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
March 26, 2008 
Who is leaving us tonight? I think we may have a shocker on our hands. Between the negative commmentary from the judges and the less than adequate performance last evening, does this mean that Jason’s time on Idol is approaching the final phase? 
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IDK if Jason will go home but I could see him being in the bottom 3. BTW, didn’t David Cook blow you away last night? He certainly did for me. : )
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What a great blog!! My husband and I love to critique the hell out the AI contestants and it’s so fun to see what others are thinking too. First of all, I totally agree with your comments on Jason. He is SOOOO BORING…. and comes across as not the brightest star in the sky. I get the feeling that things come a bit too easily for this kid and he thinks they are going to continue on going his way, when I think if you took away all the teeny-boppers votes there wouldn’t be much left.
David Cook is FANTASTIC!!!!! What a musician and performer. We love him!! We thought that the first part of his Billie Jean went a little too long but when the song finally climaxed it was amazing.
Carley is my favorite female and what a powerhouse voice she has there. I just don’t understand what the judges have against her. It seems like they don’t like her anymore or they are trying to mind-*&$# her and drive her to do better in some crazy way.
Brooke is just beautiful and such a joy to listen to sing. We were glad to see her behind the piano again but when Seacrest announced that she would be singing a Police song, I knew it would be “Every Breath You Take” in a second. Why not Shawn Colvin’s cover version of “Every Little Thing (He) Does Is Magic” or taking another song from the bands extensive catalogue and changing it up? UGGGHHHH!!!!
David A. needs to stop (I believe) letting his (according to PerezHilton.com) stage-dad pick his songs and sing something that doesn’t “make a statement” and just sing an entertaining song that will make us go OMG! once again.
Chikeze is fun fun fun but last night he was not not not. As darling and talented as that guy is he needs to pick some relevent songs for the audience and I must agree with Simon, not for himself.
Michael Johns is the last of our favorites (recap: Favorites are Carley, David Cook, Brooke, Michael Johns, & Chikezie) and last night he finally gave us a stellar performance of a song we have hear too much on shows from American Idol to Rockstar. But man, did he deliver!! The hubby just loved it and I was smitten once again. That accent and smile gets me very weak every week.
The rest are just filler in our book. I look forward to looking over the rest of your blog and checking back with you through the season.
Have a great vacation!!!!
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Well, Jason is safe. Maybe this will motivate him to practice his technique.
I cannot believe that one of these two talented singers – Syesha and Chikezie -will be leaving the competition.
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So Chikezie leaves us tonight. I have to say that I am a little sad with this result. I liked Chikezie and felt that he had an amazing voice. He really deserved to stay longer.
I really thought that Jason would have left AI tonight; honestly, I think he deserved to leave.
Hope you are enjoying your vacation!
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Bizzee – Ia m having a blast. Very sad about Chikezie’s exit.
Planet Books – thanks for leaving such a detailed and accurate synopsis of the Top 10. I will check out your site more thoroughly when I return from vacation. It looks very interesting.
Erin – I agree- David Cook was astounding.
Cheers all.
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And I am actually starting to think he sings better than Chris Daughtry…I love him but David seems to sing rock in a more technical manner than Chris did. I do agree that Jason does have the weakest voice of everyone left & needs to work on his vocal skills. His looks are probably keeping him in. I wish he would just sing better, although a lot of people really like his voice.
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^ David Cook really does have an impressive technical foundation in his singing. He has such a full tone and very solid breath support. His upper notes were solid, and the money note was gold! He has really paced himself quite well and is proving to be a very consistent performer.
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I will miss Chikezie- I thought he brought a great energy to the show. When he did the bluegrass-flavored “She’s a Woman”, it was a risk that paid off. Will any of the remaining contestants be as daring? Good luck, Chikezie!
David Cook- I can’t think of anything to say other than I agree with everyone’s positive comments! I’m just ready for David to take a risk ala Chikezie and show us something other than “stalker rocker”. He needs some kind of raw ballad, I’m not familiar enough with the rock genre to suggest a song but I’ll know it when I hear it 🙂
I am unreasonably giddy about Dolly Parton as a mentor next week. She comes across as a genuine singer of songs and will give good advice to each of the singers. I hope they listen! Remember when Mandisa seemed to ignore all the advice (could have been the edit, though). AI contestants- pay attention to the mentors! They have been there and done that and can tell you a thing or two.
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Although I am sad to see Chickezie go home, I can’t say that I am surprised. Song choice is so important, and I think he messed up with it. He was in good voice, but it was a very lounge type old fashioned song for me.
I was happy to see Jason C in the bottom 3. I just don’t think he’s that good of a singer, although I do like his laid-back vibe.
I love Michael’s voice and think he did a stellar job. I loved the mix of songs too…nice touch.
Brooke’s song choice was a mistake, although I loved how she sounded on the earlier parts.
