April 2009 KIWANIS MUSIC FESTIVALIssue #3 Pg. 1W

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IN THIS ISSUE

1. Provincials

2. Nationals

3. New Office

4. Kruse Scholarship

5. Be A Volunteer

6. Juno Nominees

7. Festival Faces

8. Contact Us

OTTAWA SHINES AT PROVINCIALSForty-five performers - individualsand ensembles - were recommendedon to Ontario and QuebecProvincials by their various adjudi-cators at the Ottawa Festival lastyear. Just to attend is an honour. Tobe named a Winner or Runner Up,or to receive Honourable Mention,is icing on the cake! For a completelist of those who attended andplaced, check our website athttp://www.ottawakiwanismusicfestival.com

TRIO CON BRIO - NATIONALSOur congratulations to Silvie Cheng,Daniel Parker and MitchellGibbens-Schneider, who playedtheir way to First Place in theChamber Groups Division atNationals last summer in Edmonton.A well-deserved honour - we’re soproud of you for your talent anddedication!

NEW FESTIVAL OFFICESJanuary is generally not a great timeto move, but when you don’t haveto go outside to do it and no stairsare involved, it’s not so bad! We arethrilled with the spacious suite ofoffices we now inhabit, just insidethe Edison Avenue door at WestboroUnited Church. While most of ourstuff survived the move, the desk

belonging to our office manager,Jackie Albert, did not. Jackie needs anew desk that will accommodate hercomputer and afford her additionalwork-space. If you know of a suit-able one that needs a new home,please call the Festival Office at 613 226-7572.

KRUSE SCHOLARSHIPA scholarship has been establishedin memory of Elaine Kruse and contributions can be sent to theFestival Office at 457 Edison Ave.Elaine believed in young people andthe energy that young talent bringsto us all. Elaine worked tirelessly forthe Festival for many years and lefta legacy that will live on forever. Weall know about her endless drive anddetermination to improve things foryoung people and her pride in hearing a young person perform.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIESRecording Secretary for the Board ofDirectors. Time commitment:Attendance at 8 or 9 mid-day meet-ings over the year, plus the timerequired to transcribe and transmitminutes. You’ll need minute-takingskills and email access. If you’re adetail-oriented person, this positionis crying out to you! Call GaryMorton at 613 226-7572.

Assistance with Scholarship process-ing. Our Scholarship Chair, MariaHarwood, would welcome severalsets of willing hands to help her withthe gargantuan task of scholarship/trophy paperwork preparation. Thishappens during and immediatelyafter the festival, culminating withthe Highlights Concert. Maria wel-comes your help of a few hours to a

April 2009 KIWANIS MUSIC FESTIVALIssue #3 Pg. 2

few days, at her home in Manotick. Call her at613-692-2004.

Adjudicators’ Assistants. Sandra McKenny isalways on the look-out for new people to fill thiscrucial position as the adjudicator’s “right-handperson.” Requirements: a calm demeanor, and alove of details and follow-through. This is the bestway to get a front-row seat at a festival venue!Daytime or evening sessions - your choice. If youknow of someone who would make a perfect AA,please call Sandra at 613 820-2948.

This is arguably the most fun job in the festival!It would involve several days on the phone in bothdaytime and evening hours, throughout and immediately following the festival, being the bear-er of good tidings to the winners of scholarships,sharing in their excitement and giving them therundown regarding how they claim their scholar-ship(s). If this appeals to you, call Jackie Albert, at 613 226-7572.

AND THE JUNO NOMINEES ARE...…mostly Ottawa Kiwanis Music Festival alumni –at least in the “Classical Album: Vocal or Choral”category! Bass-baritone Gerald Finley, sopranoShannon Mercer and counter-tenor Daniel Taylorare all vying for top honours this year. ShannonMercer is actually featured on TWO of the fivenominated recordings. The Awards take place theweekend of March 28th/29th in Vancouver.

FESTIVAL FACES

GEORGE HOBSONGeorge, a member of the Kiwanis Club ofManotick, is a cheerful and familiar face aroundthe Festival, especially at the Musical Theatrevenue, where he has been the site manager forlonger than he probably cares to remember.George only recently retired from the KMF board,after serving with quiet wisdom and good humourfor, well, longer than he probably cares to remem-ber. Our office manager, Jackie Albert, describesGeorge as “a beacon of knowledge and insight.”Thank-you, George, for everything you’ve donefor the festival!

NITA SMITHNo matter what venue you haunt, you’ve probablyseen Nita quietly come and go, delivering neededitems, and just making sure everything’s goingwell. What you may not know is that Nita isresponsible for making sure that EVERYTHING in“The Box” is there. Every desk-book, adjudicationsheet, class file, certificate, pencil, syllabus, programme – and she does it all on the turn of adime! Oh, yes, she’s also the DisciplineCoordinator for Harp and Guitar. And one incredibly patient “traffic cop” at Choral! Thanks, Nita!

CONTACT USThe festival can also be reached by e-mail, atkmf@magma.ca. Our amazing Office Manager,Jackie Albert, fields all e-mails and forwards themto the person or persons who should receive them.

And, of course, there’s our wonderful web site,maintained by Gary Morton, where you can find awealth of information, including the Syllabus andProgramme (as they become available). Go to:www.ottawakiwanismusicfestival.com

AND, FINALLY, AN INVITATION TO SHAREIf you know of a KMF volunteer who should bereceiving this newsletter, please feel free to for-ward this issue to them, and invite them to addtheir e-mail address to our mailing list. They cando that by sending an e-mail to kmf@magma.ca,and putting the word “newsletter” in the subjectline. All we need is their first and last names, volunteer area(s), and their e-mail address.

We regret that we cannot mail hard copies of theletter to those who do not use e-mail. However, ifyou know of a volunteer without e-mail, perhapsyou would be kind enough to print off the letter forthem. If you do not wish to receive further issues,please also let us know by e-mail, and your infor-mation will be removed from our volunteer data-base.

Cheers! Diane