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
April 25, 2013 
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If that be the case that no one goes home tonight…then that just isn’t fair to the three who were voted to stay!!!
When my son was in High school he was on the competition Cheer team as a tumbler and Base…these kids worked their butts off to make it to Districts; they made it. At Districts they competed hard and placed in the top three, only the top three could move on to Regionals…well in a “Surprise Twist” the county was re-districting that year so they ended up sending all six teams to Regionals…No one knows why still to this day!!!
At Regionals the team that scored the lowest in districts came back and beat my sons team and knocked them out of going to States by tenths of a point!!! Now, had that team been sent home when it was supposed to, my son and the rest of his team could be happy with the fact that as a Senior Team they went to State!!!
What I am saying is this will come back to bite maybe their chosen ones…
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I’ve said often that it isn’t the best vocals, or the best singer but the best and most appealing performances and contestant that wins at AI. This is one of the most lucid reviews I have read in a long time.
http://www.realitytvcalendar.com/shows/ai12/ngh/ngh30-p5.html
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Don – that is a great article. Thank you. Angie – like her or not – was the best of the night. Kind of been this way for the past two weeks.
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I thought that article was very interesting. It could very well explain why we haven’t had a female winner on Idol for too long. However, I think that comments I have read about Amber could be just as applicable when demeaning or diminishing a talented female singer. The comments about Amber that I have read on other blog sites, are disturbing on a lot of levels. Also, when did old = bad? What’s wrong with older songs? Ironically, Amber was getting accused of picking old songs, when Angie picked the oldest one of all. I don’t see anything wrong with doing an old sing, especially if it’s a great standard that suits someone’s voice. It’s really a commentary on how our culture has degraded that so many online must decry and trash older songs. A great song is a great song! We saw that with Motown week and Beatles week. Great songs can produce great vocals with talented singers.
So it’s not only Angie who is being marginalized. Goodness knows that we need some great female voices in today’s music! Any one of these young women would be a huge improvement over what we have now. Also, what’s up with this idea that good voices belong on Broadway? It’s said in a very derisive manner and we hear this almost every season. Why is being on Broadway being mentioned as though it’s a place where nobodies go? I have never understood that at all. The comments trashing Amber really have nothing to do with who she is and what she’s about. Why are some online so threatened by strong voices? I think Amber could become a wonderful pop singer. Now I would love to hear her sing songs like “Firework” or some of Jessie J’s songs. I thought that Angie did “Who You Are” better than Jessie J!
I think Angie is a very ambitious young woman. She has been smart and savvy with her song choices. Some on MJ’s blog accused her of playing it safe. I think that’s nonsense! She chose two songs that worked her voice and would showcase what she does best. Good for her! She may not be my favorite, but I can certainly appreciate how well she has done in the past two weeks. It’s also shameful to think that good looks should somehow mean there is nothing behind a pretty façade. We need to lose some of this sexist attitude and celebrate great female voices!
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Gah! This show! Since when has using the save added another week…they would use the save and two would go home the following week and there has been times that they did not use the save!!!
This show is crazy!!! Candice Bottom two?????????????????? ;-(
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Mindy – Standing O!! Brava! Could not have said it better myself so I won’t. Strong words!!
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Vonnie – no way was Candice in the Bottom 2. That was all drama, especially since all four gals were going to stay anyway. There may have been power voting for Kree, though, with all the backlash she received last evening from the judges.
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Rosanne-I sure hope you’re right that Candice wasn’t really in the Bottom 2. She deserves to win more than anyone I believe, even though this wasn’t one of her best weeks. I’ve been wondering if she feels so much pressure to match or top her out of this world performance from a few weeks ago, so she’s made some not so great song choices. That girl is so incredibly crazy good, I bet next week she’ll put on some showstopping performances!! I sure hope so!
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legally they would not be allowed to say that someone is in the bottom two if they are not. it would be called ‘tampering with the contest or with the results’. well, not those words exactly, but that is the point. our u.s. laws on contests on t.v. are strict and adhered to or the program would be in big legal doo-doo. on dancing with the stars they’ll say something like ‘not necessarily in that order’ or ‘not necessarily the bottom two’, here they said specifically *the bottom two*.
