A rare concert experience occurred in August that fea-tured talented pianists from Toronto including 3 ORMTA members - 2 from our very own CTB!!

The city of Toronto, through Toyich International Pro-jects, joined with the historic city of Rome, Italy, to present a "first-of-its-kind" city-to-city musical outdoor extravaganza.

After Toronto’s August 7th outdoor Gala Monster Concert, attended by over 1000 people, the performers were invited by Mr. Roberto Vernarelli, president of the municipality of Rome, to perform in Rome on August 14 and 15 under the direction of William Shookhoff. The concerts were held in the Piazza Risorgimento, adjacent to Vatican Square, and in front of the Castel Sant’Angelo on the banks of the Tiber River.

Congratulations to Frank Horvat, Jelena Cingara (of CTB) and Hwa-Ing Arianne Kwek for being part of this historic 10 piano, 20 pianists event that showcased and promoted young Canadian classical musicians.

The programme featured works by Gottschalk, Johann Strauss, Bizet and Rossini ­ among others.

All involved were proud to represent Canada as well as the music performance and education professions

Two of the main reasons Garth and I moved to Toronto in July 2001 were to join close friends at 21 Shaftesbury, and to attend concerts, art exhibitions and theatre.

Musical highlights since then included the performance of the Concertgebouw Orchestra at Roy Thompson Hall, the piano recital by Radu Lupu at the Centre for the Performing Arts and a stunning Messiah with Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec conducted by Bernard Labadie at Massey Hall. The ballet Swan Lake was another favourite which we enjoyed with friends from Waterloo.

This year we plan to attend the opera and ballet series with other "specialties" mixed in.

Our ORMTA members are fortunate to have such a fabulous season of cultural events to inspire them in another great year of teaching.

See you at the symphony!

- Marjorie Beckett.

The Central Toronto Branch is pleased to present Teachers-In-Concert in early March 2004. This year, Richard Summers, our coordinator for the event, is enthusiastic about organizing another successful concert.

Teachers are welcome to perform repertoire of their choice. Chamber groups are very much welcome.

Non-Branch members are also welcome provided that they perform with a member of the Branch.

This event is an excellent opportunity for teachers to keep up their performance skills and be a good role model for their students at the same time!

If you are interested in participating, please contact Richard with your ideas.

The entire branch and executive would like to welcome 2 new members to Central Toronto Branch.

Helena Gintere (Active ­Piano) lives in the west end of Toronto. Karen Rymal (Active ­ Piano, Organ, Voice) has her studio in the vibrant and busy Greektown in Toronto’s east end.

Contact information for these new members is on the white "in-house" branch membership list included in this mailing. They will be listed on the yellow directory next year.

We look forward to meeting you at our general meetings and at our events.

On a more general note, if you have any changes of address, status, etc., please report them to our registrar, Mary Mexis Lumsden, and to Frank Horvat. This will ensure that all our records are up to date: paper, website, provincial and that you continue to receive our valuable and informative mailings. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

November is just around the corner and that means it’s time for the Fall Auditions & Recital.

The Branch is pleased to announce our adjudicators: Virginia Taylor for our Auditions and Jenny Regehr for the Recital.

Remember to mail in your completed entry form by the deadline (October 28). Please review the rules that are included in this mailing before you mail in the entry form.

It is a regular gesture on the part of teachers whose students participate in the Auditions to donate their time. If you are able to lend some of your time for either event or if you have any questions, please contact Ford Barker.

Central Toronto Branch is proud to award Theory Scholarships for outstanding results from the May session to students of Branch members:

• Caitlin McGarry ­ Grade 4 Harmony 93% (student of William Griffiths)
• Gwendolyn Lovsted ­ Grade 3 Harmony 89% (student of Maria Case)
• Sarah A. Bradley ­ Grade 3 Harmony 88% (student of Maria Case)

For more information, please refer to the Awards & Scholarships list from last month’s mailing. If you would like another copy, please click here or contact Mary @ (416) 693-5099. Successful results from August Theory exams must be submitted no later than December 10. Please send results to Mary Mexis Lumsden, 393 Main Street, Toronto, M4C 4X9

A select group attended our traditional first get together of the year on Sunday, September 14th!

