RMT Members Branch Calendar
Dear Members,
 

Happy New Year and welcome to 2025! 

As we step into this exciting new year, we want to express our gratitude for your continued support and dedication to our music community.

In 2025, we are committed to continue bringing you valuable presentations and opportunities to grow together. Please read on for all the exciting things we have planned!

Cheers to a fantastic year ahead!

1. Annual General Meeting

      

Please join us at our Annual General Meeting to be held on January 27, 2025 at 10:00AM. All are welcome! 

This is our annual meeting hosted by the executives of our branch. The AGM will highlight the successes and challenges from the past year, review financial statements, and take a look at what lies ahead. We would also like to hear your opinions and suggestions on future projects. 

Please RSVP HERE if you plan to attend. We'd love for you to join us!

Date: Monday, January 27, 2025
Time: 10:00AM - 12:00PM
Location: Long & McQuade, Vancouver (368 Terminal Avenue)
 
*Meeting agenda will be available a week prior to the AGM

 

 

2. BCRMTA 2025-26 Membership Renewal

The online 2025-2026 BCRMTA membership renewal is now open.

All members are encouraged to renew online at https://bcrmta.bc.ca/product/vancouver/. You can also click the QR code above for a quick and easy way to renew.

The 2025-2026 membership fee is $226 for Vancouver/Burnaby branch members with the following breakdown:

  • $64 - BCRMTA dues

  • $42 - CFMTA dues

  • $60 - Liability insurance

  • $60 - Vancouver/Burnaby branch dues*

* Our branch fee is now further reduced and subsidized by another $6 to $60 for the 2025-2026 year. This is possible due to the our branch's 10-year surplus plan that was put in place back in 2018.

Renewal is available until February 15, 2025, after which a late fee of $50 will be charged.

 
*Renewal is effective March 1, 2025. On March 2, 2025, members who have not renewed will be removed from the website*
 
 
There are a few administrative changes from Marsh Canada (our liability insurance underwriter) which were new last year and continue for this year:

 

  1. There will be no personal names listed on the insurance certificate issued. Our registrar will receive the new insurance certificates close to March 1, 2025 and will mail them out after she has received them.
  2. Marsh Insurance allows for completely retired teachers to be current BCRMTA members without paying the insurance fee. A completely retired teacher is one who is not teaching AT ALL - not even a single student. These teachers would pay the CFMTA fee, the BCRMTA fee and the branch fee. These teachers need to contact our registrar BEFORE February 1, 2025 so she can send you a form to sign affirming that you are not teaching. The registrar will then send you a coupon code for removing the insurance fee. Please understand that 'retired' teachers who do not have liability insurance would not be covered in the event that they entered students into a branch festival, recital or other event.
  3. Teachers who already pay commercial liability MAY be able to get an exemption from paying our liability insurance fee:
    • Teachers who wish to take advantage of this MUST send their commercial liability policies to Doug Ketler: doug.ketler@marsh.com BEFORE February 1, 2025 for their approval.
    • The Registrar must receive approval from Marsh Insurance before she can send you a coupon code for removing the insurance fee.

 

Other Important Information:

  1. For anyone who wishes to renew by cheque, please download and print out this mail-in renewal form, and follow the instructions found on the form. 
  2. If a member did not receive their membership card, receipt and insurance certificate, the registrar must be notified within 6 weeks after the deadline to have the materials resent without charge; if due to error in information given, a digital replacement will be offered. If a hard copy is requested, a $10 fee will be charged. Any requests received after six weeks will have a $10 fee charged for digital or hard copy replacement.
  3. BCRMTA will not extend the deadline for renewal for members who are taking advantage of retired/no insurance or commercial liability/no insurance mentioned above. These exemptions must be taken care of well before the deadline of February 15, 2025.
 

If you have any questions, please contact our registrar, Joyce Janzen at registrar@bcrmta.bc.ca or Marsh Canada - details below.

Marsh Canada Limited

Telephone: 1- 800 - 746 - 2774

Fax: (204)-947-2662

 

 

 

3. Celebration of Excellence 2025

The Celebration of Excellence (COE) is an opportunity to showcase the hard work and dedication of students working with Vancouver/Burnaby Branch members.
The event is open to candidates who have achieved 90% or higher in any practical discipline of a recognized exam system. All eligible stutdents will receive recognition medallions; trophies and/or scholarships will be given to the first and second highest marks in each category. 
Please visit the COE website for full details. 
Registration Deadline: January 26, 2025, 10:00PM

4. SPG Festival 2025

Registration for the 2025 SPG Festival is now open until January 27, 2025!

Festival Dates: February 18 to 22, 2025
Regsitration Deadline: 10:00PM - January 27, 2025
We invite you to share the details with your students and encourage them to sign up
PLEASE NOTE:
  1. Account Setup - This is a new website and login accounts were not converted from the old system. Prior to registration, all users (both parents and teachers) would need to create a new account here: My account – BCRMTA Vancouver/Burnaby Branch Festivals & Recitals by providing an email address.  An email will be sent to the email address provided to reset the password. Once the account is set up, you can proceed to registration at the SPG website: https://festivals-recitals.bcrmta.org/student-performers-guild-festival/
  2. Popular Music Class - this is a newly added class for 2025. Please refer to the Festival's Rules and Regulations for details.
  3. Mini-Lessons opportunities are available with our SPG adjudicators.
  4. Beveley Kagnoff Award - Each year, the Committee will select a class category in which $40 will be given to the highest mark for each level, 1 to 12. For 2025, the class category will be the Technical Studies class.
  5. Adjudicator Assistants Requirement - please be advised of the new changes made to this year's adjudicator assistants requirement. Refer to the website for full details. 
  6. E-Transfer payment is the only accepted form of payment. Detailed instructions regarding payment can be found on the SPG website and also on the check-out screen during the registration process. 

5. Bach Sinfonias: Analysis & Interpretation with Dr. Sergei Saratovsky

Date: Monday, February 3rd, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM 
Location: Tom Lee Music,  728 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1E4
Topic: Bach Sinfonias: Analysis and Interpretation
CLICK HERE to RSVP to this presentation
  • Free for all BCRMTA Vancouver/Burnaby Branch members
  • Cost for non-branch members: $20 Canadian. Fill out the RSVP form and e-transfer your fee to our Treasurer's email:  treasurer.bcrmta.vanbby@gmail.comand set the e-transfer password to the following: bcrmtavb
Dr. Saratovsky will present the complete analysis and performance of Sinfonias (Three-Part Inventions) by J.S. Bach in the format of a lecture-recital.
It will be held in a full format: 
  • Lecture (Power Point Presentation) – 1 hour
  • Short break/Intermission – 15 minutes
  • Performance of the complete cycle – 30 minutes
  • Q and A Session – 15 minutes
These masterpieces, written 300 years ago, are still widely used in different music curriculums and institutions. Here in North America in the RCM syllabus, they appear in Level 9 under Baroque Repertoire category. 
This project is not only a rare performance event but equally valuable educational opportunity for teachers and students around Level 8-10 (or really any level) to hear some thoughts and perspectives on these exquisite works coming from me as a performer, teacher, and scholar.
During the lecture part, Dr. Saratovsky will discuss general background information, original sources, preface, key structure, keyboard compass, length, fermatas, difficulty level, editions, ornamentation, phrasing and articulation, fingering, tempi, some individual sinfonias, and much more. He will particularly focus on fingering and ornamentation. 
We look forward to seeing you at the workshop! 

6. Teacher Professional Development Grant Recipients

Congratulations to our eleven members for their successful applications to the Teacher Professional Development Grant. Visit our Professional Development Grant page for full details.