The Comox Valley Youth Music Centre (CYMC) welcomes its new director of strings, John Littlejohn, “a violinist adept as soloist, chamber musician, educator and alternative hip-hop artist.”
After graduating from the Peabody Institute (MM, GPD) and the University of Michigan (BM), John toured North America and Europe, performing with numerous orchestras, including the Newark Symphony as concert master and the Baltimore Opera Orchestra.
“As an alternative hip-hop artist, John performs under the moniker ‘A.d.i.d.a.m.’ which is an acronym for ‘All Day I Dream About Music’. His music is a blend of hiphop, classical, jazz and gospel, threaded together into a refreshingly unique sound.”
Joining Littlejohn will be Ben Goheen (cello) from Vancouver and Delandria Mills (flute). Kenji Fuse (viola) returns for a second year from Victoria.
The CYMC Classical Strings Program is a week-long course, running from June 29 - July 5. For the first week of July, CYMC string and flute students will dive into master classes, creative workshops and applied theory all designed to equip them with “a strong technical foundation, while simultaneously encouraging them to freely express their creativity through their instruments”.
At the end of the week they will put it all together in two evening concerts, Friday, July 4 and Saturday, July 5.
One of the highlights of CYMC’s classical season is the faculty concert, Thursday, July 3.
Sarah Hagen (piano), Mike Klazek and Susan Colonval-Klazek (junior strings instructors) from Victoria will join our faculty of four for the evening.
All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. at Mark Isfeld Senior Secondary.
Tickets ($15) for the faculty concert are available at Laughing Oyster Book Store and Bop City Records in Courtenay, Rewind Coffee Shop in Tin Town and the Blue Heron Book Store in Comox, as well as at the door.
Admission to student concerts is by donation.
For more information about the Strings Program and its faculty please visit the website, www.cymc.ca or call the office at 250-338- 7463.