About Masterclass Lady
Rosanne (Giallonardo) Simunovic began her musical career in Timmins, Ontario. She studied piano with Anne Pizzale and later, at an advanced level, with Soeur Anita Vaugeois (Sister Cecile of Les Soeurs De L’Assomption in Timmins). Her vocal and accompaniment skills were nurtured by her aunt, the late Dorothea Mascioli.
When Rosanne graduated from O’Gorman High School, she moved on to the University of Toronto where she continued her piano and vocal studies while attaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She was hired as a piano accompanist for several musical companies, most notably, the National Ballet Of Canada. She presently holds an A.R.C.T. Teacher’s Diploma in Voice from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
Rosanne has studied choral conducting with numerous well known Canadian Conductors, including Wayne Riddell of Montreal, Quebec and the internationally renowned Dr. Elmer Iseler.
She has been a founding member of numerous community-based arts organizations: the Timmins Arts Council, later known as Arts & Culture Timmins, the Timmins Symphony Orchestra, and, the Timmins Youth Singers…as well as the TYS Alumnus choir, the Timmins Concert Singers. In 1987, she was also selected to be the conductor of the Timmins Board Of Education Choir, comprised of talented students from Grades 5 to 8.
In 1988, she was elected to the Board Of Directors of the Ontario Choral Federation (now known as Choirs Ontario), where she served as Chair of the Festivals Committee for six consecutive seasons. In 1996, in honour of the Ontario Choral Federation’s 25th Anniversary, Rosanne was selected as one of 25 recipients of the OCF’s Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contribution to the choral art. The ceremony was presided by Lieutenant Governor, Hal Jackman.
In November 1997, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Rotary Club Of Timmins to receive the prestigious Paul Harris Award for her years of dedication to the artistic development of young musical talent in Timmins.
In August of 2002, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Board Of Directors of Choirs Ontario to serve as Conductor of both the Provincial Junior and Teen Choir Camps, now renamed in honour of the Camp Benefactors, Don and Lillian Wright.
In November 2002, Rosanne was the one of the recipients of the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, honouring her work in the development of the arts in Timmins.
Under Rosanne Simunovic’s direction, the Timmins Youth Singers and the Timmins Concert Singers have been featured in numerous choral festivals and performing opportunities outside of Timmins. In 1985, they were selected to partici
October 5, 2011 
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MCL,
This is the best week so far for me. I prefer the solo performances but there was so much filler and undesirable content in the first round of auditions that the boot camp round is much more enjoyable to watch.
Caitlyn Koch remains my favorite at this point. Not for the win of course, I never pick the winner, but for the most interesting singer so far. She is a good communicator and blends acting skills with her singing very well. She could always be a model for a jeans company if this doesn’t work out for her. I also liked Jazzlyn Little’s first audition; great song choice and delivery. Her You Tube video is also good, but forgetting her words made her look weak last night. She made the best of her mistake and carried on like a pro. She reminds me of Allison Iraheta in several ways. Melanie Amaro, who seems to be a very nice young lady, may have the best voice in the competition but it’s hard to make that conclusion with so little exposure at this point. I probably would have written her the $5 mil check after her first audition if it were up to me and if it were just a singing competition. I was surprised to see her step up with suggestions for the arrangement during rehearsals. I thought that her weakness might be in the area of artistry, but maybe not so. Drew Ryniewicz is one to watch. Anyone who can make Bieber interesting has something going on and she made a strong showing last night opening the “Creep” ensemble’s performance. I’m looking forward to hearing more from Audrey Turner as well.
Several of the guys have had a good audition in these first two rounds. I have nicknamed them Old Man, Unsightly Man(this is by choice, not nature) AKA Burrito Tosser, and Garbage Man.
Leroy Bell (check him out on You Tube) looks remarkably good for 59 years and has a nice Michael Bolton meets Marvin Gaye vibe “going on.” He was the only singer in the “Desperado” group that I liked. The girls left so much of the song lying on the table or messed it up with “over countryfication. Josh Krajcik could be the next Joe Cocker, but I hope he leaves his Mom at home next round. He was a strong player in his group but I think the judges liked another guy better than him. I read that Chris Rene comes from a family of entertainers as far back as his grandfather. Last night they decided to let us in on the fact that he has a sister that is still in the competition. I’m not a hip-hopper and I can’t stand rap but there is something about this guy that I like. Maybe they can convert him into a blues singer.
