Reflections on the musical history of North Toronto Collegiate
[attach]5950[/attach]When North Toronto Collegiate Institute alumni [url=https://streeter.ca/making-beautiful-music-once-again.html]gathered at Roy Thomson Hall[/url] to celebrate the school’s musical tradition the Town Crier asked: “What was your favourite North Toronto musical memory?”
“I was probably the most unmusical person that ever went to North Toronto, but I loved Mr. Dow and Mr. Porter. They knew what teenagers were like and they loved us. They cared about us. They were very special men.”
Mary Davis, class of 1947
“Lee Dunelyk was our teacher and he used to sit there on his stool and say ‘I had a dream last night that I took you all on tour. The women were dressed in evening gowns of pastel shades.…’ He was just a lot of fun.”
Cathie Salter, class of 1964
“At Maytime Melodies, hearing Mr. Porter singing ‘Old Man River’ and his voice would go right down. It was wonderful.”
Marian King, class of 1957
“We always tried to take part in the Maytime Melodies show in one way or another, in the chorus or in the end ushers, helping people find their seats”
Bruce Patterson, class of 1965
“We always produced a vinyl after [Maytime Melodies]…. Even now I can listen to it and it brings back wonderful memories.”
Roz Zurkowski, class of 1968
“I was the marching band leader and when I was in the Santa Claus Parade, when we weren’t playing, I got to shake hands with all the kids and that was a blast.”
John Gillies, class of 1969
“The highlight was singing at Massy Hall”
Richard Ravson, class of 1970
“I was in grade 10 and I decided to audition for the solo in Maytime Melodies. And I was like a dark horse, nobody knew who I was and they gave it to me. I got to sing ‘Breaking Up is Hard to Do,’ this heartbreak song at the age of 15 with the orchestra and chorus, and up to that point it was the biggest moment of my life.”
Martin Julien, class of 1979
“Meeting Mike Perkins’ class of ’81 while he was playing in the band and I was playing in the band. We’ve been married for 25 years. We have two kids and he’s conducting tonight!”
Daphne Perkins, class of 1979
“I’ve always enjoyed all the music but the medley is always the highlight [of Maytime Melodies]. It always starts with ‘O Canada’ and ends with ‘God Save the Queen.’ It’s all great.”
Rob Smythe, class of 1983
“Definitely band class or rehearsals because the percussion section always had the most fun. Fooling around was fun, getting in trouble was fun sometimes.”
Lora Kikuchi, class of 2008
“Vocal retreat was a blast. I liked receiving warm fuzzies”
Theo Ortega, class of 2009
“I think the Friday night of the ‘Maytime Melodies Medley’ because we were always relieved that it was almost over … and more confident because we’ve done it before. And it was just the most energizing experience.”
Lori Nemoy, class of 2009
