Thank you to everyone who made Schubertiade YYC 2026 this past Saturday such a huge success!

The music. The cookies. The chills I got at total strangers joined their voices in the Ave Maria. The laughter and jokes.

When I applied for grants for this venture, one of the questions was “What is your definition of success?”

And I wrote, “Hearing ‘This was so much fun, can we do it again?’ “

This past Saturday, I heard it over and over.

I want to extend my tremendous thanks to Summit View United Church (formerly called St. David’s), for the warmth and welcome of their community, and their wonderful performers in the orchestra and choir. Especially to music director Brent Tucker and office administrator Charlotte Pettit, who went above and beyond in all of the logistics and never flagged in their enthusiasm. I am so glad I chose this venue.

And I want to thank Calgary Arts Development and the people of Calgary, because a generous microgrant has ensured that Schubertiade YYC 2026’s expenses will be covered and the artists got paid honoraria that very evening. For some of the performers, it was their first paying gig, but we certainly hope not the last.

And I want to thank Thomas Zoells of PianoForte Foundation in Chicago who first told me how to run a Schubertiade, even if many things in mine came out differently.

And I want to thank Nicholas Tam, Nairilys Garcia, Tony Qin, Marilyn Chau, and Derek Lee, for helping move things into the right places that I could never do by myself. Many hands made light work.

To all of my subscribers and fans: this was so much fun and I do plan to do this again. I am eyeing Saturday, January 30, 2027, give or take a week (as Schubertiades are generally scheduled around Schubert’s birthday, January 31).

Signup deadline will be in the fall, but it’s not too early to express your interest now, and I’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions of how to make Schubertiade 2027 even more awesome!

Tamara Vardomskaya
Schubertiade YYC