NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO REGISTERED MUSIC TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION (ORMTA)
NEWMARKET AND AREA BRANCH
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Two Newmarket and area Ontario Registered Music Teachers' Association (ORMTA) branch students have been awarded the 2019 Royal Conservatory of Musis (RCM) National Gold medal.
Stylian Michailidis, an operatic baritone in his first year at Western University, has earned a First Class Honours with Distinction standing and the RCM Level 9 National Gold Medal for voice.
Stylian completed his Level 9 exam last June while studying with Newmarket ORMTA teacher Linda Condy.
He recently graduated from Newmarket High School, where he was awarded the Governor General’s Academic Medal, among several academic awards. His musical accomplishments include playing the lead role of Javert in Newmarket High’s production of Les Miserables, placing second at the ORMTA GTA Zone competitions, and placing first in the 2018 NATS Vocal Showcase.
Stylian is a SHAD fellow currently studying voice under Torin W. Chiles and singing with the University Singers. He has two sisters that also study singing with Linda Condy.
Gregory Vandikas, who comes from a musical family of six, is currently studying piano performance with Prof. Kyoko Hashimoto at McGill University in Montreal, where he received the Student Excellence and Davis Scholarships.
Greg joins his older brother, Anthony, in receiving the RCM Gold Medal in piano for his Licentiate diploma. He completed the exam this past June, under the guidance of ORMTA teacher Dr. Michael Esch.
Also following in his sister, Charissa’s footsteps, he recently won the International Music Competition and Festival at Markham, as well as the GOCAA International Piano Competition in Boston. He will be performing with the Kindred Spirit Orchestra’s 2020-2021 Concert Season.
He has been awarded a CD contract and will be performing in a concert tour in China next July 2020. Gregory was born and raised in Newmarket and graduated an Ontario Scholar in the Arts Unionville program at Unionville High School.
National Gold Medals are awarded each academic year to RCM graduates who have obtained the highest mark in the country for their discipline while meeting all the necessary requirements. Coincidentally, Stylian and Gregory are both former classmates and graduates of Mazo de la Roche P.S.
Both students performed together in last year’s Newmarket and Area ORMTA Gala Concert and are recipients of the Newmarket Arts Council Post-Secondary Grant. These two Newmarket residents’ musicianship has been fostered by teachers of the Newmarket and Area ORMTA branch.
For more information on the Newmarket and Area ORMTA Branch, please visit https://www.newmarketormta.org. An upcoming Gala concert featuring award-winning students will be performing on Nov. 2 at the Old Town Hall.
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