Rotary Trumpets by Rotary International

Thanks to the generous support of the Rotary Club of Oakville West and special pricing from Yamaha Canada, the Oakville Symphony is now the proud owner of two Rotary Valve Trumpets. Rotary Valve Trumpets have long been the trumpet of choice in Europe, due to their mellow sound and blending ability with the rest of the brass section. Now gaining popularity in North America, these trumpets are ideally suited to the music of Mozart, Beethoven and the bulk of the Romantic repertoire. These two trumpets were used for the first time during our 2006-2007 season.

Young Artist plays violin from Youssef-Warren Foundation

In 2005, the Oakville Symphony was advised by George Youssef, a principal of the Oakville-based Youssef-Warren Foundation that it wished to make a charitable contribution to the Oakville Symphony in such a way that it would make a significant difference in a young person’s life.

A high-quality violin from George Heinl & Co. Ltd. was acquired at a substantial discount to lend on a medium-term basis to a talented, deserving young violinist who otherwise would not have access to such a valuable instrument. This violin was made in 1993 by Romano Gaini a master violin maker from Ferrara, Italy. It has a beautiful tone and is reddish in colour, causing some to refer to it as the “red violin”. It has been appraised at $12,000.

Recipients are chosen by a committee of two persons: one from the Youssef-Warren Foundation; and one from the Oakville Symphony. The first recipient is Junha Park who came to Oakville from Korea about four years ago and attends the Etobicoke School of Arts, where music is a daily part of his education. He is very talented and was one of the winners of the Symphony’s Young Artist Awards.