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
MCL – Thank you! Can’t wait! Waiting with bated breath.
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I am so excited to see if talent wins over ‘cute’ boy looks. There is quite a line-up to appear on the show – lots of past Idols. I still haven’t felt sadness at Simon leaving, but I will forever be grateful that he brought this show to the United States!
This will be a VERY special show tonight! Enjoy! Enjoy!
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I need to get some sleep here, but I am kinda of disappointed in the results. Crystal is the better singer, but as we all know – the best singer doesn’t always win. How nice to see how close friends Lee and Crystal are. Maybe she will feel better about the runner-up role – less demanding – and more time with her baby.
The tribute to Simon was nice. I had hoped that Siobhan wouldn’t have to share the stage with Aaron, but that’s how it goes. She did a fantastic job. Such a pretty girl…
Loved Janet Jackson and also seeing the Idol winners again! Where was David Cook? Idol made a big mistake here. Either they should have had him start the song on a tape version OR had David send a taped message to be played on the show. This is the only thing that ruined a fine tribute song. David Cook needed to be a part of the festivites – no matter what!
The show went by at a quick speed and was enjoyable. I loved seeing Paula there and that she got a chance to be appreciated by the audience. I really do miss her, maybe more than Simon.
So, Lee is our winner. Best of luck to both of them! All we can do now is hope that Season 10 will be a success.
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Grammi Kari,
I had read over at Mj’s that David Cook was a charity event that he couldn’t get out of!
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Ooops! Meant to say “at a”
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Grammie Kari — I had a rehearsal tonight and only caught the last 15 minutes of the show live; the rest I’ll see tomorrow night. But my sense, as I watched the end, was that Crystal expected Lee to win. I agree that she blew him away last night, but I get the feeling that she or her friends follow the web enough to know which way things were trending, just as Adam did, I think, last year.
And I think Lee’s response was great. I really think the win means more for him and is a better fit than a Crystal win would be. Which means that I really think everyone wins!
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David Cook was on AI earlier this season ~ maybe couldn’t make it. It was an awesome show ~ I was thrilled as a baby boomer that Joe Crocker and Chicago was on the show. Casey James find his niche with that rocker ~ what a duet. Micheal McDonald and Micheal Lynche were awesome together! What happened when Dane Cook came on and the other “rejects” who came on the stage and some joker took over the mic and was screaming and yelling when the cameras went quickly into commercials. i will miss Simon. I thought Paula had good jokes about why did she leave the show…..she has a baby backstage and it was Simon’s turn to feed the baby! I almost forgotten how pretty she is and how poised. Simon is going on another show “X Factor” and probably wants to make it “his way.” And most likely put America Idol out of business. We don’t know what happened behind stage if there are bad feelings with how the show is run. I also heard that Paula is going to be on the X Factor too. Hollywood Hype. Who Knows?
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Interesting finale – lots of 70s people. Kinda weird. Crystal rocked with Alanis and Joe Cocker. It seems they turned off Lee’s mike … Casey was great with Bret Michaels. He will find a job in the music industry.
Bummed Crystal didn’t win, but I really think she will do fine. I think a lot of veterans tonight saw what a great musician she is and somebody will take her under his or her wing.
I just wish Lee could sing in tune. It would make the win that much better.
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The results surprised me a bit, but I don’t know why it should have after last year’s outcome. I do believe that Crystal will be successful without the title, and I think that Lee actually needed it more than she did. I could speculate about why it turned out this way, but it would serve no purpose. As I’ve said before, even though I think Crystal has a better voice, I also really enjoy Lee and I hope that both of them are successful. Now I only hope that they get to produce a really good first CD and TPTB won’t make them record pop drivel!!!
Did anyone else think that last night’s finale was rather boring? I was glad to see Siobhan again, and I loved seeing Joe Cocker, Chicago, etc., plus most of the former Idols and some of the runners-up. But all in all, I thought the tributes to Simon were not done all that well. However, he seemed genuinely glad to have Paula there.
It will be very interesting to see how they’ll change the show next year . . . “A Change is Gonna Come” but will it be an improvement?
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Good – did everyone kiss and make-up? Bravo and Brava! Thanks to all of you for making this site a success.
