Greely Players Bursary for the Performing Arts

Every year, when funds permit, The Greely Players offers a maximum $1000 bursary to its members or former members under 25 years old, who are accepted to a post-secondary program in the performing arts. Our aim is to encourage the youth of our community in their study of the performing arts.

For more information on how to apply for this year's bursary, Click Here.

2009 Award

Austin Lamarche receiving the 2009 Greelyplayers bursary from Greelyplayers president Sophie Hall

The 2009 Greely Players Bursary as been awarded to Austin Lamarche. Austin is a member of the Canterbury orchestra who played percussion for the 2009 "Anne of Green Gables" and 2007 "Annie Warbucks" productions. She will be attending Potsdam University to study music.

2008 Awards

This year's winners are :

Marianne Moore (played Grace in Annie Warbucks in 2007) who will be attending Carleton University in Vocal Music Performance.

	Emil Briones (orchestra for Annie Warbucks and Fiddler) who will be attending McGill for Music Education.
	Kristen Cooke (orchestra for Annie Warbucks and Fiddler) who will be attending Wilfred Laurier for Music.

(more info and photos to come...)

2007 Awards

The Greely Players is pleased to announce that they have been able to award three bursaries due to the success of their 2007 production Annie Warbucks. This is the ninth consecutive year that The Greely Players has awarded bursaries to deserving students entering a post-secondary performing arts program.

Greely Players President Anne Peterson presents cheques to the three 2007 Bursary award winners. From left to right: Catherine Martel, Sonya Matoussova, Anne Peterson and Caitlin Stewart.

Catherine Martel, who currently lives in Russell, joined the Greely Players’ production of Anne of Green Gables in 2001 in the title role of “Anne”. Since then she performed in Bye Bye Birdie, and last year took on the job of Assistant Director for Annie Warbucks. She is a graduate of the Arts Canterbury Drama program but has also performed vocally at the Kiwanis Festival where she received a third place in 2004. Catherine has participated in numerous events in and around Russell, as well as helping to organize events at school. Catherine will be attending Humber College ’s Acting for Film and Television Program in Toronto .

Sonya Matoussova is a violin and cello player and will be attending Université de Montreal for a music performance program on both instruments. She is a graduate of the Canterbury Arts strings music program, and was in the pit orchestra for three Greely Players productions: The Music Man in 2003, Oliver in 2005 and was the concertmaster for Hello Dolly in 2006. Sonya has also been a member of the Ottawa Youth Orchestra and the Junior Thirteen Strings Ensemble for three years. She also plays and teaches piano.

Caitlin Stewart, a trombone player, has been a member of The Greely Players’ pit orchestra for four consecutive years. She is also a graduate of Canterbury Arts Music program, and has been accepted into the Bachelor of Music program at the University of Victoria . As part of the Canterbury High School Senior Concert Band, she was a recipient of a Double Gold Award at the Kiwanis Music Festival; Most Outstanding Concert Band at the Musicfest Regional competition with an invitation to Nationals. She was also a member of CHS’s pit orchestra for The Wizard of Oz, which received a Cappies nomination for best orchestra. Caitlin has also been active as a class rep on the CHS Music Council.

2006 Awards

Lesley Raven, winner of the 2006 Greely Players bursary award, receives a cheque from the Greely Players' Janice Reid.

Lesley is a graduate of Canterbury Arts High School's strings program, and plays the violin. She will be attending the music performance program at Sir Wilfred Laurier University. Lesley was a member of the Greely Players' pit orchestra for four consecutive years.

2005 Awards

Since its first show in 1990, "Fiddler on the Roof", The Greely Players has grown in capability and reputation. Much of that success is attributable to local support. Recognizing this, in the late 1990s the Executive decided to return something to the community in the form of financial support (bursaries) for local young people going into post secondary arts programs. Each year so far, we have given at least two awards annually, usually of $500 each, to applicants from the local area and/or past and present members of the Greely Players.

This year, due to the financial success of "Oliver!", the executive were able to provide four bursaries. The winners were:

Above (left to right): Sarah-Mae Pyndus, Leah Cogan, Greely Players President Marg Van Dusen, Stephanie Geary and Ian Quane

Leah Cogan:

Leah was in the cast of "Anne of Green Gables" and took a lead role in "Bye, Bye, Birdie". She has been active in the local theatre and musical community. Leah will be taking a course in Musical Theatre at Sheridan College.

Stephanie Geary:

Stephanie has performed in the orchestra for the Greely Players since 2003. She has been active and successful in her music endeavours both at Canterbury and at external competitions. She has been accepted for a Bachelor of Music in Performance at the University of Toronto.

Sarah Mae Pyndus:

Sarah-Mae has participated in the Greely Players' orchestra, as a trombonist, on four separate occasions since 2001. She has had extensive experience with Canterbury and other music groups, as well as significant success at the Kiwanis' music festival and has been accepted at the University of Western Ontario for a Bachelor of Music course.

Ian Quane:

Ian has played viola and violin in the Greely Players' orchestra for the past four seasons. Apart from extensive participation in Canterbury music groups, Ian has played with The Cadenza String Quartet, which is active in the Ottawa area, and with the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy. He has been accepted for the music program at the University of Western Ontario.

2004 Awards

Two former members of The Greely Players' pit orchestra are this year's recipients of $500 bursaries.

Above photo - Tristan Boucher and Gareth Thomas with Greely Players vice president Marg VanDusen.

Tristan Boucher of North Gower will be attending Concordia University for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz Percussion, while Gareth Thomas of Ottawa will be taking a Performance Music degree at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. Both are graduates of the Canterbury Arts Music program, and worked under the direction of John Pohran in several Greely Players' productions.

Tristan Boucher has been playing drums for 9 years. He has been the percussionist for Anne of Green Gables, The Music Man and Bye Bye Birdie. Over the years, Tristan has been playing in a number of small groups, notably local band "Jackie In The Kitchen". Every Saturday evening this summer he can be seen playing a gig at Fresco Cielo's on Elgin Street. Tristan is also passing along his love of percussion to his own students.

Tristan's parents have been very supportive of their son's musical interests over the years, and have perfected the art of packing, transporting and unpacking a full drum kit all over the Ottawa area. They are not sure what they will do with their time when Tristan leaves for Montreal in the fall.

Gareth Thomas is an accomplished bassoon player and has participated in orchestras for The Greely Players' The Music Man and Bye Bye Birdie. He has been playing bassoon for 8 year, and hopes to become an orchestral musician. He has been a member of the Ottawa Youth Orchestra for 3 years and the Hull Conservatory Orchestra for 2 years.

Gareth has been active in the local Kiwanis and MusicFest competitions as a soloist and as a member of wind ensembles. He was recently the Open Provincial Runner-up in the Kiwanis Festival, and scored a Gold medal in the MusicFest Nationals as a member of the Capital Wind Quartet. This spring he won the $2000 Vic Pomer Award in the National Arts Centre Bursary awards for young musicians. Gareth is looking forward to his move to Toronto, where he has managed to find accommodation 6 subway stops away from The Glenn Gould School.

2003 Awards

This year’s award, our sixth, has been made to two students entering Music programs at the post-secondary level, and a third student entering the theatre arts program at Algonquin College.