Showcase

Have fun exploring this page to see our past and upcoming performance videos and images, as well as a history of our programs and clinicians.

Cassa has a long and distinguished history of clincians. For 27 years we have been bringing leading pedagogues from throughout North America to work with outstanding students based in Calgary.

2020 Dr. Christopher Hahn guides us through our first online year with a focus on Beethoven (including a terrific performance of the Waldstein). Dr. Hahn also provided extraordinary practice and performance help for teachers in his pedagogy workshops.

2019 Edwin Gnandt. An expert on Frederyk Chopin, Mr. Gnandt presented three sessions on Chopin, his legacy, the inner workings of his mind, especially his fears and anxieties, and his musical and performing style. Mr. Gnandt also discussed qualities that made 18th century pianists so great and showed how to blend those practices with 21st century pianistic ideas.

2018 Dr. Jennifer Snow presented sessions on solutions to technical challenges faced by developing pianists, and a workshop to show how to develop students’ musical imagination and creative thinking using healthy technic, choreography for expressive performance, and practical approaches to achieving control of tone quality and fluency .

Dr. Andrew Hisey presented select RCM repertoire written in the last five decades to unlock secrets to present engaged and engaging performance,  and a session on how to address harmonic matters for beginning to advanced students leading to the understanding of the use of harmonic matters to connect to repertoire and improvisation.

2017 Dr. Laura Bell presented the My Life Teaching Music - and there’s no app for that! She shared her stories and gave practical guidelines and tools for teaching in these different areas.

John Dupuis discussed analysis and its importance for memorizing classical sonatas. He talked about motivic links, illustrating the psychological relationships of the movements and discussed conservatory curricula, piano pedagogy and interdisciplinary arts appreciation.

2016 Eugene and Elisabeth Pridonoff discussed maintaining our commitment to teaching, music as part of contemporary culture, mentoring students for a life with music, the semantics of teaching, the emotion of sound and meaning of colour, the relationship between technique, choreographed gesture, and musical intent.

2015 Dr. Kent McWilliams and Dr. Christopher Hahn: Employing Effective Learning Strategies Through the Use of RCM Publications

2014 Edwin Gnandt: Understanding Chopin Style and The Soul of the Music: Gifts from the Golden Age of Piano

Willard Schultz: An Approach to Sequencing of Repertoire and Program Planning and Performance Preparation

2013 Elisabeth Pridonoff on the effects of music on our emotions, and  the interrelationship of sound and emotion then how to integrate a life of music with having a family.

Eugene Pridonoff on why people want to play and listen to music and music’s greater purpose and on becoming aware of the difference between process oriented and goal oriented practising.

2012 James Anagnoson: The Baroque Era and The Fundamentals of Tone Production

Dr. Janet Lopinski: Excellence in Teaching: Nurturing a Passion and The Muses Who Inspired the Master

2011 Edwin Gnandt on the Journey of the Piano Teacher, Dr. Michelle Bozynski on 20th Century Music, Gabriella Jonas on Humanism in Teaching and Joseph Fridman on The Missing Piece of the Puzzle: Imagination

2010 Dr. Faina Bryanskaya

2009 Paul Sheftel on enhancing teaching by using computer technology and Dr. Sara Sheftel on using interpersonal skills with students and parents. Go to his website for some background and links

2008 Ingrid Clarfield on Rubato and other musical elements and Lillian Livingston on teaching adults

2006 Nelita True on the role of teachers

2005 Robin Harrison discussing tone production and arm weight

1993 - 2004 Ingrid Jacobson-Clarfield as clinician. Piano Camp was created with her help. We are forever grateful to her for her expertise, amazing teaching abilities and sharing with us her experience in running summer programs at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ.

2001 - Marc Widner, RCM Chief Examiner

2003 - Petras Zarins, RCM Chief Examiner