Hello Members,
The summer weather has not yet turned to fall but change is in the air! I trust everyone is returning to their studios with fresh minds as “eager” students start back to school this week. The Executive also took time away from their duties to focus on home and family but it is time to turn our attention back to business and give our members an update on the 2019/2020 year. More information will be coming in the next few weeks along with reminders and RSVP links to sign up but here are some highlights for now.
The year is shaping up to be an interesting one. Aside from a varied offering of workshops on such topics as Self Publishing, Psycology and Music, Interpreting Tempo Indications etc. there are two music festivals for students (YES the SPG is returning!), bursaries, and recitals. To view a detailed list of events for the 2019/2020 season please visit https://bcrmta.org/branch-calendar/.
The executive is very excited about some new developments for the Branch.
This September we will begin using an online system for registration of festival and recitals. The CMW Festival will be the first event to adopt the platform and while there will likely be a few bumps in the initial stages, we’re looking forward to a smoother and less time consuming process in the long run. Thank you in advance for your patience as we all get used to this new system.
We will also be experiment with paperless recitals, there are three reasons for this. Firstly, although paper can be recycled, we would prefer to be more environmentally friendly and avoid unnecessary use when possible. Secondly, paper rustling creates quite a disturbance during performances and some students can’t seem to avoid making fans or paper airplanes when the pieces get long. Finally, it will allow for a savings in time for the recital convenor and costs to the branch.
For those who visit the website (and hopefully most of you do) a Google Calendar has been added to the Branch Calendar page. This will allow members to see events and deadlines month-by-month, and keep abreast of important dates. Please note that in this version, the weeks start on Monday rather than Sunday. Be sure the day of the week to check to avoid disappointment.
There is a lot to look forward to in the coming months but in the meantime, I trust you will enjoy the beauty of the season.
Best regards,
Barbara Siemens
President, BCRMTA Vancouver/Burnaby Branch