Nakagawa Comes Home for Concert

Salmon Arm soprano, Stephanie Nakagawa, is coming home for a special evening of song and music—A Summer Serenade. She is bringing with her a choir that she directs, Ensemble Étoile, the Vancouver Women’s Chamber Choir. This special evening will take place at the First United Church, Saturday, June 18. The concert begins at 7 PM.

Nakagawa is currently studying for her Doctorate in Music at UBC in Vancouver.
Over the years she has grown up with the Shuswap Music Festival, an event focused on supporting and encouraging young musicians to hone their musical talents. Stephanie has pursued her studies in the USA as well as Canada and has performed in many States as well as in opera houses in Europe.

The evening, a fund raising event for both the choir and the Shuswap Music Festival, will include performances by 2016 Festival participants namely Andrew Stoney (piano), Holly McCallum (cello) and Libby Wyse (violin). McCallum won six awards at the Shuswap Music Festival and Wyse won “Best of the Festival in Strings”. Stoney won “Best of the Festival in Piano”. The Mount Ida Harmony Men’s Chorus and international pianist, Peemanat Kittimontreechai, will also perform at the Summer Serenade. This special evening features Stephanie singing with the Men’s Chorus of which her father, Lloyd Nakagawa, is a member. Tickets for this event are available at Acorn Music and Bookingham Palace Books or at the door. Admission is:  Adult $15; Senior $12; and Student $10.  Baskets will be raffled.

Funds raised will help to continue the encouragement of young Shuswap musicians. This year at the 16th Annual Shuswap Music Festival, a total of $4795.00 was awarded to participants. This sum, as well as the festival itself, is made possible by the generous donations of local individuals and sponsor organizations as well as bequeaths and memorial funds.

Two of the major scholarships are from memorial funds. The Mary Fowler Memorial Scholarship for Excellence in Voice was awarded to Paige Tower. The Blair Borden Memorial Scholarship for post-secondary pursuit of musical studies was offered to three candidates this year: Andrew Stoney (Piano); Emily Wark (Piano); and Jenae VanGameren (Voice). A complete list of all award and scholarship recipients is available on the festival website. Discover more about the Shuswap Music Festival and the Summer Serenade at: www.ShuswapFestival.com. Your support is appreciated.

Submitted by Sue Wolff