Here - PIANOFEST 2016

MAY 14-15, 2016
MUN SCHOOL OF MUSIC, ST. JOHN'S NL
Keynote Speaker
Philip Johnston
AUTHOR OF
“THE PRACTICE REVOLUTIION”
AND
“THE DYNAMIC STUDIO”
PIANOFEST 2016
The biggest thing since the 88th key
We are very proud to announce PianoFest 2016, a 2-day celebration of the piano in
May 14-15, 2016
all of its forms. Open to students (ages 12 and up) and teachers from across the
province, this event will feature workshops on every style of playing from rock to
classical, exciting seminars on the instrument itself and the modern digital keyboard,
and ensemble performance experiences as you’ve never seen them before.
PianoFest 2016 is sponsored by Memorial University’s School of Music and Yamaha
Memorial University
School of Music
St John’s, NL
Canada, in participation with Reid Music, Ltd.
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MUN SCHOOL OF MUSIC, ST. JOHN'S NL
Taking place at Memorial University’s School of
Music, PianoFest will give participants the opportunity to
work with the best pianists this province has to offer,
including piano faculty from Memorial University, an awardwinning jazz pianist, as well as performers and pedagogues
from one of the most arts-driven communities in Canada.
Participants will play on top-of-the-line instruments and
experience new styles and new repertoire. Additionally,
participants will be informed about aspects of the
instrument, including: piano maintenance, the mechanics of
the instrument, as well as “what-to-know” when purchasing
a piano or keyboard. Join fellow musicians this weekend to
explore the many opportunities that this versatile instrument
has to offer.
Workshops and
lectures by top
pianists in our
province
For Students AND Teachers
PianoFest will have workshops, seminars, and round-table
discussions aimed at young students, advanced pianists,
and teachers. Our goal is to bring together the largest
group of pianists we possibly can for a 2-day extravaganza.
While the goal of the workshops is to get the students
involved and playing, there will also be a special set of
discussion groups, exclusively for teachers.
How to Register
Please complete the attached Application Form and send it
to Dr Philip Roberts ([email protected]). You can bring the
Consent Form to PianoFest or fax it in advance to 864-2666.
Registrations will be accepted on the day of the event but
early submissions are appreciated to help us plan the
ensemble performances. Applications received and paid
before April 15 will receive a 10% discount, and an
additional admission ticket to both recitals. A $50
registration fee is due upon registration and covers all
sessions, Saturday and Sunday lunch, and both concerts.
Please make cheques payable to Memorial University. Feel
free to contact Dr. Philip Roberts in advance if you have any
questions. Registered students will
have the opportunity to
work with nationally- and
internationally- renowned
performers in workshops
covering repertoire,
technique, jazz
improvisation, and
collaborative repertoire.
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MAY 14-15, 2016
MUN SCHOOL OF MUSIC, ST. JOHN'S NL
The Workshops
The PianoFest workshops for students and teachers will run from 9am-4:30pm on Saturday
and 9am-3:30pm on Sunday. Food will be provided for lunch on both days, and participants
can bring a snack for the short break on Saturday morning. Most workshops will be directed
toward both students and teachers, but there will be a series of discussion groups solely for
teachers while the students rehearse their ensemble repertoire. Our goal is to present
hands-on workshops that get participants, well, participating! Here is a sample of the
workshops offered at PianoFest 2016:
Jazz Piano Basics: Chording and Improvisation
Memorization Magic: Train Your Brain
Know Your Instrument: The Mechanics of the Piano
Strength Training: Technique=Power!
Beyond the Syllabus: Hidden Gems of Piano Repertoire
Teacher RoundTable sessions, running parallel to ensemble rehearsals, will each cover a
topic that will be discussed in an informal, supportive discussion group, led by an
experienced and qualified pedagogue. Topics will include:
Ensemble Playing
Educating the Parents
Students with Specific Needs
Goals and Activities: Competitions and Exams
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MUN SCHOOL OF MUSIC, ST. JOHN'S NL
The Concerts
There will be two concerts featured as part of PianoFest 2016:
Faculty Gala
Our clinicians are all successful professional musicians, come
hear what they have to offer in their element!
