Our good friend Isabel works at The Conservatory of Music and invited us to the annual gala they host, called The Royal Occasion, held at the beautiful Koerner Hall. (We were lucky enough to go last year too, seen here.)
The event was to celebrate four people who have made a significant contribution to the arts and culture in Canada and internationally, and to present them with honorary fellowships to the Royal Conservatory of Music. This year the new fellows were renowned conductor Sir Andrew Davis, singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith, and philanthropists Phil and Eli Taylor. Each were invited to give a speech and put on a short performance, with Andrew Davis playing a piece on the Steinway grand piano and Ron Sexsmith performing a couple of his songs. There was also a piece played on string instruments by students of The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists. Opening the show was a violin solo performed by a student of the Conservatory, 12 year old Arielle Silverberg, who stunned the audience with her remarkable talent. (For specifics on the music, check out this post by writer Michael Vincent. There is also this write-up specifically about Ron.)
Understandably photographs were not allowed during the show, but I got some before and after …
The presentations were followed by a reception in the galleria adjacent to the hall, where they had the most delightful array of cookies and tarts laid out and a variety of wines and cocktails on offer.
↑ For sharing ↑
↑ With Issy ↑
↑ With Ron Sexsmith ↑
↑ A dark photo of Arielle Silverberg (in green), the awe-inspiring 12 year old who performed a solo violin piece. ↑
↑ These Lemon Meringue Tarts were amazing ↑
The music for the reception was performed by a The Heavyweights Brass Band and by an a-capella group called Countermeasure.
The decor, which included rows of white grape hyacinths and lots of candlelight, added to the special feeling of the night.
Some more shots as we were leaving …
↑ The building is beautiful, with a modern structure connected to the old building. Here I caught Nick one floor below. ↑
The whole thing was so well done and very fun. A big thanks to Issy for showing us such a wonderful time.
