Music awards presented
The Lethbridge Branch of the Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association (ARMTA) combined their annual Canada Music Week Recital and Student Awards Presentation with a Canada 150 Celebration Nov. 25 in the Theatre Gallery of the Lethbridge Public Library, Main Branch.
Thirty-one students performed selections by Canadian composers including Anne Crosby, Christine Donkin, Nancy Telfer, Linda Niamath, Pierre Gallant, Boris Berlin and Clifford Poole. Two new pieces by Alberta composers commissioned by the Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association (ARMTA) for their 85th Anniversary were performed: “Remembering,” a Fenian song by Michalis Andronikou, and “Donkey Riding,” a Canadian folk song, by Geoffrey Bell. Door prizes including concert tickets, iTunes cards and cash prizes were drawn after the performance for recital participants.
At the conclusion of the recital, 43 awards totalling nearly $2,000 were presented to students for the highest marks in practical and theory exams for the previous year, including the ARMTA (Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association) Recognition Fund awards given to five students with the highest marks in both a practical and theory exam — Tanner Lockwood, Nathan Lockwood, Zitong Wu, Chloe Palsky and Jessie Irwin.
The ARMTA Recognition Fund was established in 2008. Its purpose is to augment prizes for music competitions and awards in Alberta. (http://armta.ca/armtarecognitionfund/).
This year the Lethbridge Branch Piano Awards were given in memory of long-time member Joan Milton, who passed away on Aug. 18, 2016. She was a committed member of ARMTA, serving as the Lethbridge Branch president from 1993–95 and the provincial president in 2008–2009, as well as serving for many years as the Lethbridge Branch representative to the provincial board. Her son Davin was in attendance to participate in the presentation.
The following ARMTA Milestone recipients were recognized for their years of provincial membership during the presentation as well: Isabelle Slater, 30 years; Mary Lee Voort, 35 years; and Doreen Laing, 60 years.