Glebe Report

Music's great Tercentenary marked
MUSIC
By ALLISON DINGLE
Months of preparation for
a special celebration for
this year's tercentary of
the birth of J.S.Bach, G.F.
Handel and Domenico Scarlatti
came to fruition on
Saturday, June 8 when the
piano students of Elizabeth
Graham-Smith gave their
summer recital. Back in the
fall, Mrs. Graham-Smith, a
well-known Ottawa music
teacher, proposed to her
students that they mark the
event by learning music by
at least one, if not all, of
the three composers and by
participating in competition
which she called Project 300
Celebration
Accordingly, the programme
for the recital was planned
in a celebratory mood and
reflected a strong interest
in music of the first half
of the 18th Century. It
opened with Handel's wonderfully
theatrical "Arrival of
the Queen of Sheba" played by
Michael Damas and Leslie
Zypchen. Also on the programme
wasJ.S.Bach's "French
Suite No. 1 in G" with each
of the seven movements played
in quick sequence by a different
member of her group
of teenage students, and
Handel's "Fitzwilliam Sonata
No. 1" performed by a family
group - Heather Coleman,
flute; Margaret Coleman,
piano and Jenny Coleman,cello.
A further note of celebration
was added by the use
of costumes - frilly blouses
and long skirts, to evoke
the era. Particularly special
were the period costumes
borrowed from the
Orpheus Society for the
Quintet in which Mrs. Graham-
Smith herself plays which
closed the concert with a
performance of Robert Schumann's
"Trout Quintet".
The students responded
to Project 300 by submitting
an impressive collection of
maps, family trees, portraits
and study papers on
a wide variety of topics .
relating to Bach, Handel and
Scarlatti. The projects, house and were both interesdivided
into categories ac- ted in music. Two pianos
cording to ages(8-10,11-13 and and a harpsichord, plus an
teens) were judged by violinistabundance of books and ob-
John Cornez and artist Nancy jects relating to music
Currie. Even students as attest her involvement in
young as 8 and 9 entered
well-researched, interesting
and neatly presented pro-
jects. The prize winners
were announced at the recital.
Project 300 and the special
"period" recital are
typical of the enrichments
Mrs. Graham-Smith brings
to her classes. She encourages
her piano students to
listen to Classical music
and to note what is being
played, to attend concerts,
to play other instruments,
and to play chamber music in
small groups, especially in
family groups. In cases when
a student appears to excel
more in another instrument,
she recommends continuing
with the piano as it is a
pre-requisite for any professional
musical career.
Mrs. Graham-Smith graduated
just over thirty years
ago with a diploma in piano
teaching from the Royal
Academy of Music in London,
as an associate of the Royal
College of Music in piano
performance and with a
Bachelor of Music Education
from the University of London.
Since then she has had
constant experience as a
teacher, performer and
accompanist in England, the
United States, Western Canada
and Ottawa. She teaches
in her home in the Glebe
where she has lived with
her husband, architect Beric
Graham-Smith since coming
to Ottawa 15 years ago.
Her children Claire 26, and
Jane 22, grew up in the
music. About one-third of
her students live in the
Glebe. They range in age
from 6 years to late teens,
but Mrs. Graham-Smith will
teach adults, provided they
are prepared to work seriously.
The playovers and subse-
quent recitals, when students
play before an audience
of family and close friends
prepare the students for
the pressure of music exams
and festivals, as well as
providinga focus for their
efforts.
With so much experience
over the years, Mrs. Graham-
Smith finds her ideas have
changed and that her teaching
methods are constantly
evolving to suit the needs
of the different generations
she has taught. Believing
that making music is the
Andrea Byrne and Julia Apostle.
Photo Allison Cingle
real fun and the reward for
all the routine and theory,
she always encouraged her
children to play in groups,
with even the youngest
working on duets.
Volunteer head
Speaking to Mrs. Graham-
Smith before the playover
for the June 8 recital, I
asked her about her involvement
with the National Arts
Centre Orchestra Association
and about the newly formed
quintet in which she plays.
I learned that for the past
three years she has been
volunteer head of the Youth
Programme Committee, working
with the National Arts Centre
Orchestra and all the local
school boards. Her first
project was the series of
matinée concerts, given at
the Arts Centre during school
hours, for grades 7 and 8.
These concerts, which have
been extended to include
grades 5 and 6. are conducted
by Boris Brott who travels
to Ottawa for them.
This year they were held
in early June. She has
also arranged the "musicians
in the school" programme,
where NACO musicians go on
tour to various schools.
Next year's project will
be a week of concerts
for grades 1 to 4.
As for the Quintet,
its formation last year was
inspired partly by a desire
to do something special to
mark her 30th anniversay of
graduation from the Royal
Academy, and partly by the
chance hearing of a quintet
by Hummel, scored for violin,
viola, piano, cello and
double bass. After quite
a search to locate the score,
she brought together a group
of professional musicians -
Brian Boychuk,violin,
Phyllis Wedding, viola, Pavel
Symcyzk-Marjanovic,cello
and Ed Hounsell, doublebass.
(All but Pavel play
with the NACO.) The quintet
performed two movements from
the piece by Hummel at last
summer's recital. This year
they again provided a spirited
finale to the student's
recital.
After talking to Mrs.
Graham-Smith, I listened to
two groups of students,
about twenty in all, perform
ed the pieces they had prepared
for the recital, as
well as some selections for
upcoming conservatory exams.
In keeping with this year's
tercentenary theme, many
of the pieces were from the
Baroque period. The younger
group of students played a
variety of short lively
pieces. As each student
played, and played well.
the others listened intently
- (no squirming or lack of
attention here!) Only rarely
was it necessary for Mrs.
Graham-Smith to supply a
forgotten note, but to each
student, she offered performance
advice and gentle encouragement.
The younger
group were followed by a
group of teens, Nicholas
Carpenter, Robert Crabtree,
Heather Coleman, Jenny
Coleman, Martin Damus,
Michael Damus, Alex Fleuriaur
Chateau and Leslie Zypchen
who played individually, in
duets, and in family groups,
in preparation for the recital.
I was impressed by
their high level of accomplishment
and polished performances.
Closing my eyes
while listening to wonderful
music, I could imagine
June 8: the rented hall,
the grand piano, the costumes,
the intense atmosphere
of the actual performance
and the applause
of an appreciative audience
for a successful recital.
June 14, 1985, GLEBE REPORT - 19