ORMTA Provincial Council

Gloria Jean Nagy began piano lessons at age 6 in Brantford, first with Edith Burrill and later with Norah Langton up to the grade 10 level and starting in on the Associate level during high school. She also played viola in the Brantford Youth Symphony from age 12 years and graduated to play in the Brantford Symphony Orchestra at age 15 and played there for seven years. She later studied privately and successfully passed her grade six viola RCM exam. In high school, she played French horn in the bands and even passed an RCM grade six exam in grade 12. At age 13, Gloria Jean was chosen to sing Mabel in the “Pirates of Penzance” which led to voice lessons first with Dorothy Lord in Brantford and later with Helen Simmie at the RCM in Toronto on scholarship. All of Gloria Jean’s early teachers were ORMTA members. Studies continued at the University of Western Ontario in London with degrees of a Bachelor of Musical Arts and a Master of Music in Vocal Literature and Performance. This was followed by a year at the Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary in the Opera Program under the tutelage of Olga Revhegyi and others. All the while she sang in choirs from age ten until she started conducting them. She began conducting choirs in Ottawa after a near fatal car accident in 1986 and that year started the Amabile Singers of Nepean, which she conducted for twenty years. In addition, she also conducted five other larger local choirs. Now she currently conducts the Good Companions Senior Choir. Her music studio in Nepean was built in 1992 and it houses choir rehearsals, some orchestral rehearsals, voice lessons, Theory Club and some piano and violin lessons. It also houses a rather large library.

The large space allows for students to perform for each other and an audience of well wishers about every six weeks during the school year. Frequency of performance means that lessons do not stagnate as there needs to be a performance ready in short order. In addition, students are preparing for opportunities outside the studio with NATS performances, ORMTA competitions or recitals and examinations. The goal is to bring a love of learning to students, give them good musicianship skills, have sound vocal technique and explore all varieties of vocal music especially works composed by Canadian composers. Gloria Jean was also the singer in the duo Cantabile that performed three concerts annually for over 30 years, mainly Canadian music, several of which were premiere performances. Her collaborative pianists were composer Dr. Deirdre Piper and later concert pianist Dr. Elaine Keillor. She became an examiner with Conservatory Canada in 2002 and has travelled extensively from St. John’s, Newfoundland to Calgary Alberta. In 2009, Gloria Jean was honoured to receive the OCTA award for the Ottawa Region Branch, recognizing her success with her students and for her work with the local branch of ORMTA. She was president from 2001-2003 but was on council for twelve years in various portfolios before and after that. She is a charter member of the National Capital Region of NATS (1992) and published A Concise History of Canadian Contemporary Vocal music that was made available at the NATS convention in Toronto in 1992 while she was secretary for the local branch NATS, copies available at the Canadian Music Centre in Toronto. Since 1988 Gloria Jean has been on the committee to choose the set pieces for the National Capital Kiwanis Music Festival voice classes. As a life learner, Gloria Jean has attended dozens of workshops and seminars and has also attended 8 ORMTA conventions and Four NATS conventions. She shares this knowledge with her students and colleagues. She sang at the 1983 convention in Peterborough as she was the Young Artist winner (the first singer to do so!)

Gloria Jean looks forward to serving on ORMTA Provincial Council in the portfolio of the Young Artist Tour Convenor. She and her husband Dave have raised two daughters but alas no grandchildren!