Saturday, May 14th
7:00pm
D.F. Cook Recital Hall, MUN School of Music
$15 general/$10 student and senior
Free admission to registered PianoFest participants
Student Concert
A celebration of the Piano in all its forms. Performances by our
student participants, including ensemble playing like you’ve
never seen before!
Sunday, May 15th
4:00pm
D.F. Cook Recital Hall, MUN School of Music
$15 general/$10 student and senior
Free admission to registered PianoFest participants
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MUN SCHOOL OF MUSIC, ST. JOHN'S NL
The Facilities
Located in St John’s, Memorial University’s School of Music has the largest collection of
professional-grade keyboard instruments in the province, including a digital keyboard lab,
dozens of practice rooms, and two beautiful concert halls. With four piano faculty members,
this program has produced piano students who have continued their studies at prestigious
graduate programs and exciting careers in performance.
The D. F. Cook Recital Hall is an
acoustically rich 296 seat concert hall
equipped with a Casavant pipe organ. The
hall features recording and sound
reinforcement facilities, and a 9-foot
Yamaha concert grand piano.
The Faculty Gala and Student Recital with
both take place in Cook Hall
Suncor Energy Hall (previously PetroCanada Hall) seats about 120, and has
extensive multimedia and recording
capabilities as well as rich acoustics. The
hall features a Yamaha C2 grand piano.
Most of the PianoFest workshops will take
place in Suncor Hall
The Keyboard Lab consists of 10 Yamaha
digital pianos, and is generally used for
Functional Keyboard classes.
PianoFest students will use this room for
ensemble rehearsals.
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Special Guests
In addition to workshops with our incredible artistic team, we’re fortunate to have
workshops with some of the best this province has to offer in the piano world, as well as an
opening address by none other than Philip Johnston, world-famous author of “The Practice
Revolution”, “The Dynamic Studio”, “The Practiceopedia” and much more.
Philip Johnston is the founder of, and chief
writer for, the world’s largest website for
music teachers and students at
www.InsideMusicTeaching.com, attracting
over 1.8 million hits a month from studios
around the world, while his previous books
The Practice Revolution and Not Until You’ve
Done Your Practice, have stamped him as
one of the world’s leading experts on
practicing.
Based in Australia, Philip has also recorded for Warner Music as a concert pianist in his own right, composed
for Alfred Publishing, and has a Masters degree in Piano Performance from Indiana University. As a violin
student, though, he was kicked out by no fewer than six violin teachers…… for not practicing.
Philip is married with three children, and juggles his time between writing, composing, performing, website
development, and instructing in Taekwondo. In his home
town, though, he’s best know as running the fastest
growing and most publicized studio in the city, with
bookings for places sometimes running several years
ahead, and students travelling interstate for lessons.
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Bill Brennan’s expertise as a pianist,
percussionist, composer and producer can be
heard on some 100 albums to date. His album
“Solo Piano 2” won the MusicNL Instrumental
album of the year in 2008. His album of 2006
Solo Piano received nominations for MusicNL
and ECMA “Instrumental Album of the Year”.
Brennan has recorded with the Heillig
Manouevre, Evergreen Club Contemporary
Gamelan and Vuja De. He appears on CDs by
Juno-nominated Teresa Doyle, ambient-pop-rocker Andy Stochansky, guitarist Kevin Breit,
torch folksinger Andrea Koziol and by fellow Newfoundlanders Sandy Morris and Patrick
Boyle. He has backed up such greats as Cab Calloway, Placido Domingo and Dizzy
Gillespie.
Always in demand as a folk and jazz pianist, Brennan performs regularly with his own
projects. He has performed across North America and around the world: Indonesia,
Austria, Germany, France, Japan, Norway, the Czech Republic, England, Scotland, Portugal
and Switzerland.
Over the past three decades, Brennan has been involved with some of the best-known
organizations in Canadian culture. He has performed with the National Ballet and the
Canadian Opera Company. He was musical director of CBC’s beloved Vinyl Café (hosted by
Stuart MacLean), and a documentary composer for David Suzuki’s The Nature of Things.
