Author: S.Robb

Stephen is the Music Director of the Richmond Delta Youth Orchestra and Delta Community Music School where he brings his passion for music education to life.

Happy New Year!

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A new year…

As we start the new year headed toward more lockdowns and a pivot back to online events, here is a recap of the end of 2021

In lieu of an in-person concert, we once again organized recording sessions for the various divisions of the RYDO. Many of our usual venues for performances remain closed. We are very grateful for the Austrian Vancouver Club allowing us to use their facility for this project. 

At the music school, we were able to hold a more traditional recital with small audiences. These performances were recorded and are available and linked to from the music school website. 

A few of the planned gigs did go ahead at the end of 2021, with reduced venue sizes, reduced ticket sales, and such. I am very grateful that these opportunities were able to go ahead. As of now with the looming shutdowns, there will be probably no new performance opportunities during the next few weeks. We shall see how things go. 

 

 

“Richmond Delta Youth Orchestra Winter Concert – recorded November 27, Dec. 4 and 11, 2021 Featuring all divisions.”

 

South Delta Jazz Virtual Concerts

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Last summer we spent a great deal of time creating a virtual faculty concert. This is one of the videos from that concert,  a rendition of the Jazz standard “Tenderly” that features Rob Kohler on bass, and Stan Taylor on drums. 

We recorded this virtually, first creating some bed midi tracks, then recording the bass, then the piano and drums separately on different days and locations. The Pandemic has resulted in closed borders here between Canada and USA, and this is still ongoing. Playing together virtually was really the only way that we could do this for the 2021 Festival. I hope we can all be together again next year. Until then…

You can find more of this concert, and also our three student bands from this year on the Delta Community Music School YouTube Channel. 

 

 

 

Jazz Festival – Virtual Edition

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Jazz Festival and Workshop – In-person and Virtual

The 2021 Faculty

So it has been a busy few weeks with the South Delta Jazz Fesitval and Workshop – running August 3 – 21 this year, so  3 weeks.  The first week was completely online, and the second and third weeks are a mix of in-person and online components.  An interesting challenge this year has been the festival component with COVID interrupting so many plans. 

Our faculty this year has been recorded virtually, spread around the globe from London England to Massachusetts, to Montana, and Vancouver. 

So we are now about 2/3 of the way through this years festival, and it seems to be going very well. Many challenges in delivering this program online, as so much more had to be thought through and preplanned compared to our normal operations, but so far it seems to have been worth it!

Looking forward to next week and to planning for next year!

Clarinetfest 2021

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Virtual Clarinet Choir

This year Clarinetfest is Virtual, with many wonderful performances available for a short time for free on Youtube by some of the world’s most outstanding players.  This coming together of clarinet folk happens usually each summer somewhere in the world. I have been fortunate to attend a few of the conferences in person.

In 2019 in Knoxville, I was able to participate and perform with the world’s largest clarinet choir. This year there was no such gathering, but I did record myself for the virtual choir, the link beside here should be available for a few weeks.

Thanks to the ICA for making this possible.  

 

 

 

“ICA presents the Guido Six Virtual Clarinet Choir”

 

Youth orchestra in concert

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RDYO Spring Concert 2021

I spent two Saturdays recording all the divisions of our youth orchestra at the end of May, beginning of June. We recorded all the groups in one-hour segments at the Austrian Vancouver Club in Richmond BC.   

At this time all of the normal venues for performance that would be available to us remain closed. We are very grateful for the Austrian Club allowing us to use their facility for this project. 

Hopefully, we will be back to more normal operations and our usual access to facilities by September. 

 

 

 

“Richmond Delta Youth Orchestra Celebration Concert “- recorded May 29 and June 5, 2021

 

Student Achievements

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Congratulation to my students who took part in the April 2021 KPU International Music Festival. 

Anka S – (clarinet) Gold Standard in two classes, KPU International Music Festival Outstanding Senior Performer Award.

Cindy C – (alto sax) Gold Standard in two classes, KPU International Music Festival Promising Intermediate Performer Award.

Kylie S – (clarinet) Gold and Silver awards, KPU International Festival Intermediate Division Medallion.

Kitty S – (clarinet) Gold and Silver awards, KPU International Music Festival Promising Intermediate Performer Award.

Nicholas Z – (clarinet) Silver award. 

 

Student achievements

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Congrats to Anka S. – RCM Level 10 clarinet (First class honours with distinction) (January 2021)

Congrats to Aaron, Anka,  Ariel, CIndy, Elisa, Kitty, Nicholas, and Martin,  for taking part in our virtual recitals at DCMS during the winter holidays (clarinet, saxophone, jazz piano) (December 2020)

Christmas will you stay?

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The virtual orchestra for Christmas?

So the question at the end of 2020 is “Christmas will you stay?”  Meaning, Can we keep the spirit of this season going forward with us into 2021?  This year we definitely need to create and maintain this sense of new hope.

This fall has been a crisis in the Arts with so many shutdowns and venues unable or more to the point unwilling to host arts groups even with safe practices. Bars and restaurants with random people in them unmasked are open each day but performing arts groups where everyone is far apart masked and air kept circulated with open doors and fans circulating fresh air is felt to be unsafe? 

After the Shutdown in November, I was quite disheartened by it all. I decided we had to do another virtual project. I wanted to do something new and more contemporary in holiday music this year. I chose this new modern classic by Michael Mott to orchestrate and created a virtual ensemble recording with the Richmond Delta Youth Orchestra.

Thanks to Michael for his support in doing this, and for Monica Tamm for signing so beautifully for us. 

“Christmas will you Stay?”
The Richmond Delta Youth Orchestra with Monica Tamm.

December 25th, 2020″