Calgary Suzuki Strings Association
The CSSA 21st Annual Non-Competitive String Festival
May 13th & 14th, 2022
The CSSA String Festival took place at St. Giles Presbyterian Church - 1102 - 23rd Avenue NW Calgary in person and online.
Teacher Session (Friday May 13th 9:30 - 11:30AM)
This session is being offered online via Zoom by our guest violin adjudicator Karen-Michele Kimmett. Suzuki teachers of any instrument welcome to participate.
The Tone of Our Times: Teaching in the Key of Change
Parent Session (Friday May 13th 7:00 - 8:15PM)
For Suzuki Parents (any instrument) offered online via Zoom by our guest violin adjudicator Karen-Michele Kimmett.
A Suzuki Parent's Perspective: The Long View. The Short View. & Somewhere in Between.
Violin Group Classes with guest clinician Theresa Plotnick
These classes will take place in person at St. Giles Presbyterian Church.
For Suzuki Book 1 - 3 Violin Students
Suzuki violin students in books 1 - 3 are invited to participate in a fun, motivational group class with guest clinician Theresa Plotnick. Participants will be grouped into classes with others who play at a similar level. Students may be scheduled on Friday or Saturday. Cost $15 per student
Violin Festival Classes with guest adjudicator Karen-Michele Kimmett
(Students attend in person at St. Giles Presbyterian Church, the adjudicator and out of town students will join us via Zoom)
Students may register for Solo, Solo Recital, Duet/Trio/Quartet and/or Ensemble classes. Students may be scheduled on Friday or Saturday. See registration form for complete details and cost information.
Classical Guitar Festival Classes with guest adjudicator Nathan Bredeson
(Students attend in person at St. Giles Presbyterian Church, the adjudicator and out of town students will join us via Zoom)
Students may register for Solo, Solo Recital, Duet/Trio/Quartet and/or Ensemble classes. Students will be scheduled on Saturday. See registration form for complete details and cost information.
String Festival Guidelines
- Event is open to all CSSA members and non-members across Canada.
- Registrations will be cut off once the maximum enrolment has been reached.
- Please register early to avoid disappointment.
- Late entries may be considered, but not necessarily accepted.
- Fees are non-refundable after April 15th 2022.
- Students may enter a maximum of two Festival classes each (excluding group & ensemble classes)
- Music selections in solo and solo recital classes should be played without repeats (exception for Suzuki Books 1 & 2.)
- If possible, students should perform their selections from memory.
- Students may play Suzuki, RCM or other repertoire. Registrant will need to submit a scan of any non-Suzuki/RCM repertoire (with bar numbers marked).
- All festival classes are non-competitive. Each participant will receive a certificate of participation and adjudicator comments.
- Recording (audio or visual) the performance of your child only is permitted.
- Violin Students may participate in the group class option only or in addition to a festival class(es).
- All group classes and adjudicated Festival Classes will take place at St. Giles Presbyterian Church.
- Violin students must provide their own accompanist. If desired an onsite accompanist will be available for students in Books 1 -3. $10 per selection. See violin registration form.
- Parent and Teacher Sessions will be conducted on the ZOOM platform. ZOOM is free to download and to use.
Bios and Information About our Adjudicators & Clinician
Karen-Michele Kimmett - Violin Adjudicator Theresa Plotnick - Violin Group Class Nathan Bredeson - Guitar AdjudicatorRegistration Now Closed
Karen-Michele Kimmett
Karen-Michele Kimmett is a graduate of the University of Toronto , the Royal Conservatory of Music, and Ithaca College (Master of Music). She has taught at Seneca College, the Royal Conservatory of Music and in 1985 joined the faculty of the Institut Suzuki in Lyon, France. From 1990-2001 she co-founded and directed the Institut Musical Suzuki Paris in Paris, France. In 1986, Ms. Kimmett studied with Dr. Suzuki in Matsumoto, Japan. A teacher trainer for both the SAA and the ESA, Ms Kimmett has taught workshops in numerous European countries as well as in Morocco, Canada, the United States, and St. Barthélemy in addition to long term teacher training courses in France, South Africa and Zimbabwe. An Honorary Member of the European Suzuki Association and former Artistic Director of Canta Arya School for Strings in Kingston, ON, Ms. Kimmett is currently a member of the SAA Violin Committee and a founding member of Suzuki Music/Musique Canada. Many of Ms. Kimmett’s former students can be found playing in leading orchestras around the world. In 2016, her Kingston students participated in the Performance Ensemble of Canada five city tour of China. As well, many past students have continued their violin performance studies at leading Canadian universities. As part of her life long interest in building community through music outreach programs, Ms. Kimmett is the Director of the innovative Providence Manor/ Canta Arya intergenerational music program which was featured in the 2020 documentary: 'Resonance:Music Across the Ages’. Karen-Michele Kimmett was a key note speaker at the 2015 Universality of Music Forum in Basel, Switzerland and was featured in the Ask the Expert column of the magazine ‘The Strad.’ An avid gardener, hiker and winter sports enthusiast, Ms. Kimmett has been a volunteer at the Kingston Humane Society and the Town of Greater Napanee Cultural Committee.
Theresa Plotnick
Theresa Plotnick combines an array of performance experience with a dedication to furthering young students. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Ms. Plotnick earned a music degree at the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She played professionally in orchestras in Dayton and Cincinnati, Ohio; Caracas, Venezuela; and Erie, Pennsylvania before moving to Calgary. Ms. Plotnick has performed frequently as a freelance violist with such groups as the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Calgary Bach Society, Calgary Festival Chorus, Royal Winnipeg Ballet Orchestra, Red Deer Symphony, and numerous chamber groups. She is a founding and current member of the Allegra String Quartet. Theresa taught at the Suzuki Talent Education Society of Calgary for many years and then served as coordinator of the junior academy program at Mount Royal College. Twelve years ago she co-founded the Amici String Program, a chamber music program for young string players. Ms. Plotnick has successfully prepared many young players for careers in music, and is a regular clinician and adjudicator at workshops, summer programs, and festivals.
Nathan Bredeson
Featured in CBC’s “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30 in 2018,” Nathan Bredeson is gaining international acclaim as an award-winning guitarist and composer. Nathan studied guitar with Denis Donegani (Canadian Guitar Quartet) at the University of Ottawa, and composition with John Armstrong and Frederic Lacroix. He completed further studies with the Cuban virtuoso Rene Izquierdo at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Nathan’s compositions and arrangements have been featured in international competitions, including the Miami International GuitArt Festival and the Great Lakes Guitar Festival. His composition Astral Projection won first prize in the Ottawa Guitar Society’s first Composition Competition in 2016. He released his first solo album, Nocturne, in September 2019. Nathan performs regularly with the Ottawa Guitar Trio: a groundbreaking ensemble dedicated to bringing the best music from film, video games, and classical repertoire to life on the guitar. The Trio releases regular videos on their YouTube channel and published their first EP, Level 1, in 2020. He also co-founded the Made in Canada Duo with guitarist Michael Ibsen to promote new works for guitar by Canadian composers. Nathan has given masterclasses and workshops for organizations such as Guitar Hamilton, the Guitar Alla Grande Festival, and the Eckhardt-Gramatte Conservatory, and has adjudicated for the Kiwanis Music Festival as well as MusicFest Canada. He currently lives in Ottawa, ON, where he teaches guitar and music theory for guitar for Ottawa Suzuki Strings. On the rare occasion that Nathan is not playing music, he is usually reading a good book or walking his dog, Buddy.