I was glad to see the X-Factor take a more serious approach to “Hollywood Week” than the Idol drama machine does, but in a way it made the previous episodes even more irritating. There were many new faces being presented that we should have seen before now. Instead of the time, and our patience was wasted on foolishness. They play the same editing games to lead you to pick the predetermined winner that Idol does.
Interestingly, the “Sing Off” has nearly no drama, all of the contestants receive equal air time and we have a chance to know each of them. It has knowledgeable judges who offer useful and constructive critiques to the contestants, no ridicules fake auditions, and more singing per hour of show time than any other singing related reality competition show that has yet been aired, BUT, it may well be the dullest of them all. Even though it has all of the qualities that I and many others say they want in this type of program, and I have watched all of the episodes so far this season, I’m not drawn in. I don’t vote and I don’t care who wins. Strange, huh? Be careful what you wish for I guess.
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Gene – thank you for your detailed comments. They are very much appreciated.
Unfortunately, when hearing about Steve Jobs’ death, I barely watched X Factor last night. I was a huge fan of this genius of a man, so I was consuming all the information on CNN about his wonderful life and technical contributions to our world.
I have another blog that is quite new – http://www.granniethegeek.com – so I was blogging about Steve Jobs while X Factor aired. The news broke at exactly 8:00 P.M.
Re The Sing-Off, you nailed one of the reasons I can’t get into this show. The production!! It is extremely important and, of all the shows out there, I think America’s Got Talent has it down just right.
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You are right that Job’s passing was a sad loss. Pure genius. He will be missed.
You can see the performances from last night on X-Factor’s You Tube channel when you get a chance.
I will have to check out your other blog as well.
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I was very hesitant to watch X-Factor and after watching the first couple of episode’s with the guy who dropped his pants…I almost stopped watching but after these last couple of shows I’m glad that I continued to watch.
I like so many of them and alot that I liked didn’t make it through and alot that I didn’t like made it through…
I don’t care for the little rapper guy, too much attitude in that little package for me, and I don’t care for Tiah…I don’t know what Simon sees, but I must need correction glasses, cause I don’t see what he’s hearing!!!
I like Melani, and a couple of the girls that I don’t know their names…the little girl who sang if I were a boy last night…the shy girl with long dark hair…
Boys…I like Brenan (a little too much attitude, but great voice), the crooner with the hat, the boy with the Elvis moves and Adam lambert hair do…the country singer with the baseball cap on last night that did the Rascal Flats song…and again others that I don’t know their names.
I told the hubby last night as we were watching…the talent on this show is amazing…it is amazing what 5 million dollars and a recording contract will do to draw in real artist!!!
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Great to hear comments from Gene and Vonnie. For the most part, I’m really enjoying X-Factor. I also wish they hadn’t wasted our time showing some of the really bad auditions, but out of those auditions there were some terrific people. I can’t imagine how they will cut them to only 16!!!
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We are seeing some good talent on the show. I am still not into Simon, so I may never truly enjoy this show. They wasted time on the segment with the judges finding out who they will mentor. Was there any doubt that Simon would get the girls? I do like just turned 14 year-old Rachel. Yes, there is talent – now what will happen? I hope it all won’t be scripted at the Judges/Mentors’ houses..
Roseanne, if I have a post from the past I want deleted, how can I do that? It is a privacy issue. Thanks so much!
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KariAnn – just email me the link to the post and I will delete it for you. Unfortunately, it had to be done from my end.
I agree with your X Factor comments. I am so underwhelmed right now. They better reach deep in their bag of tricks or the public will walk away.
