Kaelyn Burton, 16, is this year’s recipient of the Osoyoos and District Arts Council’s award commemorating piano teacher Dorothy Fraser. (Contributed photo)
It’s been 24 years since the Osoyoos and District Arts Council instituted an annual award to promote excellence and achievement in piano as a memorial tribute to Mrs. Dorothy Fraser. Kaelyn Burton is this year’s winner.
Janet Marcotte, a long-time member of the Osoyoos and District Arts Council, presented the award to Burton, 16, last week at a recital in the Osoyoos Secondary School Theatre.
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 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 goes to the student that submits the documentation to prove that he or she has achieved the highest mark on their exam.
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With a mark of 85 per cent on her Grade 5 Conservatory Canada piano exam in 2018, Burton won the award.
The memorial plaque will be displayed at the Osoyoos Art Centre.
Mrs. Fraser taught piano in Osoyoos for 49 years before her death in May 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 and was well known as a constant supporter and promoter of the arts.
Janet Marcotte is one of her former students. She continues to have the Conservatory Canada exam centre in Osoyoos and is also the president of the South Okanagan Concert Society.