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Needless to say, I was disappointed to see both Amber and Candace in the bottom two. I think that Kree’s bottom two finish last week would have gotten her fans to vote in bigger numbers this week. It could also be a backlash to the terrible comments from the judges. I think Kree had her best night with two strong performances. I get crazy when the judges make these pre-planned comments! Do they think the viewing audience is that stupid? People have ears and eyes! I gave Kree credit for showing me that she could connect and show some real emotion and feeling in her singing. She deserves credit for selecting two challenging songs and delivering.
So last week Candace and Amber weren’t in the bottom and this week they are. The only one who hasn’t been in the bottom two is Angie. Does that make her the favorite? Or is it going to get even crazier?
I am sure that Candace is feeling the pressure. Battling a cold is no fun either when you have to go out and give three performances. I think she is willing to take risks with her song choices. What I really didn’t like was hearing the judges use the words “adult contemporary” regarding her interpretation of the Drake song. That phrase has a very negative connotation and that’s why the judges used it. I l always read comments on blog sites about someone being adult contemporary. It is not meantr as a compliment! For some reason it’s reserved for singers with great voices who just don’t appeal to certain people. There was nothing “old” about Candace’s performance! In fact, that first performance was my favorite from her. However, she never gives a bad performance.
This show could really drive us all completely crazy!
MCL,
Thanks for understanding where I was coming from with that little rant! I don’t usually get that intense, but it’s a subject that is a sore spot with me.
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One of my pet theories is that music is generational. So today’s generation hears and actually feels music in a different way than did mine. There is some commonality of likability for other generation’s music, but the spirit of this generation is different from another’s. So I think Candice has a deep rich voice, but I had her at the bottom of the last show because she didn’t sing what I think the majority of voters for Idol (16 and below) gravitates to and hears. They were jazzy, night club interpretations, and that style is outside – neither good nor bad – the tastes of this generation. Candice ignored her voting audience’s prime tastes. She was begging for elimination.
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Meh…my only issue with older songs is that idol song lists seem saturated with them. Really, if idol could get past the repeated themes (I don’t want to see Beatles or Motown week every season.) and tired song choices it would still stand up against the other cover competitions.
Idol still has one leg up over The Voice; winners on Idol get more support than winners on the other shows. Can you even remember without Wikipedia the name of the winner of the The Voice season 1? Frankly, I’m shocked that people are willing to audition for that show; only the “judges” seem to benefit.
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blah-the reason being is that Idol has record company connections. The Voice is a tv show. period.
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Obviously, I’m old and a little confused by Don’s comments. Candice sang a Drake song. Who is he anyway? I’d never heard of him before. Isn’t he someone who young people listen to?
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Louise,
I am also confused. I didn’t even know Drake, because I don’t listen to much of today’s music. Candace wanted to take this current artist’s song and do it her way. It’s interesting that the judges felt she made it “old” or “adult contemporary” by reworking a very limited melody. If she sang it straight, then they would have called it unoriginal or copycat. I think that Candace was smart to pick that song and then do it her way. That’s what she does. Saying that she was begging for elimination is really kind of insulting.
Oh and meh – regarding the issue of older songs! The point I was making is that great classic standards are songs that have stood the test of time. I don’t have a problem with Idol changing the themes, but the point I was making is that the great songs of Motown and the Beatles served these talented contestants very well!
I have no idea why the younger generation should feel so negatively towards older songs. Music evolves through the generations. If we didn’t have the music of previous eras, then these young people wouldn’t have today’s music. I was always curious about music that preceded my generation. I discovered the great early rock and roll music of the 50’s and my parent’s big band music of the 40’s.
It’s not my understanding that the majority of Idol voters are 16 and under. I thought that the demographic is much older. I would also remind people that Angie did a song that originated in the mid 50’s. Yet most people felt she won the night. She was in the top two. So someone please explain that to me!
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Sorry, Louise, I was unclear. I don’t know any pre-16 year old that listens to jazz or night club interpretations of songs, and that is what I thought Candice did, despite it being Drake. I didn’t think that would appeal to what I think is a significant voting bloc. I didn’t think MacArthur’s Park or The Power of Love would appeal to people either and thought Amber would be in trouble as a result. I thought Angie would appeal on one song, Jesse J’s song, because she would sing it like Jesse J and not really reinterpret it out of the style. If Angie did that song acceptably or well and no one else sang a style close to that voting group’s in vogue style, Angie would leap ahead of all the others. When the judges say it’s the song choice, I usually take part of that to mean “pick something the audience can relate to”. It’s just my theory.