David A’s song choice was also poor. These kids need to stay current, and he’s no exception. I laughed when Simon said it was like a theme park performance. The kid has a beautiful voice, but it’s not all coming together for me lately. Again, song choice and arrangement are so important.
And then there is David Cook. I was stunned. He is such a pro and I think it’s pretty obvious to most people watching the show, even if he is not your preferred style. He was nothing short of a superstar on that stage. He has also been solid every single week, so I think I have found my “favourite”. I actually prefer a sound more like Michael’s, but this is a competition and it’s about who deserves to win, and who has earned it. It’s funny because I don’t think he was one of the judges’ or producers’ favourites going into the top 24, but he is certainly becoming just that. He is earning all of the praise on his own…..you can’t ask for more in an Idol and it just goes to show that the real stars will shine through no matter what.
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I was shocked by Jason’s lack of interest in staying on AI. When Simon said that Jason seems disconnected and uninterested, Ryan tried to help Jason out by saying something to the effect of, “You reeeally want to be here, right?!!” and Jason says back, “Uh, yeah?” He actually made it a question! The camera flashed onto Simon as he looked at Paula and disgustingly said, “Unbeeelevieble!” He was TOTALLY irratated that Jason didn’t swoon all over and take the given opportunity to be appreciative that he’s on the show. I really lost interest and respect for Jason.
:::grumble, grumble:::
Anita
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I’m getting pisseder and pisseder (heh!) at the Box Game the ‘judges’ play with the kids. They tell Brooke one time that it’s great that she just played an instrument, then told her not to play an instrument alone again, and then this week switched boxes in which she must fit again, by telling her that she should have left the band out of it. They also did this with Chikezie to be himself and do open fun songs, then said he was too wild and then, when he slid into the ballad box this week, they nailed him in it like it was a coffin.
Damn, I hate this part of their arbitrary judging. It would be enough for me to quit the bloody show.
:::grumble, grumble, growl:::
Anita
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TMZ is still on the David A’s evil stage Dad story http://www.tmz.com/2008/03/26/archuleta-gets-dui-daddy-under-the-influence/
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Hey everyone:
Just a quick hello to keep this thread alive and running. Thanks to all of you for your input. Very much appreciated!
Also, wadahoot – thanks for the link to TMZ. I actually think that someone did select this song for David A. – but, in fairness to him, he is only 17 and still needs mentoring in regard to the music direction he will be pursuing.
The song was vaguely familiar to me and, quite frankly, I liked the song. It was different. Even though it was not well received by the general public, as a musician, I appreciated his fine effort.
I wish his father would allow his voice coach – who is wonderful and extremely experienced – to guide his selection of song material.
HOWEVER – he needs to sing songs that reflect his youthful enthusiasm, as most of his song choices are a bit on the heavy side.
David Cook is the one to beat. He is miles ahead of everyone in this competition. Everything works for him – his technical skills, his artistry, his charisma, his intelligence. Truly the best I have ever seen on this show. A real star.
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David A. made it very clear on the results show the other night that he chose the song himself. These rumors about his dad have been blown way out of proportion. I’m sure he would never sing something he wasn’t comfortable singing.
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I would love for Jason to practice his technique as well. I just wonder if the contestants really have time to do much of that.
I just remember when I was taking lessons, the first million times I tried something new with technique, it sounded awful – no way would I want to display that on stage in front of America without having had LOTS of time to practice it.
It amazes me that the contestants have already picked out songs for the next week before Results Night is over. I wonder if they have next week’s songs picked out before Performance Night – that would be crazy. I just can’t imagine the stress.
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Hello Masterclasslady and everyone else! I just had to come in and share with you a Project that we’ve started for David Archuleta, called The David Archuleta “You’re the Voice” Project. We’re trying to get this song to number 1 and get it recognized. David did such an amazing job on the studio version and we want his voice to be heard!
David’s Fan Blast has already done two news stories on it:
http://davidarchuletafans.wordpress.com/2008/03/27/youre-the-voice-rally-fanbase-to-unite-behind-powerful-lyrics-fan-blast/
http://davidarchuletafans.wordpress.com/2008/03/28/ytv-youre-the-voice-dark-horse-hit/
You can see my original thread on the American Idol forums here, though it has been de-actived by the moderators we think for promotion of the song without permission:
http://www.americanidol.com/myidol/forums/topic/?tid=864994
Finally if you’re on Facebook you can join this group to support David:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=27484215404
We love David and want him to succeed, so David fans please help out in any way you can! Thanks! 🙂
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Hi archieangel:
I am happy to approve this comment about further support for David A. I support all the contestants in their supreme efforts to showcase brilliant performances each week.
David A. is immensely talented and I truly loved his song choice this week. Really really good! 🙂
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Hi masterclasslady!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate this! Everywhere we can get the word spread is fantastic! 🙂
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MCL, I’m so glad to hear you are having a great vacation!! (One that I am sure was much needed!)