The meeting started off with a power point presentation by the RCM Examinations department. Elizabeth Day and Mimi Spencer, from RCME, introduced those who attended to the RCM Examinations website and led an exploration of the site and its features and benefits to teachers and students. For example, did you know that you can now read not only the marks, but also the comments found on your students’ papers? And often before they receive them? As well, students can book their own examination times and reduce conflicts that they may have with school and school exams.

A short General Meeting also took place where we outlined the events for the year and answered member comments, questions and concerns.

The date of the Autumn Tea was earlier than usual because of the Peteris Zarins workshop "Preparing for History exams" taking place on September 29th. This promises to be an excellent and informative event in itself!

We thank RCM examinations for their informative presentation and those members who came to hear them. Special thanks to Marjorie Beckett for hosting the event this year!

Central Toronto Branch co- hosted a workshop by Peteris Zarins called "Preparing for History examinations" on September 29th at the Women’s Art Association.

There were about 25 people at the three hour workshop. Mr. Zarins was not only informative, but also had a witty and anecdotal style.

The workshop covered all three grades of the history examinations. The changes to the curriculum were dealt with in detail and insight was offered on the new works and composers that have been added to the syllabus.

Finally, tips and practical advice were given to those who attended on the topic of examiner expectations and helping their students prepare.

Participants were given packages of useful materials full of ideas that they can implement in their studios. Mr. Zarins is the Chief examiner, training and development, of the RCM Examinations department.

Announcements were recently made on the locales of upcoming CFMTA Conventions:

• 2005 ­ Calgary, Alberta

The CFMTA is a national body that acts as a federation between all the Provincial Music Teacher Associations across Canada including the ORMTA. CFMTA Conventions feature National Competitions and high level workshops amongst many other events.

Our website has quickly become a key tool of communication with the general public.

Generally, the website is used by the public to find a teacher, seek information on becoming a member, or to look for other online resources related to music.

Recent additions to the site include an immense amount of information and printable entry forms for the Metro Toronto Zone Competitions. The website is also an excellent way to find out the goings on in our neighbouring branches, who we share the website with.

65% of Central Toronto Branch members currently have their contact and/or biographical information posted on the website. If you do not have a presence but would like one, you must submit a "Website Information Form" to Frank Horvat. If you do not have a form, feel free to contact Frank. Happy Surfing!

Marjorie Francoz, Central Toronto Branch member, is part of an art exhibition entitled "COLOURFLO" that is being held at the Neilson Park Creative Centre Gallery. The show began on September 23rd and continues to October 10th.

The Neilson Park Creative Centre Gallery is located at 56 Neilson Drive, Etobicoke (South of Bloor St. and West of the West Mall.) Admission is free.

Gallery hours are: Mon. - Sat. 9 am ­ 4 pm, Sunday 12 ­ 4 pm, Tues. & Thurs. evgs. 7-9 pm

Marjorie’s works will also be exhibited at our Teachers in concert in March at the Women’s Art Association.

ORMTA Branches in the Greater Toronto Area also have upcoming informative and enlightening workshops:

ORMTA ­ Etobicoke Mississauga Branch presents Preparing your students for History examinations with RCM Examinations on Wednesday, October 15th, 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at RCM Adamson Estate, Enola Avenue, Mississauga. Admission is free. RSVP: Virginia Taylor (416) 742-6429. This workshop is another presentation of the September 29th workshop.

ORMTA - Etobicoke Mississauga Branch presents "J.S. Bach: Two part inventions", a workshop fea-turing Vadim Serebryany on Sunday, October 25th, 1:30-4:30 pm at the Noel Ryan Auditorium, Mississauga Central Library, 301 Burnhamthorpe Road West near Living Arts Center. For more information, please call Lita Zagala at (905) 848-4488, or email her at litazagala@rogers.com.

RCM Keyboards department presents a workshop with Dr. Faina Bryanskaya on Thursday, October 9th, 10 am to 1 pm at the Mazzoleni Concert halls. More details on the enclosed flyer.

Gloria Saarinen, CTB member, presents a MidSummer Music Benefit Concert on Friday, October 10th at 6:00 p.m. The concert will feature faculty and students of the MidSummer Music Summer Camp, 2003. For more information contact Estelle Hamoline at (905) 825-1475.

Members wishing to order their own ORMTA business cards at a competitive price, please contact Astro Printing Service in Cornwall, Ontario. 613-932-9281.

The next Newsletter will be distributed in mid January. Members are welcome to submit announcements to Mary Mexis Lumsden.

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