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
August 5, 2008 
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Haha MCL. You picked a good season to be busy. I’ve found this to be the most predictable season yet. LOL. My review is pretty much the same every week: Theo and Amberly top 2 of the night, and Drew under-rated. You could probably write one review and just recycle it each week. LOL.
Anyway, enough with my negativity….I hope it’s a good show tonight.
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Idolina -no truer words were ever spoken. Same ‘ole, same ‘ole every week.
At one point, I started to compose a Top 10 article and it was the most difficult article ever. I just gave up. Same critiques for most of the singers and to try to vary the wording was next to impossible. I wanted to cut and paste my critiques from one contestant to the next.
However, I really am busier than usual – have had tons of company non-stop this summer plus this past season of American Idol has kept me very busy. Just an exceptional group of singers – therefore, the reader interest is really prominent, more so than any other season.
Don’t you find this year’s season of CI just a little confusing? I mean: “What were the judges thinking?”
One of my students auditioned for CI this year and he almost made it to the television judges.
But, he happened to mention that he was involved in a lot of musical theatre and they basically told him: : “Oh,well, then, we are looking for pop singers. It’s too bad, because we see that you could have developed well on the show and taken direction well”. Something like that. If he hadn’t mentioned it, he would have advanced, because they really liked him. And his voice is outstanding – tons of natural talent.
They told him to go home and form a band?? Huh? What does that mean? Does David Archuleta have a band?
Oh well – let’s see what tonight brings. Thanks for stopping by Idolina.
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Hey MCL. Thanks for telling that story regarding your student. I can say I’m not surprised!
Well, tonight’s show was interesting. I wasn’t feeling my top 2 as much as I usually do (Amberly and Theo), but my 3rd favourite was really good, especially on the higher notes. I thought Drew was the best of the night and I think he was the one who came out to win.
Jake Gold hit a new low tonight by naming his top 4. Unbelievable. Amberly, Theo, Mookie and Earl. No mention of Drew. This is why CI has credibility problems. It’s funny because my cousin is visiting from California….He knows nothing about the show, I said nothing about my top 3, and his favourite was Drew!!!
I really hate this show now. LOL. Can’t wait for AI to start.
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Oh boy, Idolina. Another ridiculous show. And, what is the matter with me? I keep forgetting about Drew. I am overloaded. Actually I am not surprised that he came out on top tonight because he was actually very strong last week.
And,if Theo doesn’t take care of his voice, he will run into some vocal issues.
AI next season – how can it top this past season? I can’t wait though.
Off to watch CI. Will report back later.
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I think that AI always tries to ensure that singing ability is there: Everything else is gravy. CI forgets that singing is important and this is where (for me) they go wrong. I have to say that I LOVE Brian Melo, but not for his singing. I think of all 5 seasons, his album had the lowest sales. THere are probably a number of reasons that this is the case, but singing is definitely one of them. At the end of the day, an artist can only be marketable if they can sing.
AI takes the ones who can sing and polishes them up in the superficial areas. David Cook is a great example….excellent talent, and then they polished up his appearance. Same reason they were behind David A: As young as he is, they knew they had a good thing with that voice, and is why he also got a recording contract.
CI for some strange reason works backwards. They find these quirky people who can’t sing and try to get us to vote for them. I’m all for artistry (I’m a HUGE David Cook fan), but I have a singing threshold.
I’m perplexed because tonight Drew picked a great song, looked great and sang decently. For some reason, however, he did not make Jake’s top 4. I think it’s probably ego related because last week he really tore into him and received some criticism for it.
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Ok I am still laughing histerically at Earl…Did he really end that song the way he did? And is that what we Canadians call Brilliant? Screaming and spitting with our tongues out. And the finger pointing wave to the audience? Can you explain this to me? Am I missing something? Is this what a true Canadian artist is? I can’t get this image out of my head!!!!!
And please, the first two singers of the show???
Thank God for Drew (who was absolutely stunning tonight) Amber and I LOVED LOVED LOVED Theo!
Earl rocks my world (maybe if I say this, I will understand the judges a little more…)
KL
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I love Idolina’s comment – I have a singing threshold!! Ha!! Well put
I just wanted to say that I pathetically watched the teen choice awards tonight to get a glimps of my Davids…xoxox KL
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Well, for me, Theo and Amberly have already given me enough reason to continue watching this show this season.
Drew surprised the pants off the judges – good strong vocals and a nice circular mouth in his upper register toward the end of his song (Theo, you need to do more of this). He just may be our dark horse this season.
Now, the BIG surprise – Mookie. His vocals are a technical train wreck, but this young boy has something special about him. Some kind of aura. Sings his rock-tinged vocals with a natural and distinct flair and then comes off as a humble shy kid when talking to Ben. I can see why the judges were attracted to him – he is different, but those raw vocals will only take him so far. He needs technical assistance STAT.
Hard to know how this will play out – strange show this year.
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klarocque Says:
August 4, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I love Idolina’s comment – I have a singing threshold!! Ha!! Well put
I just wanted to say that I pathetically watched the teen choice awards tonight to get a glimps of my Davids…xoxox KL
hahaha I watched the Teen Choice awards too – in between the Idol “performances”. The Davids won the “Fanatic Fans” award
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Theo, Amberly, and Drew need to be the final 3 – they were the only ones who were really good tonight. They know how to sing, simple as that. Mookie knows how to perform (and Earl too, but tonight, he sounded really bored), but his singing isn’t up to par with it. The other two have been mediocre for weeks, IMO. I also agree with Idolina’s comment that the show sounds the same every week – I hope the next theme will give us another dimension, so to speak.
