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Gifted Artists Concerto Gala

The 2022 Gifted Artists Concerto Gala was held on May 1st at the Chan Centre for Performing Arts. Further information and applications for the Gifted Artists Concerto Gala are available from the Director . The application deadline is November 1st. You can download the application form here.

Below, you can watch the amazing performance of Athena Deng at the 2015 Concerto Gala.

The Concerto Gala is an opportunity for talented students to perform with a professional orchestra—the Vancouver Chamber Orchestra—at the prestigious Chan Centre. According to MASTERY Director, Olga Lockwood, only one in 100,000 music students ever get the opportunity to play with a live orchestra. When the school opened in 2009, Ms Lockwood had the vision of providing the opportunity for students to perform with a professional orchestra. Her dream led her to the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra where she met with Conductor Kenneth Hsieh. Ms Lockwood reflects that [Hsieh’s] goals aligned with mine in that he wanted to give young professional orchestra players an opportunity to perform. The training to perform with an orchestra is so different from the goals in our teaching studios, for recitals, competitions, or examinations. This opportunity is unique and stretches our gifted young students to a higher level. I am so excited that we can provide this training and this wonderful professional experience for students.

The audition for the Concerto Gala requires one movement of a concerto limited to 15 minutes. Memorization is preferred. The performance fee for young pianists who pass the audition is $4,000. The fee includes

  • three master classes,
  • private session with the conductor prior to the orchestra dress rehearsal,
  • two dress rehearsals with the orchestra,
  • practice room,
  • accompanist fees for four recitals or master classes,
  • professional headshots,
  • lunch on the day of performance,
  • free tickets for the family, and
  • a professional DVD recording of the concert.

Past participants and parents, alike, speak highly of the event, as evidenced by their responses such as the ones below.
Note of Thanks

Congratulations on the huge success of your event!!!
This is my heartiest praise for all your hard work, dedication, and the energy you injected to make the whole experience so remarkable. Big THANK YOU for this magical journey you have created for all the young performers. Renee and I have prepared a little gift for you just as a token of appreciation. It’s a set of cards with print of Renee’s artwork.
best wishes,
Luanna

Thank you very much for organizing this wonderful concert and providing a big stage for all the young pianists to share their passion and talent for music! Thank you very much for your time, hard work and effort! Thanks for providing ongoing encouragement, learning experiences, and continuous support for the last 6 months; you are such a great mentor and event organizer! We appreciate it very much!

Dear Olga,
I really enjoyed the concert on May 1st! The scale of organization required to pull off such a concert is large, but you did it beautifully. The students were phenomenal, to play at such a high level of proficiency with the orchestra. This is a whole level of complexity, because while a piano accompanist may be able to adapt to errors, in a two piano concerto scores, a full orchestra is another matter entirely. So, bravo to all of them for their dedication to hard work and artistry.
Best regards,
Jacqueline

Dear Olga,
Congratulations! The concert went well! Thank you for all the work you had done in organizing this great event and taking the young performers along in the preparations.
Thank you again for everything!
Kind regards,
Judy

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