Well, my first season as president of the Ottawa Guitar Society is coming to a close….and what a season it has been! I can honestly say that my outlook since joining the society as a board member over five years ago, has never been brighter.
Over the past year we have taken an “active” approach to running the society, in order to get YOU, our members more involved – from innovative concepts such as launching our first ever composition competition, to exploratory “will it work” ideas such as our Open Mic nights. We have also continued our commitment to the incredible youth talent of not only Ottawa and surrounding areas, but of Toronto and Montreal by welcoming an array of talent through our Young Artist Series.
Add in the incredible virtuoso performances of Remi Boucher celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Concierto de Aranjuez with his solo arrangement, and the always jaw-dropping display of serious, fun, and amazement by Pavel Steidl. This season has been full of incredible concerts!
None of these projects would have been possible without the incredible support we receive from members participating, enthusiasts telling others about these events, and the buzz we have been able to create with such a dedicated group of people that quite simply love the guitar!
So thank YOU!
But we’re not done!
On May 7th we will be welcoming Steve Cowan to Ottawa for our final concert of the season. For those of you that do not know Steve, he has performed in Ottawa before, and we liked him enough to bring him back!
Steve’s specialty is playing Canadian Music, and through our commitment to exposing audiences to the music of our land, and his growing list of competition wins, Steve’s musicality, technique, and insightful repertoire selections are the exact ingredients that go into making an interesting, unique, and great concert experience. He’ll even be playing some music composed by Ottawan Daniel Mehdizadeh for guitar duo!
With the end of the season, the board is already hard at work preparing for next year. Just like any great team, we’ve been thinking about ways to expand your experience, better ourselves and further engage the community. If you have any suggestions, or ideas that you think we should take a look at, please do not hesitate to contact us directly through otttawaguitarsociety@gmail.com
While we do have a number of projects already under development for next year – it is a great chance for us to hear what our members want from us, and for us to try to shape your experience to meet those expectations! It is never too early to renew, or get a new membership for next year. We are always ready to welcome new members to our OGS family. So please contact us for more information!
I invite you to join me in finishing this season on the May the 7th at the Knox Presbyterian Church on Elgin Street.
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Sincerely,
Zak Pleet