We made it to another one – welcome to Spring Break 2024, everybody! Got a couple of bits of news to share in the teaching department, the first of which involves this wonderfully-talented young person. This is from last year, when she won the Ted Good Music Guitar Trophy for her outstanding performances at the 2023 Brandon Festival of the Arts – however, she won the trophy again this time around, so it’s totally worth posting a year later (shared with permission of the student and her family):
There are times when it becomes clear to me that I have the best job in the world – yesterday evening was one of those times. The final event every year at the Brandon Festival of the Arts is the Highlights Concert, which includes the Kaye and G.R. Rowe Memorial Scholarship competition: one outstanding performer from each artistic discipline – Dance, Winds, Piano, Strings, Voice, and Guitar – is nominated by their respective area adjudicator; a juried concert takes place, and the winner gets a handsome scholarship. It gives me great pleasure and pride to introduce Sydney Komanac as the winner of the 2024 Rowe Scholarship for her performance of Phillip Houghton’s “God of the Northern Forest” and Kinkachoo, I Love You”. To my knowledge, she’s the first guitarist to be so recognized. Bravo, Syd!
Sydney is a member of my Grade XII (that’s High School Senior, to those of you living south of the 49th Parallel) quartet, also consisting of Antoni Klonowski (2024 winner of the Pattison Media, Q Country 91.5FM & 94-7 Star Senior Guitar Scholarship), Uli Moller, and Nazar Galinski. The quartet were awarded the Ted Good Music Classical Guitar Ensemble Scholarship for their outstanding performance of Léo Brouwer’s “Cuban Landscape with Rain”. Finally, Matthew Van Heyst walked away with the Pattison Media, Q Country 91.5FM & 94-7 Star Preliminary Guitar Scholarship. Super-Big Kudos to everyone who performed, and to their families for their hard work in helping to prepare them.
Yep. Best gig that a guitar teacher could hope for. Thanks for making it possible, Brandon; and thank-you all for taking the time to read about what I do. Peace and Kindness, tutti – we’ll talk again in a month or so.
Paul