Supporting our Symphony
PRISMA NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 18th, 2015
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" I have been looking back on those two weeks with very fond memories. They were some of the best musical memories that I've made so far. Can't wait to go back next year!
 
Shannon Fitzhenry, 2015 Concerto Competition Winner
In This Issue:
As we wind down from PRISMA's third season, we'd like to invite you to join us for our Annual General Meeting where we revisit the past and look forward to the year ahead. Read on for more details, as well as a special announcement of PRISMA's newest vision statement and values and an exclusive message from our Music Director Maestro Arthur Arnold.

A new season brings new guest artists to PRISMA's world-class roster. We are thrilled to announce that violist Michael Gieler of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra will be joining us for the second week of PRISMA 2016.

A Word from Music Director
Maestro Arthur Arnold

Dear PRISMA fans,

Summer is over, the colours on the trees are slowly changing to deep yellows and oranges; it's September. Have a listen to this beautiful song "September" from the Four Last Songs of Richard Strauss. The song ends in "Summer slips into sleep",
but there is no sleep for PRISMA! Fully awake, the dedicated team is planning next season: choosing repertoire, inviting guest artists. PRISMA 2016 is on its way June 13 - 25! If you are a PRISMA member, come to the AGM on October 13 and I will tell you more about what's in the make for next summer.

Meanwhile, enjoy "September," performed here by Dame Kiri te Kanawa and Sir George Solti.

September
The garden mourns.
The flowers fill with cold rain.
Summer shivers
in the chill of its dying domain.
Yet summer smiles, enraptured
by the garden's dreamy aphasia
as gold, drop by drop, falls
from the tall acacia.
With a final glance at the roses-
too weak to care, it longs for peace-
then, with darkness wherever it gazes,
summer slips into sleep.



 
Annual General Meeting

We invite you to join us for our 2015 AGM at 1 pm on Tuesday, October 13 in the Elm Room at the Recreation Complex (5001 Joyce Avenue).

Attendees will have a chance to meet with our directors. Light refreshments will be served and there will be an exclusive preview of our soon-to-be released PRISMA documentary.
 
If you are interested in becoming a PRISMA member and voting in the meeting, please join us. Memberships can be purchased or renewed from 12:30 pm, before the meeting.

Join our team today and help the PRISMA vision grow!

Here's what one of our youngest members thinks about PRISMA:


"The music was SO beautiful and the concert was SO fun!
They played The Firebird by Stravinsky, Jupiter from The Planets by Holst, and Tchaikovsky Overture 1812! My favourite was The Firebird! I wish I could be in an orchestra."

-Grace, age 9


Looking to the Future:
A New Vision for PRISMA

Last month, several key members of the PRISMA team came together to reflect on the past three seasons and brainstorm about how the festival can grow in the future. As a result, here is our upda ted vision statement and some key values:

By 2020 PRISMA will be the classical music festival of choice for professional musicians, high quality students, and diverse audiences. It will feature a collaborative environment, which nurtures both professional development and community engagement.
   
PRISMA will:
  • challenge students to take artistic risks and support them in rising to the challenge,
  • be a vehicle for building community,
  • practice governance reflective of the diversity of the region, and the need for dynamic renewal of membership,
  • be accessible and welcoming to the most talented students regardless of ethnicity, age, financial means, gender and sexual orientation,
  • make classical music accessible to local audiences, including students,
  • be an economic catalyst through music tourism, and contribute to Powell River's cultural richness and sustainability, and
  • pursue excellence in artistic performance and operations.
In addition to these values, one of PRISMA's future objectives is to create and build a Musical Merit Fund to fully support student participation.

Visit our website for ways to get involved with PRISMA.
New Season, New Artist:
Michael Gieler

Michael Gieler, of the  Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, began his road to musical fame at age five, when he took up the violin. By the time he was a teenager, he was already a member of a professional string quartet. Gieler studied in Vienna, and was then awarded a scholarship to study viola at the Berlin Philharmonic's Orchestra Academy.

In 1993, Michael Gieler was appointed Principal Violist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Since then, chamber music has also played an important role in his life. Gieler serves as Artistic Director of several concert series, as well as the International Bach Festival of Gran Canaria.

Gieler's reputation extends beyond his musicality, too. He has taught as a professor of viola and orchestra classes at the Conservatorium of Amsterdam for over 15 years. A number of his students have won orchestra jobs in orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and several others. Recently, Gieler has also been regularly conducting various ensembles and orchestras.

We are thrilled to welcome Michael Gieler to PRISMA for the 2016 season and we are sure he will be a great fit for both audiences and students alike with his musical talent and teaching experience.
 PRISMA 2016:
JUNE 13-25
Become a Member

If you're interested in becoming a PRISMA member,  visit our  website . Thank you for supporting our festival!  
Musically yours,

Sarah Barton-Bridges

Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy | 
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Suite D, 7061 Duncan St.
Powell River, V8A 1W1