What’s one of the simplest ways to make sure a future for a music pageant, and by extension, a musical artwork kind itself? By including extra focus to the following era. That’s the thought behind an growth of the youth programming being provided on the Collingwood Music Competition, going down this yr from July 9 to 18.
We talked to Inventive Director Daniel Vnukowski about what’s new, and what’s being provided to youthful music lovers on the Competition.
Daniel Vnukowski, Inventive Director
Daniel based the Competition in 2019 to convey a significant music pageant to the gorgeous Southern Georgian Bay space of Ontario. Alongside along with his position as Inventive Director of the Collingwood Music Competition, Daniel Vnukowski has a busy profession as a live performance pianist and likewise because the host of the Classical Jukebox on the New Classical FM radio station. He studied on the Lake Como Worldwide Piano Academy in Italy, the Peabody Institute of Baltimore, and on the Guildhall College of Music and Drama in London. Along with live shows in Canada, Europe and Asia, he has been devoted to schooling and outreach efforts, together with a collection of performances in distant communities.
Highlights of this yr’s expanded youth and group programming embrace:
- The annual Youth Academy has been expanded to 5 days with scholarships;
- A Rising Star live performance collection;
- Native college outreach to greater than 500 college students;
- A free out of doors Symphony Below the Stars.
The Interview
“It’s so integral to our development,” Vnukowski says of the give attention to subsequent gen applications.
As he notes, together with different issues, it’s a response to altering demographics within the Georgian Bay area. Increasingly households are shifting right into a area that was as soon as recognized largely as a trip space.
“We sort of needed to develop right into a mini Tanglewood right here.”
The Youth Academy is a program for musicians age 24 and underneath, with candidates chosen by audition. Expanded to 5 from three days beforehand, occasions happen within the Nationwide Ski Academy services, and embrace an intensive masterclass, youth expertise night time, live shows, and a chamber music group. Scholarships will cowl 20% of the tutoring charges.
“It’s having fives days of actually immersive instruction,” he notes. The pure setting is a part of the enchantment.
Together with occasions in the course of the Competition, the varsity outreach program is a vital part. “We actually wish to hit the faculties once more,” he says.
It’s was a problem to restart that outreach submit pandemic, as he experiences, however it’s important, significantly contemplating the dearth of music schooling being provided within the college system. He believes that concentrating on center college youngsters aged about 10 to 12 is essential, and the response is finest. “It’s earlier than the peer stress will get to them.,” he explains. It’s an age the place youngsters begin to wish to know extra in regards to the world round them. “That’s the sort of candy spot.”
He mentions the thrill the younger performers have had in earlier Festivals after they work with nationally and internationally acknowledged performers just like the Elmer Iseler Singers. “They’re so inspiring after they work with youth.” The mentors this yr embrace cellist Roman Borys, violinist Sharon Lee, mezzo soprano Andrea Ludwig, and Vnuknowski himself.
Vnukowski says the response to their name for video auditions went past their expectations, together with each the Youth Academy and Rising Star live performance collection.
“We didn’t count on to have a full home,” he mentioned of final yr’s live performance. “That was massively profitable.”
Summer season and Past
Across the core of summer time’s Competition week, including extra live shows and occasions all year long will preserve the momentum. That can embrace high touring artists.
“That’s within the works for the autumn,” he says. “It’s a pure development. We’ve come from a mother and pop group enjoying in cottages.” It’s now an occasion with a real sense of group. “It’s very festive.”
The Competition has a notable financial affect on the bigger group, however it’s about greater than {dollars} and sense.
“It’s helps the newcomer discover a sense of belonging,” he says. “It will probably assist teenagers discover themselves as they develop up.”
The Symphony Below The Stars, a free out of doors live performance that’s being launched this yr, goals to convey the Competition expertise to a broader viewers, together with those that might not suppose that orchestral music is their factor. This system will embrace well-known classical works, together with film music and orchestral preparations of pop. “All the same old suspects,” Daniel says.
An exit survey will assist them decide the affect. Are they newcomers to the Competition? Did they get pleasure from it — sufficient to return again?
“As you may see, we’re branching out,” he says. “When the ten years olds grow to be 65 yr olds, are they nonetheless shopping for tickets?”
- Discover out extra in regards to the Collingwood Music Competition [HERE].
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Anya Wassenberg is a Toronto Metropolis Editor at Ludwig Van. She is an skilled freelance author, blogger and writing teacher.