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We picked up a few more people of interest from the final three group performances. Hat Man (Tim Cifer) was the only good country singer that I have heard in the competition. Purdy Boy (Brennin Hunt). He has recorded and performed live with my early Season 10 Idol favorite Kendra Chantelle so I have seen him in You Tube videos with her at that time. He’s another Nashville musician that doesn’t fit the stereotype. I’m not sure the “I’m too sexy for my clothes” attitude that they portrayed is real or if it is something that the X thought up, but I know he doesn’t look the same in the videos from last year as he does now. I like his voice and the original song that he did in his first audition was good too. If Idol voting patterns follow this show, he will place high.
The next round of cuts would be pretty easy for me. The one category that concerns me is the girls. Simon has expressed such an interest in Tiah Toliver that one of the more talented girls is likely to be cut to make room for her. There has been a lot of hype invested in Rachael Crow as well, but I don’t see her as a relevant pop singer when compared to the others in the group. So from the girls category, in first name alphabetical order, I would keep Caitlin Koch, Drew Ryniewicz, Jazzlyn Little and Melanie Amaro. I’m not happy about Simon being the mentor / coach / whatever for the girls. I don’t like him or think much of his musical opinions or the way he has treated contestants in the past, especially girls.
The boy’s category is tougher with fewer standouts. I believe Chris Rene is probably a one trick pony so I am removing him from my list, leaving Marcus Canty who is the fellow who did Stevie Wonder in his first audition. I had forgotten about him until I saw him in his group. I don’t know what he has to offer the current music scene, but it’s a thin category. Tim Cifer and Brennin Hunt are the top two guys and I really can’t see anyone else I would include. Give the extra space to a girl.
Elaine Gibbs has sort of an Aretha Franklin style gospel / R&B style and seems to be a solid singer but she didn’t make a big impression on me. She is the only female I would include in this group. Josh Krajcik and Leroy Bell are two of my favorites in the competition, though it’s hard to see either of them as more than club singers. I really don’t have a fourth for this group so I will through in Dexter Haygood for fun and because I like James Brown.
I can’ say that I have really noticed the groups much. The group that was made up of four girls that didn’t make the cut may be able to pull something together. Some of those girls had trouble singing on key and with trying too hard to sound country though. Maybe the Brewer Boys? Two more spaces for the girls.
That wasn’t hard at all. I would do away with the categories and one judge. Let the remaining judges draw their team members from a hat.
Not based on whom I personally like, but who I think has what they are looking for, I would pick Drew Ryniewicz as the front runner for the win at this early stage. She is a very mature YOUNG lady with a distinctive singing voice, a relevant pop style and a strong stage presence. She made me like a Justin Bieber song, and that’s huge.
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In the Overs catagory I should have said “throw in Dexter”…
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Gene W,
How in the world do you know all of the names of all of those contestants already!!! I have to relate to them by colthing or personalities!!!
So I am not sure of who a couple of the folks you mentioned that you like!!!
I’m gonna wait till they pick the top 16 before I up your Ante!!! 🙂 Then all bets are on…does this show hold the same coveted awards as Idol…if so, I’m in for the win!!! Probably no confetti bath, wonder what they will drop on their winners?!?!?!?!? 😉
Louise,
I would hate to be the one to decide on some of these groups…there’s alot of great talent!!!
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WOW!!! Must be really tired…Clothing…Mentioned are…should have been included in previous post…must learn to proof read before hitting the post button!!!
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Vonnie,
I’ve learned a lot of their names just by watching them on TV. I don’t try to remember anything about the contestants that are of no interest to me, so there is less mental clutter. Some of them started off with nick names and progressed to real names. The easiest way to convert from familiar face to actual name is to use the “contestants” link at the X Factor US website. That’s how “Unsightly Man” became Josh and “Old Man” became Leroy etc. I remembered Caitlin from her AI 10 audition. You can also watch their contestant interviews there. The site runs very slowly though. Oh yeah, I have one more trick; I ask my wife!
