February 2021
SEYLYNN STRINGS FESTIVAL 2021
The Seylynn Strings Festival is a musical collaboration celebrating strings education in the Lynn Valley – Mount Seymour Area. Students from Argyle Secondary, Windsor Secondary and their surrounding elementary schools come together for training and collaborative performance. This is a wonderful opportunity to pull our music community together, inspire our students and give leadership opportunities to the secondary school students who have worked hard in the past few years to really develop our strings programs throughout our district.
This fun musical tradition began five years ago when Marissa, Ellen and Frances came together to brainstorm ways to help foster passion, commitment and growth in their strings programs. Working together and providing students with opportunities to collaborate, share inspiration, and play fun music seemed like the perfect solution! Five years later the event now hosts over 200 students from across the school district coming from over 12 different schools and even has reached out to other community youth ensembles! Each year it is such a pleasure to bring everyone together to share in their love of strings, virtually or in person! Please enjoy the show!
Windsor Secondary, director Marissa Heaven
Argyle Secondary, director Frances Roberts
Braemar Elementary, director Ellen Smith
Canyon Heights Elementary, director Ellen Smith
Larson Elementary, director Ellen Smith
Ross Road Elementary, director Ellen Smith
Seymour Heights Elementary, director Ellen Smith
Killarney Secondary, Nick Urqhart
West Vancouver Youth Orchestra, director Nick Urquhart
Edited by Jon Sutcliffe
SEYLYNN STRINGS FESTIVAL 2021 Preview video
SEYLYNN STRINGS FESTIVAL 2021 video
“LITTLE SONG OF LIFE” – Concert & Chamber Choir audio recording
Choral Commission for Argyle Chamber & Concert Choirs 2020/21 and Mrs Roberts 30th year teaching at Argyle.
Composer & sound editor Andrew Bortz
Andrew is a sought-after conductor, composer, singer, pianist, and music educator. He is originally from Twin Falls, Idao and has lived in Vancouver for the last five years. Andrew received a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from UBC in 2017, where he directed the Chamber Choir, Men’s Choir, and Women’s Choir. His previous studies include a Bachelor of Music degree in voice, piano, and composition from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington.
Andrew is the founder and artistic director Aurora Chamber Choir, the auditioned young adult ensemble under the Crescent Choirs umbrella. He is also the collaborative pianist for all of the Crescent Choirs ensembles. As an accompanist, Andrew is known for his sensitive and intuitive music making, and has collaborated with high school, collegiate, and community choirs across the US and Canada.
Andrew has an active studio of private singing, guitar, piano, and conducting students. In the past, he has taught choir, band, IB music, and math at Mead High School, Mulgrave School, and Cornerstone Montessori School. He has also worked as the assistant conductor for Vancouver-based Phoenix Chamber Choir and Chrysalis Vocal Ensemble. Andrew currently sings bass with the professional Vancouver choral ensemble musica intima.
The students are now collectively creating a visual component to be released in March
December 2020
A special Christmas project: SILENT NIGHT – Virtual Choir Project
Thank you to the fifty two singers, covering Canada (east to west), USA, Europe and Australia, who participated in the Virtual Alumni Choir project. Grads from 1990 all the way up to future grads 2023 were on this recording. Mrs Roberts was so pleased and thrilled to re-connect with so many of you. If it was not for this pandemic this project may not have happened. Truly amazing!
Special thanks to Danny Choi (Grad 2016) recording engineer for all his work on this project.