Brennan was musical director and composer for Building Jerusalem, an award-winning play
by Michael Redhill (Best new production, Dora Awards, 2000). He has also performed on
film soundtracks for The Ice Storm (directed by Ang Lee) and Antwone Fisher (directed by
Denzel Washington). He has been musical director for Chicago, White Christmas, Rocky
Horror Show, Evita and Disney in Concert (Tada Productions).
Nationally and internationally, his work has been formally recognized through the awarding
of a number of prestigious awards and commissions, including the Freddie Stone Memorial
Award (1999). He has been commissioned to compose for contemporary music performers
including Hemispheres and percussionist Romano DiNillo. Several of these works have
been premiered at the Sound Symposium.
More than 30 years of relentless experience have garnered Brennan a solid reputation as a
player, composer and arranger of contemporary classical, jazz, folk and world music —
always exploring, always open to new ideas, Brennan’s talents resist classification. Geoff
Chapman of the Toronto Star says: “Brennan … is a central figure in this country’s music.”
Brennan was named the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council Artist of the Year for
2006. He directs the Memorial University Jazz Ensemble and Gamelan Sagara Asih (the
Memorial University Gamelan Ensemble).
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MUN SCHOOL OF MUSIC, ST. JOHN'S NL
Originally from Stephenville, Evan Smith now calls St.
John's home having built a reputation here as a wellrespected and sought-after musician. He holds a B.Mus in
Voice from Memorial University and is currently
completing his Masters in Vocal Performance and
Pedagogy. Believing functional piano is crucial in a pianists life,
he has subsequently worked as an accompanist with the
Philharmonic Choir (PCNSO) and the Quintessential Vocal
Ensemble (QVE) with whom he travelled to New York last
Spring to perform as a guest at Carnegie Hall. He has also accompanied thousands of singers
across the province in festivals, recitals and concerts. From 2008 to 2013 Evan worked extensively with the Stephenville Theatre Festival,
returning annually (2010-2013) as Musical Director, keyboard player, vocal coach, and performer.
There he directed, composed and performed in more than 25 shows encompassing rock, pop,
country and musical theatre. He has musical directed and served as vocalist/pianist for various
productions in the city including Grease (Theatre St. John's), An Evening With Andrew Lloyd
Webber (Theatre St.John's), British Invasion (Red Dress Entertainment), and Skeets, Snobs and
Peppermint Knobs (Spirit of Newfoundland) to name just a few. This Fall he co-produced and
starred in Pianomen: The Music of Elton John and Billy Joel at the St.John’s Arts and Culture
Centre performing to a sold out audience. Evan’s teaching career spans nearly a decade of sharing his knowledge, experience and
love of music with piano and voice students of all ages and backgrounds.
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MUN SCHOOL OF MUSIC, ST. JOHN'S NL
Our Team
Dr Philip Roberts
Philip Roberts currently resides in St. John’s, Newfoundland,
where he teaches at Memorial University’s School of Music. He
holds a Doctorate in piano performance from the University of
Montreal where he studied with Marc Durand, as well as a
Master’s degree from the University of Montreal and an Honours
Bachelor of Music from Memorial University.
An active performer, Dr. Roberts has been heard regularly on
CBC radio, including local and national broadcasts. His solo and
collaborative performances have taken him across Canada and in the U.S. and Europe, including
performances with Banff Centre String Orchestra and the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. He has
won numerous awards including the International Gold Medal at the Llangollen International Musical
Eistenfodd in Wales, and the Royal Bank-Debut Atlantic Award for Musical Excellence.
Dr. Roberts’ teaching career has included universities, conservatories and a high-level private studio.
His students are regular participants, and prizewinners, at the local music festival. He also regularly
serves as a piano adjudicator at music festivals across Newfoundland and Labrador.
Jennifer Benson
Jennifer Benson lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where she enjoys an
active career of music- making. Her collaborative work ranges from coaching
vocalists and instrumentalists at MUN’s School of Music, to playing for
various community ensembles and theatre productions. She is also a
dedicated and sought-after teacher and adjudicator, and has a busy studio of
piano and voice students.
