The Late Peter Schneider to be honoured with Joan Mantle Music Trust Award

Long-time educator and musical performer Peter Schneider has been selected as this year’s (posthumous) recipient of the Joan Mantle Music Trust Community Award. The award will be presented at the International Dinner and Silent Auction in support of the Trust on Saturday, March 28, 2015.

Peter Schneider passed away on September 10, 2014, leaving a lasting legacy for music and music education. “Throughout Peter Schneider’s life, he exemplified everything the Joan Mantle Music Trust Community Award stands for,” said Ralph McIntosh, Chair of the Joan Mantle Music Trust Steering Committee. “His passion for melody and music education was remarkable. Whether performing or teaching, his love of music resonated with audiences of all ages, making him the ideal recipient for this year’s award.”

About Peter Schneider

At the age of six, Peter Schneider’s mother bought him a violin, a gift that would ignite his lifelong passion for music. From that moment, it was evident that he would go on to devote much of his life to sharing that passion with others, including as a long-time music educator with the former Sudbury Board of Education.

In his early years, Peter always challenged himself to learn as many instruments as he could. As he mastered one, he quickly moved on to another. Within a very short time, his musical repertoire expanded to include the bass fiddle, the viola, the string bass, the electric bass and the portable bass guitar.

It wasn’t long before Peter brought his talent to audiences across the city. During his youth, he played in the Sudbury Public School Orchestra and the Sudbury Philharmonic Orchestra. He also performed at numerous venues for wedding ceremonies, receptions, concerts and fundraisers.

With an appreciation for many genres of music, Peter took every opportunity to capture audiences of all ages with his unique instrument collection. He shared the stage with many local groups including the Sonny Musico combo, The Hilltop 76ers, Hi-Five, The Music Shoppe, The Commodores, The Parkside Gang, The South End Dixie Stompers, The Schneider Stringtet and The Swing Fever Band.

A profound moment in Peter’s career took place in 1953, when he joined the Massed Choir and Orchestra to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. He also performed live at the airport with the Sudbury Band during the arrival of the Queen and Prince Philip in 1959.

Peter began teaching music in the elementary panel in the 1960s and went on to devote 33 years as an instrumental music educator and music supervisor. He was one of the first music teachers in Sudbury to lead a Grade 7-8 instrumental music program. During his career, Peter conducted countless student bands, combos and choirs, and infused his passion for music into schools and students.

In the 1990s, Peter formed the Roy C. Barnes Memorial Band after receiving the local performer’s entire musical library. As founder of the Blueberry Festival and the popular Bell Park Gazebo Concert Series, which he coordinated for 16 years, Peter received the 2012 Northern Ontario Recreation Association Award for Distinction for community service.

Carolyn Otto, a member of the Sudbury Secondary School Music Department, had the pleasure of working with Peter Schneider in various community bands for more than 25 years. She witnessed the positive impact he had on individual musicians and the cultural vitality of the City of Greater Sudbury. He combined his love for music with his dedication to the community through his involvement with many events and organizations.

“Peter was the consummate music educator,” she said. “He was a font of music trivia and an endless source of background information about the music contained in the many books he painstakingly arranged for his various groups. He was an avid collector of instruments of all kinds and enjoyed the challenge of learning to play each one. He happily shared this knowledge with his fellow musicians and audiences alike.” Otto described Peter Schneider as “never happier than when he was sharing his music with others.”  She added: “This recognition will continue to keep Peter’s memory alive in our hearts.”

About the International Dinner

Rainbow District School Board’s third International Dinner and Silent Auction in support of the Joan Mantle Music Trust will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 6 pm at the ParkSide Older Adult Centre, 140 Durham Street, in Sudbury. All proceeds will go towards the purchase of new instruments in 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 Ralph McIntosh at 705-674-7551, ext. 6850, email [email protected].

The menu will feature a wide variety of foods including dishes from Italy, Finland, Greece, India, France and Mexico. 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.

Click here for more information about the International Dinner and the Joan Mantle Music Trust.

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.

-30-

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, 705-674-7551, ext. 6850.