You had to see both of the boot camp episodes to see all of them. The shy girl with dark hair that you mentioned is Jazzlyn Little. She’s the bomb and one of my favorites as well. She is probably my second favorite of the girls. She’s the one whose Dad said he named her that. My favorite, Caitlin Koch (pronounced Cook) showed she can wear more than blue jeans well! She’s the Rugby player and does nice rearrangements of the songs she sings in the David Cook or Chris Allen style. Melanie Amaro looks to be a very good singer, maybe the best in the competition. She’s a college student and has the little sister that thinks the sun rises and sets on her. Drew Ryniewicz is a slim, blond 14 year old girl that has been remarkable so far. She’s about 4th on my personal favorites list of girls but for an early pick, I think she has what it takes to win. You probably know, Old Man, Unsightly man, Hat Man (probably should have been ball cap man but it doesn’t roll off the tongue as well) and Purdy Man, so that’s my lineup and scouting report. Keep an eye on Unsightly man. He is the most unique singer in the group and is also an excellent guitarist. With good song choices, he could last a while.
Keeping in mind that this is a Five Million Dollar cash prize, plus a recording contract with all of the accompanying promotion and videos etc included, it should be a very, very special individual (or group) that wins. I’m not sure there is anyone that special here. The cut to 16 would be much easier without the categories because there are more than four keepers in the girls category but the other groups struggle to make four. There is still a lot of cannon fodder in the top 32.
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Gene W,
Is unsightly man the guy who sang Etta James’ At Last? If so, messa likes him too…I watched both nights of boot camp…but still didn’t pay alot of attention to names, I guess cause I knew half of them wouldn’t be staying anyways!!!
Girls…for me…Melanie, Jazzlyn, the little girl that sang If I were a Boy, and the girl that sang the Justin Beiber song, but there was another blond that I liked too…no name!
Boys…for me…Brennin, Country boy with hat, Crooner with hat, and the Elvis boy, the boy who had been in rehab.
Groups…since wev’e not heard the two new groups that were put together at the last of boot camp, I will hold out picking this group…I would have liked to see the guy and girl couple who had a crush on each other but wouldn’t tell the other one, I though they sounded nice together.
The overs…Etta James boy, the 59 year old, the James brown man (not that I think he will win or go far, but I think he needs a break, and this might get him started in the right direction)
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Vonnie,
Our lists are very similar at this point.
Josh Krajcik is the Unsightly Man and is the one who sang “At Last. I look forward to seeing each of his performances. He reminds me of Joe Cocker with a little Richie Havens thrown in. I can’t see him winning though.
Rachel Crow is the young girl’s name that sang “If I Were a Boy.” I liked her at first but I’m over it now. Too cute for me. I think there are four girls that are better for the top 16. I have to wonder why we didn’t see some of their boot camp solos though. The blond whose name you do not know could be Caitlyn Koch. I think the other blonds are gone now. Drew Ryniewicz is the girl who sang the Bieber song. She is only a little older than Rachel but you would never guess that from watching the two of them.
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Gene W,
Yeah! The other night after “Josh” sang, I told the hubby I heard alot of Bob Seager and can’t remember who else I named (after all that was last week, I live by the 3 second rule…if I haven’t said it out loud or wrote it down within 3 seconds, I can count it gone forever into mindless cyberspace) but I also agree with you, some Joe Cocker too!
I will pay more attention this week to names!!! LOL and write them down!!!
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There’s a name for that; CRSS. 3 seconds is pretty good actually.
Just give them a nick name. It’s funny listening to us cheer them on by there nicnames. “Bring it Unsightly Man” or “yeah, that’s it Old Man”
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Who were in the “I’m every woman” group singing round? It did not show their names. Were Kelli Glover AI1 and Stephanie Edwards AI6 auditioned? Who among in the top16 boys and girls auditioned for AI before? I believe they experienced AI for sure…..
I think they eliminated previous AI contestants that’s why this batch were new to me, didn’t notice them to some reality TV singing competition before. I need some answers regarding about these contestants background.
Also, it’s frustrating Audrey Turner was not in the top 8 over 30’s the fact that she did great in the last round performance. vocally, she is better than Tiger Budbill. I think he was Paula’s bet that she really covered his picture with her hands, protecting him when the judges argued in the final deliberation. Truly there was favoritism because Simon too has Tiah Tolliver and Simone Battle.
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Hi Lisa Easley…Welcome!!!
I so agree with you on the favoritism…I don’t care for Tiah, I think there were others more worthy of her spot!
