Tuesday, July 2, 2013

About Me

"I decided to become a musician because I believed it to be the most effective way to make peace in the world; these days there are so many ugly things and they really need to be contrasted by the beauty that we all have inside us and that can be transmitted in many different ways." 


Ever since I was a child, I have loved and admired the sound of the harp, and my goal now, as a professional harpist, is to be able to transfer the knowledge I have gained from years of extensive work and practice on the instrument.

As a recent graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Music with a specialization in performance, I am currently working towards expanding my teaching studio, playing gigs (orchestral, private, and others) in order to make the best out of my degree. I have a lot of experience playing with community orchestras, and playing weddings and other events in the GTA and further. I am also very interested in early childhood education of music, and I was introduced to this concept in August 2011 when I started working at Klaudia’s Music School in Oakville and sharing my passion for the harp with children as young as 3 years old!


Biography

Motivated by a passion for harp, Véronique started playing the harp at the age of nine, and later moved on to study at the Royal Conservatory of Music, where she won several annual scholarships (2004-2007). She went on to major in harp at the Etobicoke School of the Arts, and was a finalist for the concerto competition, for which she performed the prestigious Concerto in B-Flat Major by Handel (2008). She finished top of the class, with honours, and received the Lian Thomson Award of Music (2008).

A finalist in the Young Artist's Harp Competition in Georgia, USA, (2010), and cited in the international harp magazine Harp Column, Véronique Drozdz is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance at the University of Toronto, under the tutelage of the world-renowned harpist Judy Loman. Performing regularly with the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra, GamUT Contemporary Music Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, and Wind Symphony, Véronique also plays with several community orchestras and is available for weddings, receptions, and various social functions. Important performances include Debussy’s Nuages, Borodin’s Symphony No.1, and Baczewicz’s Trio for Flute, Percussion, and Harp.
Véronique frequently participates in many masterclasses with esteemed harpists, such as Mariko Anraku, Sébastien Lipman, and Alice Giles. She also dynamically partakes in many of the diverse ensembles at the University of Toronto; for instance: jazz, contemporary music, Klezmer, Latin American Percussion, works by emerging contemporary composers.

In Toronto and Oakville, Véronique is a private music teacher, and is always welcoming new students! 

Pescetti Sonata


Donizetti.Sonata (with flute)

"Thank you so so much for coming, you are a wonderful harpist and it truly made the event special... It was great meeting you and I look forward to seeing and hearing you play again!"

"Many thanks again Veronique. Your performance was outstanding! Thanks again for your generosity!" - by the organizer of a charity masquerade for PACT in which I played during the entrance of guests

"You are a fabulous player." - by a guest at the charity masquerade


Awards/Prizes/Competitions/Recognition
  • Full Tuition Scholarship, University of Western Ontario (2014)
  • Boston Conservatory Scholarship, $30,000  (2014)
  • Finalist in the Young Artist’s Harp Competition in Georgia, USA (2010)
  • Acceptance to Laurier University and McMaster University to study harp with Lori Gemmell and Marie Lorchini, respectively. (Feb. 2008)
  • Lian Thomson Award of Music- award for the highest mark in the Strings Major at Etobicoke School of the Arts (2008)
  • First-place for the Concerto Competition with the ESA Symphony Orchestra (Dec. 2007)
  • Second-place award, annual scholarship competition with the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto (2007)
  • Community School Scholarship award at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto (2006)
  • Nora McCardell Scholarship award with the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto (2005)
Education
  • Currently a fifth year student at the University of Toronto working towards a Bachelor of Music in Performance (2008-present)
  • Etobicoke School of the Arts high school, Music Major- Harp (2004-2008)
Teachers
  • Julie Umbrico, private teacher (1999-2004)
  • Maureen McKay, teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto (2004-2008)
  • Judy Loman, harp instructor at the Curtis Institute of music, adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, Faculty at the Glenn Gould School of Music at the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (2008- present)
Master Classes (2008- Present)
  • Rita Costanzi: Dramatizing the harp
  • Mariko Anraku, Associate Principal Harpist at the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
  • Julia Seager and Charlotte Nediger: Baroque Triple-Strung Harp
  • Charlotte Nediger: Baroque Harp and Harpsichord
  • Erica Goodman: Solo pieces.
  • Sunita Stanislow: Jewish, and Klezmer, improvising, ornamenting, making arrangements
  • Emmanuel Ceysson: Solo pieces.
  • Park Stickney: Jazz harp
  • Jennifer Swartz
  • Sébastien Lipman
  • Caroline Lizotte
  • Elizabeth Hainen
  • Natalia Shamayeva
  • Sylvain Blassel
Professional Experience
  • Private Harp Teacher and Junior Music Class Assistant at Klaudia’s Music School, Oakville (2011-2012)
  • Harp Gig Business, includes solo and ensembles for weddings, receptions, anniversaries and special events, e.g. International Gathering of U of T Administrators, Faculty Club (2005- present)
  • Private harp teacher for beginners at Etobicoke School of the Arts and in private studio, in Toronto (2004- present)
  • Volunteering with Kiwanis Music Festival of Toronto, Adjudicators Assistant (2010)
  • University of Toronto Box Office Assistant and Usher. (2009- present)
  • Volunteering with Tsoundcheck, Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s discount ticket box office, Toronto. (2008- present)
  • Harp Gig Business, includes solo and ensembles for weddings, receptions, anniversaries and special events, e.g. International Gathering of U of T Administrators, Faculty Club (2008)
Orchestral Experience
  • University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Principal Harp and Second Harp on separate occasions (2008 - 2012)
  • Toronto Chinese Orchestra, Principal Harp (2011)
  • Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra, Associate Harpist (2008 - present)
  • University of Toronto Wind Ensemble, Principal Harpist (2008 - 2011)
  • University of Toronto Wind Symphony (2008 - 2011)
  • North York Community Orchestra, Principal Harpist (2009)
  • University of Toronto Orchestra for Opera (2009), Second Harp
  • Hart House Orchestra, Principal Harpist (2008-2009)
  • Etobicoke School of the Arts Symphony Orchestra, Principal Harpist (2004-2008)
  • Etobicoke School of the Arts Pit Orchestra, Principal Harpist (2006-2008)
Repertoire

