TDSB's Downtown Summer Strings, 2017

This week, I went to the Toronto District School Board's Downtown Summer Strings. It is a 2 week program but I was at Leahy Music Camp last week.

I am really good at sight reading sheet music, so I was able to fit in with the group well. I missed out on the Chamber Groups though because they form in the first week.

I played viola in the 'more advanced' group.
Camp is so much fun!

This year, on Stuffed Thing Day when the Chamber Groups perform for our Stuffed toys, my stuffed thing, Ptolemy XIX, won 'Most Likely to Look Like 18 Other Stuffed Things" and it got a cup covered with pictures which looked exactly like him!

Here are a couple videos from the concert.

The 'More advanced' group played Russian Sailor's Dance  by R. Gliere arranged by E. Del Borgo.

And the "Really Big Group" played Swallowtail (traditional) arranged by Ian Guenther.

Here is a picture of me with Andres. The last time I saw him, he performed Bach's Coffee Cantata with the Rezonance Baroque Ensemble.

Ed Hayes came to see the performance. He arranges music and the Downtown Summer Strings Staff and Staff Aides performed his arrangement of Journey's Don't Stop Believing.

I found this picture from the first time I met Ed in April 2010. Back then, I only played piano and my Mom was trying to convince me to try cello. He and his wife, Marie, came to my school and did a presentation about music from around the world.

This is a picture of me with Ian Guenther and Rebecca Kurtis-Pomeroy.
Every year, they put on this amazing camp and my summer doesn't feel right without it.

Thank you so much to Ian, Rebecca, Andres, Felix, Jonathan, and Lee and all of the Staff Aides!



Here are some pictures of me with Ian from 2013 - 2017.

Links to my older Blog Posts about Downtown Summer Strings:
2015
2015 CTV News Feature

2014
2013

Video of "The Travelling Cellist"

I knew the Toronto Public Library was planning on making a video from "The Travelling Cellist" performances.
I found it on youtube! :-)

When I am at performances I focus on the music and who is playing. I don't normally notice the people around me. The video is different because it looks at the people who were around too.

This version of Albinoni's Adagio was arranged by Ed Hayes and the soundtrack is by Igor Gefter.

Each of the cellists played it slightly differently but all of the performances of Albinoni's Adagio were wonderful.

Here are links to my blog posts about "The Travelling Cellist".

• "The Travelling Cellist" at Fairview Mall
• "The Travelling Cellist" at Gibson House
• "The Travelling Cellist" at St. Lawrence Market
• "The Travelling Cellist" at Malvern Library
• "The Travelling Cellist" at Harbord Bakery
• "The Travelling Cellist" at Scarborough Civic Centre