Now, about last night, I was generally underwhelmed throughout the entire 2 hours and thought the tribute to Simon, apart from all the former Idols converging on stage to sing, was not very memorable.
How about a great big cake – something! And Paula, although I loved seeing her again, seemed lost on stage during her speech. Lots of poorly tuned singing from some guest artists, although I thought the Top 12 group numbers were great.
Crystal should have won – I am extremely disappointed. Lee is a sweet guy, but, honestly, is so green when compared to Crystal.
And, apparently David Cook was at a Charity function to raise money for children with cancer. Good for him but couldn’t this conflict been avoided? I missed seeing him on stage. They could have asked him to record something.
(sigh) So happy this season is behind us.
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Here’s a link to an interesting article suggesting changes for next year’s season of Idol . . .
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37368466/ns/today-entertainment/
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(sigh) So happy this season is behind us.
Oh, sooooo true!
That finale was the weirdest combination of great surprises (the former Idols and Idol contestants coming out on stage, Bret Michaels and Casey’s duet) and shocking amateurishness (the clip tributes to Simon) that I have ever seen. (And Chicago? Alice Cooper? Really?)
I’m glad David Cook didn’t blow off the charity, because of course that is more important in the greater scheme of things–but really, didn’t ANYONE in his camp figure out that that was going to be the date of the AI finale? I’m sure the charity would have been amenable to an alternate date, if it had been suggested a few months ago.
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ReReader – my thoughts exactly!
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I finally got a chance to watch Lee and Crystal’s performances from Tuesday night’s show. Lee was fine, but Crystal really stole the show and deserved the win. Although I wasn’t sure I would, I voted for Crystal for about an hour based on my enjoyment of seeing her perform “People Get Ready” in person, some of her original recordings, and the reviews I found that evening. If she’s allowed to do her own music on her album, I’ll definitely consider buying it.
I actually have rather poor ears. For example, I don’t always catch the pitch problems that others do. However, Lee’s rendition of “Beautiful Day” after his win last night sounded glaringly bad to me. I know that he was caught up in the emotions of the moment, but it seemed really off to me. I’m curious how others felt about it.
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While I do think Crystal stole the show Tuesday night, I’m not that upset over Lee’s win. Honestly, I think it would be much more helpful for him than for her. As a runner-up, Crystal has more freedom to put out an album with music she wants, as she should have more input. I am happy that Lee has this opportunity to receive input and advice from the people around him. Oh, and I thought I’d share his performance of “Beautiful Day” (courtesy of MJs blog) from Access Hollywood. He sounds much better than he did on the show.
http://mjsbigblog.com/lee-dewyze-a-beautiful-day-access-hollywood.htm
On a sidenote, who enjoyed the previous Idol tribute? I absolutely loved it, as I was so much fun to see all those familiar faces (sans David Cook) up on that stage. Great talent and wonderful singers in the winners and other Idols! I also greatly enjoyed Carrie perform her new single, “Undo It.” She did lose her breath near the end of the song, but it was a fun, energetic performance. She has certainly come a long way from her stiff days on Idol!
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I feel so much better after seeing/hearing that Access Hollywood performance. Phew. Good job, Lee.
So is it true that the top 2 get record contracts? Does 19 have the runner-up’s contract? I really hope Crystal records “Up to the Mountain.”
I enjoyed Crystal with Alanis Morrisette, as well as with Joe Cocker. She rocked both those numbers. Chicago was just sort of “meh?” Give Lee a little bit more to work with. I didn’t really like that music when it came out in the 80s and don’t think it’s stood the test of time so well. I was very impressed with the “Every Rose …” performance. He and Bret Michaels looked like they were truly having a good time, and man, does Casey play the guitar well. I would love to see him play with John Mayer. Maybe John could give him a couple voice lessons, but he didn’t sound so bad last night.
I was disappointed Crystal didn’t win. It would be good for a woman to win, but she’s so powerful and talented that I think the door’s been opened up wide enough for her to step through and make an impression in the music industry. I can’t wait to hear her originals.
I was psyched to hear Siobhan sing. She was wonderful. She was into it, performed for the audience with energy and expression, and sang her lungs out. Whichever Gibb brother she was next to seemed enamored! Michael Slezak called her his muse. The other Gibb brother looked like he wanted nothing to do with little Aaron.
