Seven-year-old student, Lorris Qin, won the First Place trophy at International Competition and Performing Arts Festival “Stars of Albion” in London, UK. This competition showcased talented performers from over 14 countries, including Great Britain, Russia, Bulgaria, Malta, Latvia, Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine, Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Germany. Congratulations to Lorris and her parents on this amazing accomplishment!
Nick was invited to be an adjudicator and Canadian representative at the 5th annual International Competition and Performing Arts Festival “Stars of Albion”, hosted in London, UK. This event showcased young, extraordinary talented musicians and dancers from across the world, organized and promoted by Musica Nova, the International Academy of Music – a unique bilingual establishment in the UK that combines the best of British and Russian principles of teaching. The panel of judges for the instrumental department also included George Harliono (UK), Natalya Varkentina (Latvia) and Melanie Spanswick (UK).
Nick’s chosen students played their piano arrangements alongside the Lions Gate Symphony Orchestra and other students from the Registered Piano Teacher Association. Canadian-American conductor, Clyde Mitchell, created incredible arrangements of Royal Conservatory program pieces for the orchestra. The event was incredibly successful, with a standing ovation from the audience. More pictures and videos available in the gallery.
Four of Nick’s students were selected to participate in the master class of Ian Parker at Kay Meek Theatre in West Vancouver. Magnetic, easy-going and delightfully articulate, Parker shared his interpretation of Royal Conservatory program pieces by Tchaikovsky, Teleman, Kabalevsky, Berlin, Grechaninov and other composers. His master class was very insightful, educational and emotional, preparing students for a better performance with the Lions Gate Symphony Orchestra later that month.