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MCL on Mookie, I completely agree that he’s a star, but the singing is just not good. I saw them live and he was barely audible.
Technically, I’d say Amberly is the best. Her voice fills up that theatre. Drew and Theo are tied. When Drew kicks into the high notes it’s crazy.
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Oh – you attend the live performance? Is it pre-taped and then aired at 9:00 Eastern?
Yes, Mookie’s singing is so one-dimensional- the same every week. Great performer and tons of star potential but those vocals will only take him so far.
And Earl, I am sorry, what’s with that ridiculous ending? It was childish and sloppy and showed all kinds of “I don’t care” attitude. Crazy. And the judges think he’s brilliant? All that was left to do was stick his tongue out and – wait – he did, didn’t he? Total madness, that guy.
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I didn’t attend tonight’s show, but I did attend early in the season. You can really tell who the better singers are when in the theatre. That’s why I’ve always liked Drew, Amberly, Theo and even Katherine who is gone now.
It is taped at 7pm Eastern, and you have to be in the theatre by 6:30 pm.
I am still cringing that Jake named his top 4 and left Drew out of it (ego, ego, ego). I know that music is subjective and all, but give me a break. I’m not saying that Drew is the best singer in the world, but he’s way better than they give him credit for. The other thing that is driving me nuts is his edit. He’s a musician with original material and they’re giving him a “you’re karaoke” edit. Unbelievable. He’s gonna have to fight hard every week to stay in this thing. He pretty much has to be undeniable each week.
As for a dark horse, Drew has all the makings of one. He looks good on camera, is a decent singer, has charisma and is likeable. The only problem is that the judges aren’t on board with him, and that is really going to hurt him.
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Well well, another missed epsiode this week (my “bizzee” life just keeps me going and going and going…………………….). But why do I get the feeling I did not miss much as per usual. All the comments seem to suggest that tonight’s show was just as predictable as the rest…..hm.
Klaroque, did Earl actually spit at the end of the song? Wow, can we say “Proud to be Canadian” (tongue in cheek obviously…haha!)
Well off to youtube to add some humour into my night before I head to bed!
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I’ve been boycotting this season, not for any particular reason (although my official one is Jully Black), but while I’ve been home on vacation I’ve been fastforwarding through the DVR.
And the analysis here from everyone is on the money: Theo and Amberly being consistently strong, Drew doing well and getting no credit (I love hitting those high notes in Creep in Rock Band, and he hit them well), and Mookie being the one out of the rest who does have something special. Lola is a PERFECT song choice for his vocal type, and as long as he gets theme weeks where he can pick such good songs he can continue to shine.
But Earl? Eek. Just Eek.
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I wish the judges would critique Earl on his sloppy performances. They are treating him as if he could walk on water – can’t do any wrong.
At least they finally gave Drew some props last night.
However, Theo is in this to win. He does something different every week and has advanced his vocal and performing skills on a weekly basis.
Amberly is lovey – just lovely. My only concern is that she stays in “safe mode” and doesn’t evoke any surprises from week to week. However, her voice is so gorgeous and her presence – beautiful – inside and out.
Drew has to become aggressive – just really find a song that will be “killer” from beginning to end.
That was the trouble with this week’s song – the intensity didn’t kick in until the end and we needed to hear more of that when he vocalized at the beginning.
Support your lower notes Drew and don’t forget to articulate your words when you sing through your lower range. It will add coherence to the lyrics and energy and intensity to the melodic line.
Mookie – you need to expand your artistic horizons. In other words: Can you sing a ballad?
And you need to ask someone to assist you with proper diaphragmatic breath support, as well as relaxing your jaw and rounding out your mouth when you focus your voice.
Your singing process is presently the result of tense throat muscles, pushing the sound out and not allowing the voice to vibrate freely through the support from the diaphragm.
Okay – that was a mini- Masterclass here. Time to stop and smell the roses as another beautiful day begins here.
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The same article I just posted under AI weekly news had a blurb about CI as the last paragraph, so I thought I would cut/paste it here
This Week On Canadian Idol
Our Idol first-cousins embarked on “Hits of the UK Week” with a certified UK superstar in the form of Sir Tom Jones serving as guest mentor! Unofficially this was “put the instruments away week” because so many Idols dared step away from their guitars and pianos to show what they could do without their “crutches.” The Idols were visibly intimidated by the notion of performing in front of Sir Tom, but Jones was supportive and downright fatherly. Of course, he had not a negative thing to say about anyone, but he actually seemed downright impressed.
As seems to be the way, the song selections managed to span four decades, from the Kinks to Leona Lewis. However, the bottom three were a bit of a surprise – the fascinatingly unique Earl Stevenson, the presumed winner Theo Tams (the judges all but put the crown on his head) and the wise-cracking cherub Mark Day found themselves staring into the barrel. In the end, Day’s reasonable but forgettable rendition of “Bleeding Love” was his undoing. Or, maybe it was the Curse of the First rearing up again.
So, Canada is down to six. The two noted above, last woman standing Amberly Thiessen, the embodiment of rocker cool Mookie Morris, the intense rocker Drew Wright, and Mitch McDonald of the higher-pitched bordering on screechy vocal style. It remains a regrettable shame that US audiences can’t see this show. The show is the same, but the approach is definitely different. Like vanilla and French vanilla. Like Diet Coke and Coke Zero. American audiences (especially the more rock-oriented ones) would love it.
MCL Note: I had to eliminate the link because of all the pop-ups on the source site: FoxesOnIdol. Com. You are wise to cut and paste this story. It eliminates potential spam problems. Thanks Wadahoot
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