Quinte Rotary Music Festival

Last week was the 40th Anniversary of the Quinte Rotary Music Festival. Every year at the end of the week is the final Silver Competition which is the best of the singers, pianists, string players from the week competing for the top award in their category. I remember when I was in high school I competed in the Rose Bowl Competition and....lost. I will never forget that night. Nor will I forget the same night 6 years later when I was awarded the William Gardner Connor Scholarship for advanced vocal studies. The wait was worth it!

This year I had the privilege once again of performing on that fateful Friday night of the festival - now as a guest not to be judged but to strictly entertain and inspire. The strange thing was that I experienced the same butterflies and the same sick-to-my-stomach feeling I had over 10 years ago as a student. It was a revelation that no matter how far you get in your career, a return to the place that started it all can relive feelings and sensations you thought you had gotten over. It just proves that we never “get over” anything but change the form of how we experience it in our bodies and minds.

The end of the year...

As I reflect on the completion of my first year of teaching at the university level, a few observations have come time mind:

1. The bigger your vision, the greater the speed at which you can make change.

2. The greater your clarity of vision, the easier it is to deal with the obstacles.

3. The voice develops slowly and with patience and care. Big voices require more time and even more patience!

4. We hear with our eyes first, then we open our ears to the sound.

5. Our hearing is defined by who we are, what we have done and what our ultimate goals in life are.

None of these observations will change the world or the way someone sings but they may get you thinking. I know I'm already to get started on next year!