The city is alight with music

Conservatory of Music’s Summer Series fills July schedule

Vocalist Gergana Velinova sits at the piano in Alix Goolden Hall in the Victoria Conservatory of Music. She is performing and teaching as part of the school’s Music Summer Series, including a jazz recital in the hall July 8.

Vocalist Gergana Velinova sits at the piano in Alix Goolden Hall in the Victoria Conservatory of Music. She is performing and teaching as part of the school’s Music Summer Series, including a jazz recital in the hall July 8.

For musicians, the Victoria Conservatory of Music’s summer academies are an all-consuming, week-long study of music.

For music fans, they mean a blissful July schedule of shows known as the Summer Series.

“It’s the best thing that’s happening in the summer and (the performances) shouldn’t be missed,” said Gergana Velinova.

The accomplished jazz singer is teaching and performing in a week-long summer jazz workshop, one of 25 VCM academies running July 4 to Aug. 6.

Each academy organizes at least two performances, with faculty and students holding court in venues as low key as Moxie’s Classic Grill and as big as the Alix Goolden Performance Hall.

It’s a regime of theory and rehearsal by day, followed by performances at night.

“People who visit and do the workshop with me talk about it for the rest of the year. It’s so different than having just a lesson. It’s growing with each other and getting in the zone of studying music intensely.”

The News caught up with the Victoria-based singer on Tuesday at the conservatory. She recently returned from doing a show in New York, where she performs semi-regularly. From September to April, Velinova is the vocal teacher and instructor for the Camosun College music diploma program through VCM, and conducts the VCM vocal jazz ensemble.

From July 4 to 9 she is leading the “jazz and gospel days” portion of the jazz workshop’s itinerary.

And she’ll have some help.

Joining her from South Carolina are gospel singer Kim Pacheco and gospel and jazz pianist Richard White Jr. Guest instructors are what make the VCM workshops so valuable, and the visiting musicians find them mutually beneficial too, said VCM community school registrar Bethany McNeil.

Not all students are youths, but many are and it prepares them for life as a professional musician.

“It’s a concentrated week of study with master classes and quick concert preparations. They get the music a week before the class starts,” McNeil said.

Some classes, like VCM’s baroque vocal, draw musicians from across Canada, she said. “Some of the students are quite advanced and many of the shows will be high quality.”

Velinova, Pacheco and White Jr. will take part in the faculty jazz show of professional musicians hosted by Don Thompson in the Alix Goolden Hall next Friday (July 8), followed by a different era of jazz on Saturday (July 9) with Brad Turner and the All Star Faculty Big Band, also in the Goolden Hall. Both shows are at 8 p.m. and cost $20 to attend.

The first show in the series happens at 7:30 p.m. Sunday night (July 3) at St. Michaels University School, a string recital led by Michael van der Sloot. Tickets are $15, or $10 for students.

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Summer Series concert schedule

Faculty Recital: Michael van der Sloot and Colleagues

Sunday, July 3, 7:30 p.m., St. Michaels University School

$15 adults, $10 students

 

Piano Faculty Recital: Michelle Mares

Monday, July 4, 2011, 7:30 p.m., Philip T. Young Recital Hall, University of Victoria

Admission by Donation

 

Fortepiano Recital: Dr. Michael Redshaw

Tuesday, July 5, 1 p.m., Philip T. Young Recital Hall, University of Victoria

Admission by Donation

 

Piano Faculty Recital: Roger Buksa & Anna Cal

Wednesday, July 6, 7:30 p.m., Philip T Young Recital Hall, University of Victoria

Admission by Donation

 

Musicians in the Making

Thursday, July 7, 7:30 p.m., Philip T Young Recital Hall, University of Victoria

Admission by Donation

 

Piano Faculty Recital:Walter Prossnitz

Friday, July 8, 7:30 p.m., Philip T Young Recital Hall, University of Victoria

Admission by Donation

 

Don Thompson hosts SJW Faculty

Friday, July 8, 8 p.m., Alix Goolden Performance Hall

$20 General Admission

 

Brad Turner leads All Star Faculty Big Band

Saturday, July 9, 8 p.m., Alix Goolden Performance Hall

$20 General Admission

 

Ensemble Night

Monday, July 11, 7:30 p.m., Philip T. Young Recital Hall, University of Victoria

Admission by Donation

 

Adult Student Recital

Tuesday, July 12, 7:30 p.m., Philip T. Young Recital Hall, University of Victoria

Admission by Donation

 

Concerto and Chamber Music Night

Wednesday, July 13, 7:30 p.m., Philip T. Young Recital Hall, University of Victoria

Admission by Donation

 

Student Extravaganza

Friday, July 15, 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., Philip T. Young Recital Hall, University of Victoria

Admission by Donation

 

Academy Orchestra Concert

Friday July 15, 7:30 p.m., venue TBA

All tickets $10

 

Music for a Midsummer’s Night V, Mary Byrne (flute) and Wendy Stofer (piano) will present an evening of music for flute and piano.

Sunday, July 17, 7:30 p.m., Wood Hall, Victoria Conservatory of Music

$15 General Admission

 

Flute Academy Gala Recital

Friday, July 22, 2011, 2:00pm, Wood Hall, VCM

Admission by Donation

 

Celebration Concert I

Friday, July 22, 2 p.m., Alix Goolden Performance Hall

Admission by Donation

 

Faculty Recital

Saturday, July 30, 7:30 p.m., Alix Goolden Performance Hall

$25 adults, $15 students

 

Afternoon Serenade featuring the Junior Singers

Tuesday, Aug. 2 5 p.m., Wood Hall, Victoria Conservatory of Music

Admission by Donation

 

Evening Serenade featuring the Adult Learners

Tuesday, Aug. 2  p.m., Wood Hall, Victoria Conservatory of Music

Admission by Donation

 

Advanced Program Recital, Featuring the Advanced Singers

Friday, Aug. 5, 7:30 p.m., Alix Goolden Performance Hall

Admission by Donation

 

Handel’s Solomon; Laurence Cummings – conductor with singers from the Advanced and Choral courses and

orchestra including members of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra

Saturday, Aug. 6, 7:30 p.m., Alix Goolden Performance Hall

$25 adults, $15 students

 

Celebration Concert II

Friday, Aug. 19, 2 p.m., Alix Goolden Performance Hall

Admission by Donation

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