We are thrilled to see that programs are able to run this summer in various formats, and we are excited to hear what some of our students are up to in the coming months!
For their 61st season, The National Youth Orchestra of Canada is running an online program for an orchestra of over 130 musicians. This group includes 10 GGS students, 4 alumni, and 2 incoming students in online programming spanning from June 12 to August 12. Students attending include Anna Betuzzi (ADP ’22, oboe); Laura Kuri (BMus ’24, trumpet); Declan Scott (BMus ’24, trumpet); David Liam Roberts (BMus ’22, cello); Jacques Forest (ADP ’22, double bass); Glenda Lindgren (BMus ’21, oboe); Emily Luo (BMus ’24, oboe); Noah Hawryluck (BMus ’24, horn); Jackson Howard (BMus ’23, trombone); Mario Perez (ADP ’22, percussion); alumni Brayden Krueger (ADP ’21, percussion); Yu Kai Sun (ADP ’19, violin); Michael Song (BMus ’21, cello); Ben Heard (BMus ’19, double bass); and incoming students Peter Eratostene (ADP ’23, double bass); and Andrew Mendis (BMus ’25, trumpet).
Another program with a large contingent of GGS students, alumni and faculty is the Toronto Summer Music Festival. This virtual festival includes The Art of Song and the Chamber Music Fellowships, and features a robust lineup of concerts presented by the Festival Artists for this year. GGS artists include Fellows Matthew Eeuwes (ADP ’22, viola), Jessy Kim (PDP ’16, 2020-21 Rebanks Fellow, violin), Katya Poplyansky (ADP ’18, 2018-19 Rebanks Fellow, violin) and Leslie Ashworth (BMus ’19, violin), as well as Festival Artists and GGS alumnus Asitha Tennekoon (ADP ’16, voice) and faculty Adrian Fung (Cello - Afiara Quartet / Quartet in Residence 2012-2016), Adrianne Pieczonka, Angela Schwarzkopf, Barry Shiffman, Keith Hamm (PDP ’11, viola), and Mayumi Seiler.
Additionally, GGS students have sought out opportunities around Canada and North America. Sarah Pollard (ADP ’22, flute) will be attending the National Academy Orchestra in Hamilton, Ontario as 1 of 5 artists to participate under the direction of Boris Brott. The Orford Summer Music Academy will be running a virtual program this summer to the benefit of many students, including GGS’ own Chelsea Ahn (BMus ‘2022, piano) and Anna Betuzzi (ADP ’22, oboe). Pianist Brian Woods (ADP ’21) and violinist Daniel Dastoor (ADP ’22), in addition to the incoming quartet in residence, the Dior Quartet will be attending programming at Banff Centre, which has recently re-opened its doors, and violist Julien Altmann (ADP ’21) and violinist Isabel Lago (BMus ’21) will attend Music by the Sea in Bamfield, British Columbia, led in part by GGS faculty member Steve Dann. Domaine Forget’s International Music and Dance Academy is running a hybrid program for those who can attend in person, and those who are not able to travel at this time. Julien Altmann (ADP ’21, viola) and Isabella Perron (BMus ’24, violin) will attend live and virtual lessons and masterclasses, as well as perform in live concerts.
Students will also take advantage of the wider openings in the United States to attend festivals and programs. Justin Wisner (ADP ’21, clarinet) will be attending Carmel-By-The-Sea and Veronika Manchur (BMus ’21, violin) will be attending Bowdoin Music Festival in Brunswick, Maine. Additionally, cellist Sua Kwoun (BMus ’23) will be attending Meadowmount School of Music online for the 7-week program. Eric Guo (BMus ’24, piano) will be participating in a number of virtual festivals this summer, including The Art of Piano Festival out of Cincinnati, the Frost Chopin Festival in Miami, the Seattle Piano Institute, the PianoTexas Festival in Fort Worth and a master course in Radziejowice, Poland.
Finally, we have a large number of students participating in competitions this summer. Agnė Radzevičiūtė (ADP ’21, piano) and Eric Guo (BMus ’24, piano) will be participating in the 2021 Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Poland; Isabella Perron (BMus ’24, violin) and David Liam Roberts (BMus ’22, cello) will spend their summers preparing for the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition, which has been moved to September 2021. Isabella will also be participating in the Prix D’Europe Competition and harpist Ben Albertson (BMus ’22) will participate in the American Harp Society National Competition.
While this list contains a wide array of programs, competitions and festivals, we know that it does not represent all of the exciting work that is being done by others of our student body this summer. We wish you all the best of luck and the joy that comes with making music with your peers. Have a happy and healthy summer - we can’t wait to see you all again in the fall!
