BOW VALLEY – Four local youth have taken home a place on the podium at the recent music provincials held by the Alberta Music Festival Association.
Vasylisa Nikolenko won the piano for the Grade 10 and Associate Diploma of the Royal Conservatory of music solo classes.
“I was very surprised,” said Nikolenko. “I went to provincials last year, but I didn’t get a place at all, so that was quite a surprise.”
Nikolenko, who’s Ukrainian and moved to the Bow Valley at the start of the war, played to the tunes of Ukraine composer Viktor Kosenko and Germany’s Johann Sebastian Bach.
“The Kosenko étude was a bit slower than you would usually play études. It reminded me of waves,” said Nikolenko.
In his first ever provincial competition, Reid MacIntosh placed second in the solo violin class for 13 years old or younger.
“It was pretty fun. I was a little bit nervous because it was the first time I've ever done it,” said MacIntosh.
“I’ve always just liked music as a fun thing to do and not super competitive. I went to provincial mostly just for the experience.”
MacIntosh practiced hard since learning his first song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, at four years old to playing La Folia by Corelli and Adoration by Felix Barowski in the competition setting.
“Those two songs have some contrast, and it’s because Adoration is more modern and a bit slower, and more romantic, and the La Folia is technically Baroque,” said MacIntosh.
“It was a little bit of a challenge to learn it, but I really like the song.”
Also earning top spots was Melie Inageda who claimed second in the solo violin class for 17 years old or younger and Rowan Dial with third for the solo piano class for Grades 8 and 9.
Lily Burden (musical theatre), Kotomia Takano (piano), Sonora Inageda (viola) and Trillian Klinkhamer (piano) were also present at the provincials.
“Having eight youth from a small community on the Bow Valley nominated for provincials is a really great achievement, and of those eight four placed which is outstanding,” said Vicki Perkins, Bow Valley Music Festival (BVMF) chairperson.
The youth talent was apart of the annual BVMF where they showed off their skills and talents in front of professional adjudicators in a non-competitive setting. The festival this year saw nearly 60 participants.
“I’ve lived in the valley for a long time and it’s beautiful, and people love sports. However, I also feel really strongly about opportunity for the arts,” said Perkins.
Perkins also expressed an appreciation for the value of music as well as the teachers who develop youth into skillful musicians.
“We wouldn't have youth reaching provincials if we didn't have an incredible teaching community in the valley,” she said.
Rising cost of music in the Bow Valley
Although Perkins said the support for the arts is there, she also noted a concern for the increasing cost of music in the valley that has come with the rising cost of living.
“If you’re a music teacher, how can you afford to live in this valley if you have to rent a space to teach? And rental prices are only going up, and you can only charge so much for a family for a lesson,” she said.
In turn, Perkins added that she’s seeing music teachers leave the community.
“I'm seeing good teachers leave our valley and that seriously makes me want to cry,” she said.
“A foundational part of growing up is being having the availability to take music lessons in your home community, with your home teacher.”
Although Perkins doesn’t have a solution, she would like to see more discussion with the Town of Canmore to combat what she is seeing.
“I would love to see in these discussions that they’re having about how they develop community spaces and infrastructure, to think about how do we support lots of different extracurricular activities, but in particular, also music,” said Perkins.
Canmore music teacher Susanne Ruberg-Gordon has been showing support for Nikolenko after hearing how she played.
“Without Suzanne I don’t know if she probably wouldn’t even continue to play with a teacher here because it’s so expensive,” said Olga Nikolenko, Vasylisa’s mom.
Vasylisa is also being supported by her remote teacher in Ukraine, Natalia Yuryivna Klimenko from Music School #12, who works together with Ruberg-Gordon to help the 15-year-old pianist in her pursuit of music.
“The music school in Ukraine is still working and they’re working for kids who are abroad, wherever in the world,” said Olga. “What amazes me is that they might have missile attacks, and they might sit without electricity for some time, and we will rearrange lessons and they will still have lessons after that.
“It's really amazing that they keep working.”
