.png)
A hub of music at CMU
The halls of Canadian Mennonite University have been alive with the sound of strings as the Rosamunde Summer String Academy and Festival continues in full swing. Since opening on August 13, CMU has become a vibrant hub where student musicians refine their skills and learn from some of the finest string instructors in the country.
While faculty enjoy teaching and performing alongside colleagues, the real focus is on the students who immerse themselves in the positive, energetic, and music-filled atmosphere of Rosamunde. Two of those students are cellist Elise Auld of Yellowknife and Winnipeg violinist Ava Smith, who joined Classic 107 to share their experiences.
Learning through the core program
Auld, who is part of the Core Program running until August 22, explained how the program is designed.
“It’s more geared to people who are not quite at the professional level, so more in high school,” she said. “So in RCM grade levels...it’s like Grade 7 to Grade 8 and down is Core 2, which is where I am. And then when you get to the levels above that, it’s Core 1.”
For her, the classes have been both challenging and fun. “Each day we have tech classes where we learn more technical aspects of the cello, how to use our bow… scales, all of that fun stuff,” she explained. “We also have master classes where we play our solo pieces in front of, like, the master, I guess, and then we get advice on it in front of everyone else, and it’s a learning experience for everyone involved.”
Auld has especially enjoyed working with faculty members. Including guest artist Arne-Christian Pelz. “I have [also] worked a lot with Leanne Zacharias who is a cello professor at Brandon University. She has been lovely. I worked with her a lot last year as well.”
Professional preparation
For Ava Smith, who recently completed the Pre-Professional Program, Rosamunde provided invaluable insight into the realities of life as a musician.
“We’re now all in university. We’re constantly getting profs’ input and sometimes you need to step back and just look at how to be a musician in general, and like as a person,” she said. “There’s so much unknown… once you get into professional gigs and auditions, competitions, your career in general. And so for me, it’s not just technical stuff. It’s now, OK, when it gets hard, what do you do? Like those kinds of things.”
Smith worked with a wide range of mentors, including violinist Erika Raum. “Some local artists, of course, Karl Stobbe. I’ve worked with… Julie Savard also. I hope I’m not missing any. I can’t name them all at the top of my head, but yeah, so really great artists.”
A pianist and a cellist
Though a cellist, Auld is also an accomplished pianist. “I am at a much more advanced level of piano. I am doing my ARCT for RCM level,” she said. “A lot of just the technical things of reading music, knowing the rhythms, being able to interpret stuff and the musicality that I have learned for piano since I was three years Auld… it’s really helped me with cello.”
That crossover has practical benefits at Rosamunde. “I also find it helps me since I am playing piano with my chamber group for Rosamunde,” she explained. “I can ask them to do stuff and I know how to describe it because I play the instrument.”
Performing at Rosamunde
Performance opportunities are central to the Academy experience. Auld is preparing Haydn’s trio Hob XV/25 for an upcoming recital. “It’s one of the more famous ones, if not the most famous one. And my group is playing the second and third movement,” she said.
Smith performed the fiery second movement of César Franck’s violin Sonata. “Sometimes when it’s just you or even just your teacher, it’s like OK, now we add some new lights on it, new analogies to help you open your eyes,” she said. “You discover even more things to love about it.”
Giving back through Mini Rosies
Although her program has wrapped up, Smith is staying on as a volunteer in the Mini Rose program. “Just giving back to the community that has influenced me so much… seeing these little kids, I’m like, I see myself,” she said. “It is a joy to see them improve and just their… energy they have to want to learn. It’s so inspiring again, because we’re never done learning.”
She also sees it as a chance to prepare for her own teaching career. “This teachers’ assistant kind of look thing was more like, OK, now I get to see what they’re doing with these young kids. Maybe if I think something is very valuable for my own studio, I can be well, that’s a tried and true kind of method.”
The best of Rosamunde
Asked what they loved most about the Academy, both had quick answers.
“In Yellowknife… I’m the most advanced cellist. There’s really not many string players,” Auld said. “So being able to hear other people my age play cello and enjoy it and listen to all the good music is wonderful.”
For Smith, it was the collaborative element. “I love chamber music and the little, the small intimate groups that we get to work with faculty and fellow students,” she said. “You just go hard and… learn all this great music and then you get to play it together and it’s just, it’s so fun.”
Why Rosamunde matters
For young musicians considering Rosamunde, both students were enthusiastic. “If you want to be in a community that’s just so supportive for your passion and… everyone wants to see you succeed, everyone wants to help you along your way,” Smith said.
Auld added: “Really just the wonderful teachers. I have had so many great experiences with the teachers who work at Rosamunde. It’s truly wonderful.”
As Rosamunde Summer String Academy continues to fill the halls of CMU with music, it’s clear the festival offers much more than lessons and performances—it builds community, nurtures passion, and inspires the next generation of musicians. For Elise, Ava, and countless others, the Academy is not just a place to learn, but a place to grow, connect, and fall even more in love with the joy of making music together.