I just watched David A.’s performance of “You’re the Voice” and have absolutely fallen in love with it. It kind of reminds me of the song “We are the World”. I really hope he becomes recognized for this song!!
I’m going out on a bold limb here and making my prediction for the final 3 constants (because two would be too hard to do at this moment): David A., David C., and Michael Johns.
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Hi everyone!
The latest on the David Archuleta YTV Project is that we are trying to get this mentioned on the Ellen Degeneres Show.
Please go to Ellen’s website and, as randyisgreat stated, “comment on this project and how you want this uplifting song to be carried around the world because it give people hope for the future. Also do not forget to mention that the YTV project has many volunteers willing to gift this song to spread the word on this amazing rendition by David and its powerful message that he was trying to get across during Tuesday’s show.”
We as a fanbase have a lot of power to make this successful and get people to take notice. YTV is extremely popular in other countries and with your help we can get the message spread across the United States!
Here is the link to Ellen’s website:
http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=10
Think of how happy this would make David is we got such wide media attention for YTV!
Thanks to everyone again!
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Newbie to posting here, but I just wanted to say a couple things. 🙂 First of all, thank you MCL for your weekly critiques. I love reading them, and you really give each contestant some great advice. I read a comment a couple weeks ago that I totally agree with, talking about regardless if the contestants are allowed to or even interested in reading anything on the internet while they’re on the show, your site should be required reading for them. Thank you for the work you put into this. Great site!!
Also had to say this – Idolina – what you said here:
“It’s funny because I don’t think he was one of the judges’ or producers’ favourites going into the top 24, but he is certainly becoming just that. He is earning all of the praise on his own…..you can’t ask for more in an Idol and it just goes to show that the real stars will shine through no matter what.”
put into words what I’ve been trying to say for days. Thank you! I totally agree. I don’t think he was really on TPTB’s radar at all going into the top 24. I think Michael was supposed to be the designated “rocker” but then David kept coming out week after week and delivering solid performances and earning the accolades. 2 “wow” performances in 6 weeks… that’s just crazy. He’s definitely getting attention now!!
It will be tough for him to meet and exceed that level of excellence from this week, but I have no doubt he can do it. I always knew he was great and had confidence in him, but I also wondered whether he’d be able to top “Hello”. And he did.
Good stuff. I definitely have my horse in this race. 🙂
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Still away on vacation here, but had to check in on the MCL site. Thanks so much all for your comments – very kind, thoughtful and insightful.
I agree that David Cook is the “Kelly Clarkson” of Season 7. He managed to create a buzz all based on merit of his supreme talent and is taking this competition by storm.
However, David A. is going to give him a run for his money and I have not eliminated Michael Johns yet.
As for the others, since we are at Top 9, they are going to have to weave some vocal magic to catch up with these 3 singers.
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I just wanted to mention that it was wonderful to have Kimberley Locke performing on the results show last week! What a lovely voice.
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I was sorry when Chikezie left, personally I would have booted Kristy Lee, the least interesting of the bunch, but in the long run, neither one was/is destined to win IMHO. While Kristy was very savvy to choose an uber-patriiotic song to save herself, it irked me. Song choice is easily more important than vocals when it comes to vote-getting, but her choice struck me as such blatant pandering. (This entire season, the only peformance I’ve listened to over and over on You Tube is Chikeze’s version of She’s a Woman. Hopefully, some remaining contestant will insprire me this much!)
Have to say I don’t get the love affair with Brooke. She seems like a nice person, but I find her voice and persona so completely bland and nanny-like. Mary Poppinsish? In contrast, Jason doesn’t strike me as the sharpest knife in the drawer, but for the most part, I’ve enjoyed his performances. He’s not the best singer, but he’s got something pure going on that appeals to me. I expect that what you see on stage is what you’d see and hear if you happened upon him when he didn’t think anyone was around. He won’t win, but I’m glad he’s there.
David Cook is absolutely the most interesting of the lot. I have no doubt that with or without AI at this point, he’ll do very well. Carly is also a big favorite of mine. I was entirely PO’d by the judges critique of her. It might be true that she wasn’t technically perfect, but I thought she hit a home run. She took a song I don’t much like, and made me like it. Simon’s constant critiques based on his approval or disapproval of the song itself rather than the delivery, seems so subjective and beside the point. The contestants shouldn’t be saddled with his personal taste. At the very least they should be critiqued on how well they sang it; how challenging it was; how they distinguished themselves.
So yes, it’d be great if Rosanne were on the judge’s panel!
Hope you’re enjoying your vacation Rosanne, I grew up in the great white north and know how long and dreary winter can be. I agree with your top 3, believe that they’ve earned it, but submit that Carly is the strongest of the women. In another year, without these talented men, she’d be a given.
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