Can’t wait to see what the do next year. More Harry Connick, Jr.!!!!
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Hey all! Jessica I just saw the Access version of Beautiful day and it sounded a bit different – and I loved it! Hopefully he DOES change it up a little bit to make it more of his own single. Congrats to both Crystal and Lee. I too was hoping for a female winner but oh well. Speaking of the females I thought their Christina Aguelera (spelling??) medley was so good!! These girls can really sing! And Katie looked (and sounded) so good – more grown up? I loved the whole lead up right into Christina’s solo – I’m a huge Christina fan!
It was great to see Siobhan again, but wished she was on her own. Overall, the show was alright for me. Last year’s show was MUCH MORE entertaining, but then again, I found the 2 hours DID go by quickly. I was also curious about the Dane Cook clip. They did cut off the “rejects” quite abruptly. Does anyone have any insight about that? One of the BEST pairings and numbers of the night was Casey and Bret!! I LOVED IT!! What a good song choice for Casey. Missed the whole past idols tribute to Simon due to a power outage here and was FREAKING out because I thought I missed MY David Cook, but I guess he wasn’t there. Proud of him for his charity work – WHAT AN AMAZING and TALENTED INDIVIDUAL!
Now, So You Thing You Can Dance will grace my tv screen. MCL, do you have any expertise in dance? Ha! It’s been great being a part of this site. Thanks to all!! xoxo
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I like Christina Aguelera voice, when she did the solo song I could only catch every third or fourth word was that my ears or the audio?
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Cookie Monster has returned! Watch out everyone! I thought she went into hiding because David Cook wasn’t on the Finale. hahaha.
You know, CM, I just may watch So You Think You Can Dance. I actually provide accompaniment for dancers here in my city and because the instructor is so amazing, I have learned a great deal from her. Plus, during my earlier years, I did accompany dancers at the National Ballet School in Toronto.
Will have to listen to Beautiful Day over at Access. I receive a great deal of mail from media sites, so I should check my Inbox and add some more content to my site.
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This is a blog not sure who wrote it, but I found it interesting. I had noticed quite a few points that was made before I had read it.
http://themfareadinglist.blogspot.com/
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Hi everyone. Enjoyed reading the comments. I have not watched the finale in its entirety yet but I have it on TiVO. I did watch Siobhan’s performance & I thought she & Aaron sounded really good together. Maybe they’ll be allowed to duet on the Tour. I am not as sanguine about the results as other people here. I think Lee’s winning over Crystal says much more about the American public than it does about them as singers. But it is what it is. And the main reason – in fact probably the ONLY reason – I would bother to watch next year would be so that I could stop by here & read what people have to say. I really don’t like what happened this season. I think all of the contestants deserved better than what they got. I don’t have all the answers but I think something needs to change or I think next season will be, if not the last season, at least one of the last seasons.
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I must say that the duet of Siobhan and Aaron with the BeeGees was my favorite match-up of the night! Aaron did do a nice job, and she was awesome!
Vonnie, it just didn’t seem right that David Cook wasn’t there, and I wished he could have sent a video message. Maybe next year they ALL will be there for the 10th Anniversary? Jeanne, I agree that Crystal was probably relieved, but Lee was not a strong winner. Hopefully, with some vocal lessons, he can improve. He is like a diamond in the rough, IMO. Louise, I really didn’t think the Finale was boring, but it’s not like Queen or Aerosmith were there. LOL! Some of the stuff honoring Simon was drivel, though.
Beth, I saw Carrie in concert with Martina and Leann right after she won, and her stage presence was not good. She is doing so much better these days. Jessica, that was Barry Gibb (the handsome one) from the BeeGees. I loved seeing Siobhan enjoying herslef.
MCL, I really do enjoy, “So, You Think You Can Dance”, although the format will be different than in other years. I like that they use the original singers for their songs.
MCL, I must have missed something, huh? I don’t get to kiss and make-up. LOL! ;o)
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First off, IMHO, Siobhan and Aaron were the best. I loved the entire number and it was very classy the way Barry let Aaron and Siobhan take the lead on the chorus. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched it on .
Siobhan was at the If I Can Dream house and sang “Creep” and “Wicked Games”. Didi and Katie accompanied her on “Creep”.
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