringing treats are:

                 Intermediate: Erin Chiasson

                 Senior: Aaron Rainnie

As we move forward during the year, we are trying to make the Singing Strings into a non-profit Society. For this, we will need parent volunteers to fill positions on a volunteer board. Please let one of us know (Jen, Natalie, Wendy or Sue) if you are interested and available to help out in such a position.

Many thanks, and please let us know if you have any questions!

Natalie & the Singing Strings team

Senior Singing Strings – Gig Orchestra

Add this date to your calendars, Senior Singing Stringers:

 

October 4/2012 – 5:00pm call to play 5:30 – 7:30 – The Ballroom, Delta Prince Edward, Charlottetown

This gig is to help celebrate 125 years of The Guardian. We will let musicians know closer to the date who will be performing this gig, but for right now reserve the spot in your calendar!

 

Thanks,

Jen & Natalie

Mark your calendars for this interesting concert (2 locations)!

Sept 28, 30

Island Camerata Players: Morgan Saulnier, flute; Natalie Williams Calhoun, cello; Frances Gray, piano   UPEI Dr. Steel Recital Hall, Ch’town 7:30 pm (28); Trinity United Church, Summerside 3:00 pm (30)

The UPEI Recital Series presents on Friday, September 28, “A Treasure of Trios” featuring members of the Island Camerata Players: Morgan Saulnier, flute, Natalie Williams Calhoun, cello and Frances Gray, piano. The program will also be heard on Sunday, September 30 at the Trinity United Church in Summerside, beginning at 3 pm.

The repertoire for this combination of three instruments includes an early work by a 13-year old Ludwig van Beethoven which challenges the virtuosity of the players in its dazzling figurations and tour de force variations taken up by each instrument in turn. The second work entitled “Aquarelles” by French composer Gaubert depicts three watercolours, the first suggesting a clear morning with ever-rippling arpeggios in the piano perhaps reflecting sunlight on water, the second more tenderly evoking an evening in autumn, and the third conjuring up a serenade with a distinct Spanish flavour.  The final work before intermission is a cheerful trio by the Czech composer, Martinu, who wrote this in the United States shortly after fleeing Europe during the Second World War. The slow movement, in contrast to the outer ones, is more reflective with perhaps a hint of nostalgia for his homeland.

The second half of the program opens with a transcription of the beautiful and beloved impressionistic symphonic poem “Afternoon of a Faun” by Claude Debussy. The concert comes to a close with a brilliant trio by early Romantic German composer, Carl Maria von Weber, who is perhaps best known for his influential operas.

This program gives the audience a rare opportunity to hear music composed or arranged for this particular ensemble. Morgan Saulnier is a versatile flutist who teaches the flute majors at UPEI and runs her own busy music studio. Natalie Williams Calhoun is a respected teacher of strings and adjudicates for the Royal Conservatory of Music in addition to her role as administrator of the PEI Symphony.  Frances Gray has had a long association with UPEI as professor of Piano and Music Theory. All three musicians perform in the PEI Symphony Orchestra. The players have been well-received before on a number of occasions as a group and now come together for another great evening of chamber music. The concert begins at 7:30 at the Dr. Steel Recital Hall on the UPEI Campus. Tickets are available at the door beginning at 7 pm. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. The Dr. Steel Recital Hall is wheel-chair accessible. Please call 566-0507 for any needed information. The Sunday September 30 concert at Trinity United Church in Summerside will have tickets available at the door beginning at 2:30 pm.

Fall Registration Information

FIRST REHEARSAL and REGISTRATION
for SINGING STRINGS ORCHESTRAS,

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 12th at Park Royal

 

ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES:  On Wednesday September 12th, we will be having orchestra sessions at Park Royal United Church [Junior: 3:30 – 4:40] – [Intermediate: 3:30 – 4:45] – [Senior: 5:00 – 7:00]. At this time we will be greeting parents and taking registrations for the Singing Strings Orchestra program. Registration and Indemnity Forms will be sent to you soon so that they can be completed at home and brought to Park Royal for registration.  (Spare copies will be available).

ABOUT THE MONEY: Our annual expenditure and fees are calculated on the assumption that we will have the same number of students as last year. This year we must make an adjustment to keep pace with the national increase in the cost of living. As we have not increased our fees for a few years, we are now obliged to make a change, and we trust you will understand.  Please don’t hesitate to call us if you have a problem with this.

We hope we can make life a little easier for you by splitting the payments into three installments:

Orchestra fees:

Senior: Annual Fee: $255 Payable now, OR  $85 per term paid at the beginning of each term (September 12, December 5 and March 13)
Intermediate: Annual Fee: $240 Payable now, OR $80 per term paid at the beginning of each term (September 12, December 5 and March 13)

Junior: Annual Fee:  $210 Payable now, OR  $70 per term paid at the beginning of each term (September 12, December 5 and March 13)

 

Attached is the registration form to bring to orchestra on Wednesday:

RegSINGING STRINGS 2012-13

As well as the indemnity form to fill out and bring with you (if you haven’t filled one out this year):

Hold Harmless form 2012

UPEI Department of Music Recital Series

Season Passes Now Available

Island concert-goers will find a new affordable option for enjoying music this fall, as the UPEI Music Department offers, for the first time, season passes to its 2012-2013 Recital Series. A one-semester pass ($84 for adults; $56 for students/seniors) provides access to a series of seven events at a 20% discount—an excellent value for those who are interested in only a portion of the series. The full-season pass ($147 for adults; $98 for students/seniors) offers incredible savings of 30% for all fourteen events. That’s the equivalent of four free concerts!

For more information about our upcoming season and to purchase season passes, please contact Susan Stensch at music@upei.ca.

UPEI recital_series_2012-2013

Hope to see you at some of the concerts!

Natalie

Seniors start rehearsals this week!

For those of you reading this who are part of the Senior orchestra (whether last season and continuing into this season, or who participated in the Senior orchestra at our recent camp), please come to a rehearsal THIS COMING WEDNESDAY at Park Royal United Church from 3-5pm. This is so we can plan for the upcoming gig on Septenber 8th in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Any questions about the gig, please contact Jen at jen@singingstrings.ca or at the usual telephone numbers.

Thanks,
Natalie