Brenda and Jamie Arrowsmith receive Joan Mantle Music Trust Community Award

A mother/son duo who are well known musicians and music educators have been selected as the 2018 recipients of the Joan Mantle Music Trust Community Award. The award will be presented to Brenda and Jamie Arrowsmith at the International Dinner and Silent Auction in support of the Trust on Saturday, April 14, 2018. The evening will mark the 10th anniversary of the Joan Mantle Music Trust which has raised more than $220,000 since its inception.

“In this special anniversary year, we welcome the opportunity to honour musical legacies from one generation to another,” said Ralph McIntosh, Chair of the Joan Mantle Music Trust Steering Committee. “Brenda Arrowsmith imparted her passion for music to her son Jamie and both have made significant contributions to music education. Jamie, in turn, is inspiring another generation of musicians through his work at Cambrian College, the Sudbury Symphony and the Sudbury Youth Orchestra.”

About Brenda Arrowsmith

An accomplished clarinetist, Brenda Arrowsmith retired from the Cambrian College School of Music in 2012, after more than 30 years as head of wind instruction and theory studies. She was a principal player with the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra, and served as their rehearsal conductor for many years.

Brenda is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, where she studied Theory and Composition. She also attended the Banff School of Fine Arts. In addition to the clarinet, she is a talented pianist with an Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto diploma in performance.

Throughout the years, Brenda Arrowsmith has been in demand across Northern Ontario as a wind clinician and music festival adjudicator. She has also made an impressive contribution to a number of local organizations, including the Sudbury Symphony, the Sudbury Youth Orchestra, the Northern Ontario Honour Festival Concert Band, Opera for a Cause, and the Sudbury and District Pipe Band. She also continues to act as a resource to local teachers.

Brenda remains dedicated to the success of music students and the richness music brings to their lives. She often transports students and their instruments to the Kiwanis Music Fesitival of Sudbury to ensure they are ready to perform. When accompanying solo students, her quiet confidence gives them the strong support they need.

In 2006, Brenda was a recipient of the President’s Award of Excellence from Cambrian College. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to music in the community, she has also received four volunteer awards from the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture, and was a recipient of the YWCA’s Women of Distinction award in the field of the Arts in 2012.

Brenda serves on the board of the Sudbury Youth Orchestra, and continues to be involved in making music with many wonderful colleagues. She has been called “a quiet mover and shaker” in the local music scene, an individual who gives of herself so others can achieve their full potential.

Marion Harvey Hannah, retired Director of the Bel Canto Chorus, said Brenda Arrowsmith is highly regarded for her dedication, musical and personal integrity, friendly helpfulness and depth of commitment. She added: “I continue to admire this woman who so unassumingly has made such an impact on music education and who has fostered an appreciation for excellence in so many people of this community.”

Brenda is incredibly proud to be receiving this award with her son, Jamie, an internationally accomplished musician who cares deeply about the preservation of musical arts in the community. She is also very proud of her daughter, Dana, a federal government employee in Ottawa and a busy violinist/fiddler. Brenda is eternally grateful to her wonderful husband Don, a staunch member of the bass section in the Bel Canto Chorus, and a supportive, right-hand man in all ventures.

About Dr. Jamie Arrowsmith

Dr. Jamie Arrowsmith has had an illustrious career as a performer, clinician, teacher and conductor. Jamie’s passion for music began when he took his first violin lessons at the age of three at the Cambrian College Academy. At 16, he joined the string section of the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra, and remains dedicated to both these organizations. Jamie holds post-secondary degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Kent State, and Brunel University, in the United Kingdom where he earned a PhD.

Since returning to Sudbury in 2006, Jamie has had a significant impact on many aspects of music education in the community. He is not only the Head of the Strings Program and Coordinator of the Music Production Program in the Cambrian College Faculty of Music, he is also the founder and director of the recently formed Sudbury Junior Strings which provides ensemble education and performance opportunities to beginning string players. In addition, Jamie directs the Sudbury Youth Orchestra which frequently collaborates with other young artists.

Both as a solo artist and with the groups he directs, Jamie participates in outreach activities in schools, taking his passion for music making to children and youth. By providing innovative programming and directed improvisation activities, he inspires them to develop their skills and creativity.

In addition, Jamie is principal violist and associate conductor of the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra (SSO). In the latter role, he not only prepares community musicians for their concert performances, but also programs and directs the SSO’s chamber music series and presents library talks which provide insight into the symphony’s repertoire. Jamie also sits on the board of the SSO as an ex-officio musician representative.

A member of the Sudbury Kiwanis Music Festival Board of Directors for the last 10 years, Jamie is in demand as a clinician both in Canada and internationally. From adjudicating for the youngest string players throughout Canada, to joining a distinguished panel of judges in China, Jamie has been involved with music education for all ages and at all levels. He was a guest conductor of the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, has published several academic papers in the field of community music and has presented at numerous international conferences.

Although his influence as a musican and educator extends far beyond Sudbury, he remains rooted in and dedicated to the local community. In June 2017, he directed and conducted a production of Noye’s Fludde featuring the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra, professional and community vocalists and instrumentalists, and 80 local elementary and high school students.

Jamie’s contributions to the musical life of Sudbury were recognized in 2015 when he received a Northern Ontario Business 40 under 40 Award for Community Arts Leadership.

Dr. Charlene Biggs of the School of Music at Cambrian College said Dr. Jamie Arrowsmith “pours his heart and soul into everything he does and, as a result, he continues to inspire young musicians across Sudbury and beyond.” She added: “He commands respect and guides students into giving their best performances whether it is through private lessons or leading the Sudbury Youth Orchestra. He also promotes civic values in his students by giving them opportunities to play in senior centres and local high schools.”

About the International Dinner

Rainbow District School Board’s seventh International Dinner and Silent Auction in support of the Joan Mantle Music Trust will be held on Saturday, April 14, 2018 at 6 pm at the ParkSide Older Adult Centre, 140 Durham Street, in Sudbury. All proceeds will go towards the purchase of new musical instruments and equipment for Rainbow Schools.

Tickets are $50 per person (with a $30 tax receipt provided upon request) and tables of eight are $400 (with a $240 tax receipt provided upon request). Tickets can be purchased at the Sudbury Theatre Centre, 170 Shaughnessy Street, 705-674-8381. Tickets are also available at area Rainbow secondary schools or by contacting Emily Caruso Parnell at 705-523-3308 ext. 8217, email [email protected].

The menu will feature a wide variety of foods that represent Sudbury’s multicultural heritage. Musical entertainment will showcase talented students from Rainbow secondary schools.

About the Joan Mantle Music Trust

The Joan Mantle Music Trust was established in the fall of 2008 to help refresh, modernize and revitalize school music programs in the Rainbow District School Board. The Trust allocates funding for musical instruments and equipment to selected schools on a rotating basis. The Trust also accepts the donation of new and used musical instruments and allocates them to schools in need. This ensures that there is an ongoing improvement in the condition of musical equipment throughout the Board, allowing for students to achieve more in their musical studies together.

For more information about the International Dinner and the Joan Mantle Music Trust, click here.

Donations to the Joan Mantle Music Trust are always welcome. Cheques should be made payable to Rainbow District School Board. Receipts will be provided for all donations of $25 or more.

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.

International Dinner Contact:

Ralph McIntosh,
Chair, Joan Mantle Music Trust Steering Committee,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-8381 ext. 27