Jennifer has toured and recorded with a number of award-winning groups in
St. John’s. Most recently, she released an album with her current folk group
Steve Maloney and the Wandering Kind, which was nominated for five 2014
MusicNL awards, winning the ‘Rising Star of the Year’ award. The album was
also nominated for two 2014 ECMA awards. Jennifer attended Memorial University, where she received her
undergraduate degree in piano performance in 2010, and Master’s degree in piano performance/
pedagogy in 2014.
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MAY 14-15, 2016
MUN SCHOOL OF MUSIC, ST. JOHN'S NL
Andrew Gale
Andrew holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from
Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he studied under
piano professors Dr. Maureen Volk and Dr. Kristina Szutor. He
has been playing the piano since the age of four, and has
acquired a wide range of experience throughout his career.
Andrew has played in numerous groups including church
choirs, school ensembles, jazz bands, blues/rock bands, pit
orchestras, dinner theatres, cabarets, and chamber groups.
Prior to his University career, Andrew received several awards at
the Grand Falls-Winsdor regional Kiwanis Music Festival. These
awards included the junior (2007) and senior (2011) rose bowl
award, the most outstanding performance of the festival (2011),
and a scholarship award (2011) in support of post secondary music studies. He also competed in
Newfoundland’s Provincial Kiwanis Music Festival, where he was awarded for best piano performance
(2010).
Andrew currently teaches piano lessons at The Music Collection in St. John's, and he performs for
numerous events across the city. In recent months, Andrew has been focusing his spare time toward
auditioning for Toronto's Humber College Jazz Piano program.
Amy Dalziel
Amy Dalziel received her Master of Music degree in piano
performance and pedagogy at Memorial University of Newfoundland
under the direction of Dr. Maureen Volk. She was a recipient of the
School of Graduate Studies F.A. Aldrich Fellowship and a School of
Music Fellowship. Amy has been a prize-winner at several
competitions at the local and provincial levels. Most recently, she won
the Dr. Piano Rose Bowl Competition in the Halifax Kiwanis Music Festival (April 2014). In 2011 and
2012, she placed first at the Sackville Regional Music Festival’s provincial class and subsequently
competed at the New Brunswick Provincial Music Festival. Born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Amy’s
principal teachers include Ms. Michael King (Dartmouth), Mrs. Diana Torbert (Halifax), Dr. Stephen
Runge (Mount Allison University) and Prof. Lynn Johnson (Mount Allison University). She maintains
a full-time piano studio at the Music Collection and is Co-Music Director at St. James United
Church. She also accompanies several music students at Memorial’s School of Music.
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MUN SCHOOL OF MUSIC, ST. JOHN'S NL
Where to Stay
For students and teachers coming from outside the metro region, there are many options
for accommodations.
MUN Conference Accommodations
University residences are available at an
extremely competitive price, as compared to
hotels in the region. For more information, visit:
Paton College: $65-75 for two nights, one parent
one child
http://www.mun.ca/conferences/
The Guv’nor Inn
Located just down the street from The School of
Music, The Guv’nor has comfortable
accommodations and an excellent restaurant.
http://www.theguvnor.ca
Holiday Inn St John’s
The largest hotel located close to the
School of Music, The Holiday Inn is
within walking distance of PianoFest
www.holidayinn.com/StJohns
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MAY 14-15, 2016
MUN SCHOOL OF MUSIC, ST. JOHN'S NL
REGISTRATION FORM
PianoFest 2016
Name
_______________________________________________
Address
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Home Tel#
_______________________________________________
Work Tel#
_______________________________________________
Cell #
_______________________________________________
E-mail
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Birthday
____________________________ Age _______
Gender
M
F
School/Grade (current)
Private piano teacher
_____________________________
___________________________________
Number of years playing/Level
_____________________________
Allergies/Nutritional needs
_____________________________
_____________________________________________________________
(PARENT OR GUARDIAN SIGNATURE)
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