Save Our Conservatory

Hmmm - Board members should be ashamed of these actions...and ashamed of themselves if they stand by and allow this to happen

Music is the heart and soul of life and the conservatory has enjoyed an excellent reputation for its first rate teaching and performing.

It is a CRIME AGAINST SOCIETY in Canada to dismantle one of the most successful programs in North America. John Kadz and Bill Van Der Sloot have single handedly given Mount Royal Conservatory its grand reputation, and what the administration is currently doing is worthy of the highest ranking of (dis)honour in the list the worst corporate acts against culture and education. Yehonatan Berick Professor of Violin and Head of String Sector School of Music University of Ottawa

This is an outrageously short-sighted decision. Please reconsider.

As a former student @ Mount Royal I deplore the dismantling of this prestigious Conservatory, especially in such a seemingly sudden & underhanded manner. Please reverse this decision and find a way to keep the study & making of music alive. C. Belyea Toronto

I have been on faculty at the Conservatory for many years and am deeply saddened and concerned by this recent chain of completely unacceptable events. There are very few institutions that have been able to foster and develop a program of such far reaching impact as the MRU Conservatory's Academy. It's beyond any grasp and logic why the decisions of a few people should be able to destroy the work of many decades and continuous dedication that the former administration, as well as the many faculty members have invested. I sincerely hope that it's not too late to reverse the damage already done and would urge you to re-instate Bill van der Sloot and John Kadz in their former positions.

For some reason institutions are hell bent on destroying the arts. Historically, the sign of a prospering society was the ability to engage in the arts. Whenever the arts are taken for granted or removed from a society, it is a sign that that society is in decline. Fighting for the arts is necessary to the continuance of a strong and healthy society and the shutting down and dismantling of an institution like this is contributing to this decline. Fix this and stop this from happening.

Magali

Do the right thing and reverse your decisions!!!

Heartbreaking in the USA too, Chairman Pinney and President Docherty. Your conservatory is such a vibrant light to the cultured in your nation and mine. I am praying for a miracle and please know that I stand beside you! Catherine-Grace Patrick in Sacramento, CA, USA

If it wasn't for Bill my daughter wouldn't be the violin teacher she is today.

An enormous part of my development as a youth (both as a musician and as a person) was attributed to my involvement in the truly world class MRC Academy and Credit music programs, pioneered and cultivated over the course of the last several decades, by a team of exceptionally gifted teachers, lead by the two individuals in question. Following my departure from Calgary, my tutelage under the direction of these men and the incredible experiences that their dedication brought to me, enabled me to attend the Juilliard School and go on to have a career performing with several of this country's finest orchestras. In recent years, I have transitioned into new professional endeavours. I am currently an attorney practicing in the field of corporate and commercial law as an associate at a law firm of national repute. To this day, whether it be as a musician, a lawyer or as a human being, my roots and the structural foundation that these two men were able to provide for me through their incredible accomplishments, conceiving and directing a music program of international calibre, shall never, in my mind be forgotten. I implore you to reconsider. The grave impact of your decision on the city of Calgary and its rich cultural heritage has not been adequately assessed in your decision making process.

A major loss to the city of Calgary and the country at large. The Board needs to hear the many voices raised in opposition to this decision.

I fully endorse this petition, and - as an instructor for eight years now at MRU - would appreciate an explanation of the terminations of Messrs. Kadz and van der Sloot.

This is not only sad; it is short-sighted. Music and the arts are fundamental to a society. What is happening to Alberta that makes this OK? Boards need to be visionary, not just reactionary.

This is not only sad, it is extremely short-sighted. Boards need to be visionary, not regressive. Music and all the arts are fundamental to a society.

I strongly support the Conservatory and hope that MRU will continue to support music education for youth and reconsider recent decisions.

Shame, shame, shame, shame, shame on you Mount Royal University!!!!! Once again the bureaucrats would imprison the human soul and chain the human spirit in the name of economics and the endless desire for "goals" that have no meaning and set us little above the machines that we so ably serve. Shame on you for not understanding the art of being which is the true future of humanity! Shame on you for degrading the human ability to be more than the sum of our parts! Shame on you for bringing the yoke of "practicality" and "budget" to bear on what should be the highest human endeavour! The growth of the spirit and soul of humanity is none other than our goal and you shall not be supported in killing it. I SUPPORT THIS PETITION.

As Head of Strings at the Victoria Conservatory of Music I can attest to the immense impact, nation-wide, Bill van der Sloot and John Kadz have made. They have raised the standard of playing in Calgary, Alberta, and across the Canada through the excellence of their teaching and programming. There is an entire generation of musicians in North America holding prestigious jobs and studying at top schools that would not be where they are today if it were not for Bill and John's programming and instruction. We are fortunate that they both stayed in Calgary as long as they have. There is absolutely no one else that could have built such an internationally recognized music program and they cannot be replaced without a serious degradation to the program and instruction.

As a graduate of the Diploma in Music Performance from Mount Royal College, I was saddened when that program was no longer offered by MRU. It is extremely disappointing that a disregard for elite musical instruction and opportunity is also extending to the youth programs. Please don't destroy this much needed musical institution. It is not only important for the developing youth, but it also provides teaching opportunities for world-class performers, which elevates the level of musicianship in our city.