Solo Pieces
  • Hindemith: Sonata for Harp
  • Handel: Concerto in B -flat performed with the ESA Symphony Orchestra
  • Renie: Pièce Symphonique – En trois episodes
  • Fauré: Impromptu pour Harp, Op. 86
  • Bach: Suite No. 6
  • Jolivet: Prélude pour Harpe
  • Saint-Saens: Fantaisie en la-mineur
  • Pescetti: Sonata in C minor
  • Debussy: First Arabesque, La fille aux cheveux de lin, Clair de Lune
  • Dussek: Sonatines
  • Hasselmans: La Source; Feuilles d’automne
  • Jean-Phillipe Rameau: Rigaudon and Tambourin
  • Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers (from the Nutcracker Suite)
  • Tournier: Lolita, la danseuse
  • Watkins: Fire Dance
  • Scarlatti: Sonata in C minor
  • Salzedo: Quietude, Chanson dans la nuit
Ensemble Work
Flute and Harp
  • Piazzola: Café 1930 from Histoire du Tango
  • Ibert: Entr'acte
  • Berthomieu: Asturienne
  • Debussy: Rêverie
  • Donizetti: Sonata for Violin and Harp (arr. For flute and harp)
  • Bizet: Entr’acte de Carmen and Intermezzo
  • Lidarti: Trio for 2 flutes and harp
  • Hovhaness: The Garden of Adonis
Voice and Harp
  • Tournier: La lettre du jardinier
Cello, Violin, and Harp
  • Bach: Sonata VI for Harp, Violin and Cello
Clarinet and Harp
  • Reade: Variations from Victorian Kitchen Garden Suite
Cello and Harp
  • Fauré: Sicilienne
Harp Ensembles
  • Piazzola: Libertango
Trumpet and Harp
  • Vivaldi: Four Seasons (arrangement)
Orchestral
Wind Ensembles
  • Various contemporary pieces and arrangements with extended harp techniques such as Jordan O’Connor, Under the Silver Wall; Daugherty: Niagara Falls
Opera
  • Ravel: L’heure espagnole
  • Puccini: O mio babbino caro
  • Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier
Symphony Orchestras
  • Sibelius: Symphony No 1
  • Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers (from Nutcracker Suite), Romeo and Juliette
  • Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Russian Easter Festival Overture
  • Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
  • Wagner: Flying Dutchman Overture
  • Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet
  • Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major
  • Mussorgsky: Night on Bald Mountain
  • Chabrier: Espana
  • Holst: Jupiter from The Planets
  • Mahler: Symphony No. 1
  • Britten: Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
  • Verdi: La forza del Opera
  • Bernstein: Candide Overture
  • Borodin: Symphony No. 2
  • Debussy: Nocturnes
Pit Orchestra/Musicals
  • Campbell: Anne of Green Gables musical, Bernstein: CATS musical