Sydney Hanson, 12, is the latest recipient of the Dorothy Fraser Memorial Award for her outstanding musical achievement. She was handed the award recently by Susan Whittaker, past-president of the Osoyoos & District Arts Council. (Photo supplied)
The Osoyoos and District Arts Council instituted an annual award to promote excellence and achievement in piano as a memorial tribute to Dorothy Fraser several years ago.
The award consists of a perpetual plaque, a keeper trophy and a scholarship of $100.
To be eligible for this award, a student must live or take music lessons from a teacher in the Osoyoos area and must submit marks from an authorized school of music for any practical examination session during the current year. The award is presented to the student who submits the documentation to prove that he or she has achieved the highest mark in their exam.
It has now been 21 years since this award was established and was most recently presented at a recital in the Osoyoos Secondary School Theatre recently by Susan Whittaker, past-president of the Osoyoos and District Arts Council.
Twelve year old Sydney Hanson is this year’s recipient.
She achieved the mark of 90 per cent on her Grade Two Conservatory Canada piano exam during the year of 2015.
The memorial plaque will be displayed at the Osoyoos Art Centre.
Fraser taught piano in Osoyoos for 49 years before she died in May of 1995.
During that time, she established the Western Board of Music exam centre in Osoyoos, was active in the Osoyoos and District Arts Council and the South Okanagan Concert Society.
She was also well known as a constant supporter and promoter of the arts.
Well-known Osoyoos-based music teacher Janet Marcotte is one of her former students.
Marcotte continues to have the Conservatory Canada exam center in Osoyoos and is also the president of the South Okanagan Concert Society.
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