What’s the easiest way to make sure a future for a music pageant, and by extension, a musical artwork type itself? By including extra focus to the subsequent 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 carry a significant music pageant to the attractive Southern Georgian Bay space of Ontario. Alongside along with his function as Inventive Director of the Collingwood Music Competition, Daniel Vnukowski has a busy profession as a live performance pianist and in addition 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 Faculty 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 sequence of performances in distant communities.
Highlights of this yr’s expanded youth and neighborhood programming embody:
- The annual Youth Academy has been expanded to 5 days with scholarships;
- A Rising Star live performance sequence;
- Native faculty outreach to greater than 500 college students;
- A free outside Symphony Below the Stars.
The Interview
“It’s so integral to our development,” Vnukowski says of the deal with subsequent gen applications.
As he notes, together with different issues, it’s a response to altering demographics within the Georgian Bay area. An increasing number of households are shifting right into a area that was as soon as identified largely as a trip space.
“We form of needed to develop right into a mini Tanglewood right here.”
The Youth Academy is a program for musicians age 24 and below, with candidates chosen by audition. Expanded to 5 from three days beforehand, occasions happen within the Nationwide Ski Academy services, and embody an intensive masterclass, youth expertise night time, live shows, and a chamber music group. Scholarships will cowl 20% of the schooling charges.
“It’s having fives days of actually immersive instruction,” he notes. The pure setting is a part of the attraction.
Together with occasions throughout the Competition, the varsity outreach program is a vital part. “We actually wish to hit the colleges once more,” he says.
It’s was a problem to restart that outreach publish pandemic, as he studies, however it’s important, notably contemplating the dearth of music schooling being provided within the faculty system. He believes that concentrating on center faculty youngsters aged about 10 to 12 is vital, and the response is greatest. “It’s earlier than the peer strain 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 form of candy spot.”
He mentions the joy 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 embody 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 sequence.
“We didn’t count on to have a full home,” he mentioned of final yr’s live performance. “That was vastly profitable.”
Summer time 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 may embody prime 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 taking part in in cottages.” It’s now an occasion with a real sense of neighborhood. “It’s very festive.”
The Competition has a notable financial affect on the bigger neighborhood, however it’s about greater than {dollars} and sense.
“It’s helps the newcomer discover a sense of belonging,” he says. “It could actually assist teenagers discover themselves as they develop up.”
The Symphony Below The Stars, a free outside live performance that’s being launched this yr, goals to carry the Competition expertise to a broader viewers, together with those that might not suppose that orchestral music is their factor. This system will embody 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 possibly can see, we’re branching out,” he says. “When the ten years olds develop into 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.