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hunter…somewhere is the rolling credits for idol there is a statement that refers to idol using their own discression on voting or something like that…
Help me out guys with this…I’m old my brain don’t remember things well…
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So the idea is that Angie picked a Jessie J song, an artist that I heard she covered in the earlier rounds, and then does the oldest song of the night from the 50’s and that gets her the votes? I don’t get it! Again I also do not agree that the demographic skews that young for Idol.
How many people were able to relate to “Cry Me a River”? Not that I have a problem with it, but how would that appeal to this supposedly really young demographic? That song made “The Power of Love” and “MacArthur Park” look positively current by comparison.
Candace did with the Drake song exactly what she has been doing throughout the competition. She reworked a song and did it in her own way. She did “Love Song” in a kind of jazzy way and everyone loved it to pieces!
Vonnie,
I know what you are talking about with the provisoin the credits that the producers reserve the right or whatever regarding the voting. I don’t remember the exact wording, but we have discussed it here in the past. The wording is somewhat ambiguous but still indicates that producers have some discretion with the voting.
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Yes Vonnie – the wording is there but i don’t have the strength or patience to look for it. Lol.
With only 4 gals left, however, two would have to score lower than the other 2 so it is quite possible that the results were valid. But Idol loves drama so,,,
And, I am fed up – like Mindy and so many others here – with Idol and the judges and Jimmy dissing certain styles of singing – like Broadway, jazz, blues etc. it is insulting and all this does is water down the thinking of what good music is supposed to sound like.
Open your minds Idol – for crying out loud!!!
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MCL,
I guess you must be feeling better to stand up for good music! It’s so unfortunate that any music would be labeled as “good” and other music would be “bad”! Unbelievable! Of course people can have their personal preference as to what music they personally like, but to somehow categorize or marginalize certain genres of music negatively just baffles me!
Candace didn’t do anything different with the Drake song than she did in her previous performances. If she was brilliant with “Love Song”, then why is she now outdated or old? I don’t get it!
The theme “One Hit Wonders” was chosen by the viewers. So maybe they should have picked a theme that would have ensured more current music! We also have to remember the limited song catalogue from which these contestants have to choose.
For next week the two themes will be Standards and Songs from 2013. So we will get the best of both worlds. Whenever Idol has had a theme about great pop standards or classics, it has produced some of the most memorable performances.
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Mindy,
I don’t think Angie got many votes from Cry Me a River. I don’t think an older voting block relates to or votes for Jesse J covers. Just my opinion.
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Don,
I don’t doubt that Angie didn’t get many votes from “Cry Me a River”! That was my point. I just am surprised to see that you think the demographic is that young. That wasn’t my understanding. I guess your point is that Angie’s first performance is what got her the votes.
I think there’s been some instability in the voting. Candace hasn’t been in the bottom since her performance of “Love Song” if I recall. So whatever she’s been doing has kept her in this thing. Kree wound up in the bottom two last week for the first time. This week she was in the top two. Both Candace and Amber weren’t in the bottom last week. I don’t know that we can be sure how it will all play out, but Angie is the only one who hasn’t been in the bottom yet. That has to give her the edge as far as getting to the finale.
Kree also sang an older song with “Whiter Shade of Pale”. Candace did “Emotions” by the Bee Gees as covered by Destiny’s Child. Amber did two older songs. I just think that there is more at play here than the songs they chose. At this point in the competition, viewers would most likely have a favorite. So then they will vote for that person no matter what they sing or how they perform.
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vonnie, i had one show saved. it was not a results night but i did see the discussion of votes which i think you’re referring to. what it said (more or less) is that if there seems to be a large block of votes that come in where it seems like this wasn’t done by a person but rather in some other mechanical or 3rd party way to give someone an unfair advantage (power dialing votes), that idol, along with an independent voting organization, at their discretion, can remove those ill-gotten votes.
i repeat what i wrote earlier: legally they would not be allowed to say that someone is in the bottom two if they are not. it would be called ‘tampering with the contest or with the results’. well, not those words exactly, but that is the point. our u.s. laws on contests on t.v. are strict and adhered to or the program would be in big legal doo-doo. on dancing with the stars they’ll say something like ‘not necessarily in that order’ or ‘not necessarily the bottom two’, here they said specifically *the bottom two*.
