Maple and Spruce Music Academy

We have a giant list of people to thank for this weekend.
And being the terrible photographer, I didn’t get a group picture of the team!

First and foremost, our amazing volunteer and Leader-in-Training team who were extra eyes, ears, arms, and legs! From supervising cabins, preparing meals and snacks, cleaning up, and playing basketball endlessly with a few eager kiddos, our team really made the weekend special.
To our volunteers, Davyne, Paul, Dan, Nash, Sheila, Rujuta, and Ajay: I couldn’t have done this without you!

To our LITs, Yuna, Elliot, Remi: your leadership as players and mentors gave our younger students something to aspire to musically and as people. You are truly the best of the best!

Big thank you to Camp Kee-Mo-Kee for hosting us! It was the perfect setting for our weekend retreat.

And lastly but not leastly, my amazing colleagues. Jeff and Anna are some of the most generous teachers I know. Giving of their time, attention, and talents in ways that are hard to describe. It’s the caring thought they put into every sentence, every demonstration, and the caring ways they deliver feedback.

Thank you to everyone for a fabulous weekend!

Lots of love,
Alyssa

Our kiddos played so well today!

They fueled up at breakfast this morning and used the mountains of bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns to power through 2.5 hours of rehearsal and then performed a concert for families.

We’re going to sort through all the videos and pictures and share them with you over the next few days!

But that’s a wrap on the first Strings in the Woods!

Thank you so much to all of our volunteers! We couldn’t have done it without you ❤️❤️❤️

Day 2 of Strings in the Woods and in addition to 2 rehearsals and a sectional with Alyssa, Jeff, and Anna, our students were busy hiking, doing crafts, taking an archery lesson and now watching Mary Poppins to wind down for the evening! Concert tomorrow after lunch!

Day 1 of Strings in the Woods and we have had an awesome dinner, played games, started rehearsals, and ended the night with a bonfire and smores!

Day 2 brings lots of rehearsal and lots more fun!

So much Schubert!

So many friends!

CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENT! 🎶🎻🎹

Red Door Concerts Presents Electric Schubertiade, 7:00 PM on Wednesday May 13 at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church - London, Ontario

We hope you will join us for an evening of art song and chamber music celebrating the work of the German Romantic composer Franz Schubert! This will be “Schubertiade” fit for the modern era, including electrified arrangements of art song performed by London-based jazz pianist Hubert Orlowski and singers Anthony Rodrigues and Lauren Bryant-Monk, a performance of Schubert’s beloved “Trout Quintet” for piano and strings, and newly commissioned visual pieces by London-based artists Riyam Niaimi and Sammy Orlowski.

Don’t miss this chance to hear great music performed by some of London’s brightest emerging talent. Click the link below to get your tickets now!

This concert is supported by the London Arts Council through the City of London’s Community Arts Investment Program.

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Red Door Concerts Presents: Electric Schubertiade
Wednesday, May 13th at 7:00 PM (Doors open at 6:30 PM)
St. John the Evangelist Church, 280 St James St, London, ON
$20 General Admission, $10 Children under 18, $35 Admission with Souvenir Artbook Program

Tickets: https://red-door-concerts.tickit.ca/events/34871-electric-schubertiade

Our thoughts are with our friends at Forest City School for Strings and the wider London String community as we mourn the passing of Pat.

We extend our deepest condolences.

It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Patrick Burroughs, founder of Forest City School for Strings.

Pat was a distinguished Canadian educator, founder, and visionary leader in string pedagogy. As a proud native of Canada's West Coast, Pat began his studies in Victoria, BC, and trained at the Banff Centre and the University of Toronto, later studying with many renowned teachers across North America and Europe.

In 1970, he founded the Bach Youth Ensemble in Toronto, touring nationally and internationally. He went on to play a significant role in music education across Canada through his work at the University of Western Ontario, the Banff Centre, and numerous festivals and organizations. A dedicated advocate of the Suzuki method, he influenced generations of students and teachers.

Pat served for twenty years as conductor of the Woodstock Strings, collaborating with many of Canada’s leading artists, and received numerous honours, including the Woodstock Medallion, recognition from the American String Teachers’ Association, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

As founding President and Music Director of the Forest City School for Talent Education (est. 1988), Patrick Burroughs transformed a small Suzuki group class in a church basement into one of Canada’s most respected youth string programs. He leaves an enduring legacy in the countless lives he enriched and the generations of students he inspired—many of whom have gone on to lead vibrant musical lives as professionals, dedicated amateurs, and passionate supporters of the arts.

A funeral service will be held on Monday, May 4 at 11:00 AM at St. George’s Anglican Church in London, Ontario. Our May 9 year-end recital will be dedicated to Pat’s memory, in honour of his life and lasting legacy.

Our thoughts are with Pat’s cherished family—his wife, Bonnie; his daughter, Lisa, and son-in-law, Dean; his granddaughter, Marina; and his beloved stepchildren and their families.

Thank you for everything, Mr. Burroughs. We love you and we will cherish your memory always.