Gene W,
LOL…Well now at least I know now that my condition has a name! 🙂 I’m trying to work my way up to 5 seconds, that way I will have a little more time to write it down before I forget…nothing more frustrating than writing something down, getting half-way through, then forgetting what you were writing!
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Hi Lisa,
I don’t know much about the groups. It’s confusing to me when the groups participate as part of a larger group in the group rounds. I will wait until they are down to the four that will remain before I tune into them.
The only former AI contestant that is currently remaining that I know of is Caitlin Kock. She made it to Hollywood last year. I didn’t notice the others that you mentioned.
I wanted to see more of Audrey Turner as well. There have been some good singers to come from Ike turners bands over the years. I hope they all didn’t get the same treatment that Tina did.
I agree with you about the protected contestants. This show follows most of the methodology of AI so I’m sure we will see contestants who we believe should stay being cut while the ones being pushed remain.
There are some interesting contestants, but I haven’t seen the Five Million Dollar Man/ Woman yet.
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Vonnie,
I gave up on note taking when I realized that I couldn’t remember where I put them?
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Gene’s favorite girls are the same girls on my list. And I’m also a fan of Josh who sang “At Last”–definitely a Joe Cocker vibe but I highly doubt if he’ll win it all. I also really like the 59-year-old guy and the young woman whose father died the first day she was there. But I can’t see them giving a five million dollar prize to one of these older singers. They want to make lots of money from the winner, and I don’t think that’s going to happen with one of the older singers.
Melanie has a great voice, but unfortunately I don’t think she has the “look” that they’re looking for. But Caitlin and Drew just might.
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Louise,
You are probably right with the older ones, cause didn’t a younger boy beat out Susan Boyle for the other X-Factor and also Paul??? the opera guy…didn’t he also get beat out by someone younger?
It’s a shame really, if they are going to make this open to groups and an older age bracket then they should be open to the possibility of one of them winning!
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Thanks everyone for adding lively discussion to this topic.
And welcome, Lisa. We hope you drop by again and join in the lively chatter. 🙂
I have been thoroughly engrossed in the news surrounding Steve Job’s death. I really thought he was a remarkably gifted man, a genius, who contributed so much to the field of technology.
I am typing these words on a device he envisioned – the IPad 2.
We have all been blessed to live during his time on earth.
Now, back to X-Factor, the only singer who strikes me as a winner in every sense of the word is 14-year-old Drew ( the Justin Bieber girl). I think she is exceptional. Really, really gifted.
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MCL,
I’ve got my little bit of Steve Jobs’ legacy attached to my belt.
I absolutely agree with you regarding Drew. She is several spots down on my list of personal favorites, but pop music isn’t geared toward suiting my taste. This girl does seem to be the whole enchilada. Her lead off of her group performance was very good in addition to the tastefully arranged Bieber number from her first audition. She’s very impressive.
I still believe Melanie is the best singer in the competition. I believe her heart may be as a Christian contemporary singer judging from the one video she has o you Tube. Caitlin and Jazzlyn are the most interesting girls. I’m afraid Jazzlyn’s nerves will get her, Caitlin’s soft and sultry will slip into slow and sleepy and Melanie could end up with Pia syndrome. I would love to spend an evening in a small club listening to Josh and Leroy, but I don’t like their odds here. With a little more exposure from this show, Tim should be on his way in Nashville. There are several others who should make the show entertaining.
Personally I believe five million dollars is a waste of money. There are some interesting young singers here but any of them would have been over paid at one million dollars. The X-Factor UK only paid one million pounds, from which all recording, promotional and video expenses were also paid. This prize is five million (one million per year for five years) plus all of the other expenses. They could have easily launched the entire top 5 for that much money.
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Gene – I find the prize ridiculously high so I hope they find a singer(s) that truly, truly deserves this kind of money.
I am looking forward to the Judges’ Houses episodes this week. It should be interesting. 🙂
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MCL, don’t forget about Melanie, Jazzlyn, and Josh…they are all great, too!
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Yes they are Erin. But, for some reason, this show is not grabbing me yet. I will be happy to see the live shows
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