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Hunter…I gotcha…but honestly I wouldn’t put anything past this show! 😦
Wednesday and Thursday nights were both fiasco’s, the did the same thing to Candice on Thursday that they did to her on Wednesday…Crazy!!!
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Mindy,
I don’t think it is the song. I think it is the sound and the style. Like songs in the key of life. Angie’s Jesse J rendition sung in the style of Jesse J was singing in the key of the demographic voting life, both sound and conditioning to Justin Bieber and Hannah Montana. I think Candice was singing in a different key of life, a jazz key, that while elegant and with personal signature is not a key that resonates with a large block of voters. I think Kree climbed up into the top two because I think the Jannelle block split their votes between Angie and Kree. I sincerely doubt they were giving their votes to Amber or Candice for the style of their performances. If Amber or Candice goes this week, I think the voting block of the departed will go to the remaining Amber or Candice. If Kree or Angie goes, the voting block of the departed will go to the remaining Kree or Angie. Since the voting seems so close to me, the departing contestant support thrown to a third party could mean the difference.
I did look up viewing demographics of Idol. Where I could get a decent breakdown,
admittedly old and suspect for 2011, the demographics had out of like 25 million, 2.2 in the 2 – 11 age group and 6.7 million in the 12 – 34 age group. or more than a third in the under 34 group. I think that is the group that votes and controls a preponderant share. I maybe all wrong, but I think it is a very reasonable conclusion.
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Don B,
I appreciate the fact that you checked out the demographics for Idol. I don’t know if they would have changed since 2011, but that at least gives us a recent picture of the breakdown. The 12 – 34 age category doesn’t necessarily mean pre-16 year olds. However, it does mean that the audience is skewing younger.
I am not at all sure that the votes of a contestant who goes home will automatically go to another contestant who sings a similar genre of music. We have discussed this here in the past. It’s really impossible to know if this phenomenon happens or if people just stop voting when their favorite goes home. I can see how a certain number of votes might switch, but we really have no way of knowing for sure. I can see Kree getting some of Janelle’s votes and also having her fan base rally after a bottom two finish last year.
I understand what you are saying about sounds and styles. You mentioned Justin Beiber and Hannah Montana! Two reasons why I despise current music! I could name a lot more. People who have known me here for a while, are well versed in my view of current music. I just thank God for Adele! There is hope for us all yet!
The interesting this is that my music tastes have not changed from when I was much younger. I always loved pop with r&b right behind as my second favorite genre of music. There was such a plethora of great talent in the 60’s and 70’s. We had an embarrassment of riches! People here also know that my Idol was the late Sam Cooke. I started listening to music when I was about 8 years old, so I caught the late 50’s and then the early 60’s. I was listening to music long before my friends. I had my little 45 record collection when I was just 10 years old! There were some rock groups that I also liked, some disco, none of that heavy metal stuff, no rap or hip-hop. I was not a country music fan, but did discover the great Patsy Cline decades after her death. There is some country that I like, music that would probably be considered pop/country.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to go off on the history of my musical tastes. I just had a very different sense of the music that came before my time, music that my generation would have pegged as “old”. I always loved listening to the great pop standards from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, all of the legendary singers. I never felt that older music was bad.
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Sorry, I had a few typos in my previous post. Of course, I meant to say Kree’s bottom two finish last WEEK, not last year!
I also meant to say – the interesting THING – about my musical tastes!
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Mindy,
My favorite album is Night Beat by Sam Cooke. I play “Lost and Lookin” at least three times a week before I go to bed. I am probably one of the few people that has and plays an album by the Soul Stirrers. Therein lies my theory. Last year I loved Joshua Ledet, especially because of his uncanny Sam Cooke gospel roots and silky/raspy voice that is able to communicate a feeling in such a visceral way all by itself. It was like Sam Cooke had been reincarnated in a slightly different form. I thought him miles ahead of everyone else. (My buddy thought the same of Jessica Sanchez.) Joshua lost not because of his voice or his presentation I thought but to an internalized generational sound of Dave Matthews/Phil Phillips. I think the same principle applies to Candice and Angie. E.g. even though the piano intro on “Get Yourself Another Fool” on Night Beat would be tailor made for Angie’s abilities, only Candice could probably sing that song the way it should be sung, not Angie. I am probably wrong as it is just a theory and Angie consistently surprises me.
The 2013 audience is skewing much more to the older audience per viewing statistics. I never try to confuse who votes with who views however.
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