By Kathy Yanchus, Special to the Champion

REFLECTING HER LOVE OF MUSIC:

Opera singer/music teacher Kirsten Pelchat looks right at home in front of the piano at her Campbellville studio.

If ever a building could sing, it would be a flaxen-yellow structure nestled in the midst of the Niagara Escarpment in downtown Campbellville. The elegant front doors face the greenery of Ontario’s smallest conservation area, vehicles roll along the surrounding winding, hilly roads and a train whistle blows in the distance.

The setting is serene and calm, in sharp contrast to the flurry of activity and pedestrian traffic that prevailed when the building housed an ice cream parlour in the not-so-distant past.

Step inside the Bel Canto School of Music and you are enveloped in a deliciously cozy and sophisticated world of rich colours and warm textures. Its interior ambience exudes creativity and energy, conducive to a positive and comfortable learning experience. Music rooms are small, meticulously customized and immaculately accessorized. In the master studio, an ebony Kawai piano sparkles in the afternoon sun as it awaits the first of the Students who stream into Bel Canto well into the evening.

This high-end studio, a longtime dream of vocal teacher and professional opera singer Kirsten Pelchat (Pitkanen), opened its doors in September, immediately drawing Students from the surrounding towns and villages of Carlisle, Limehouse, Georgetown, Campbellville and Milton.

Bel Canto is an expansion of Pelchat’s Academy of Vocal Arts, her elite vocal division, which she continues to operate from her Milton home.

“Music is a very personal thing; it’s a relationship type of experience so having an environment that feels safe, warm and inviting is extremely important. We want to foster a positive experience,” says Pelchat. “Sometimes people can be overwhelmed with space.”

The focus is on pedagogy, with “top of the line” instruction, says Pelchat. Music sales are secondary.

“We want this to be an open and warm experience for Students. We want to provide a total experience with instruction that is solid and inspirational.”

Even as Students await their lessons ,Pelchat’s objective is for them to feel welcome — and how could they not in the tidy, parlour-like lobby filled with the aroma of country kitchen goodies?

Along with the elegant master studio for advanced piano and vocals, there is the cheerful Sing and Play Room, for children primarily four to seven years old where youngsters learn the basics of rhythm and voice, and the small Piano and Instrumental Room. All rooms have two points of visibility, says Pelchat, referring to both interior and exterior windows, not just for light but for parental viewing.

Bel Canto’s piece de resistance, however, has to be the metallic silver Rock Room, a funky grotto complete with a set of drums, electric guitars and state of the art recording software. The professional recording studio ,under the label Platinum Productions, is operated by co-writers and producers Ben Pelchat (also the guitar teacher and Kirsten’s brother) and Juno-nominee and drum Instructor Sam Dufour.

Demos to full albums can be accommodated in the studio, making Bel Canto a veritable one-stop shopping venue and a musical coup for northern Halton.

Intense insulation allows for simultaneous musical diversity within the School.

“We can have drums going at full throttle and in the master studio, a quiet vocal piece and we can co-exist in a small square footage. Through all the walls, in addition to the insulation, audio cables feed back to the production room so that in essence, every room is a recording room,” says Pelchat, adding that a free recording is included in Students’ tuition fees.

In one corner of the room sits the Pelchat’s old family piano, specifically for songwriters to tinker on.

“Almost all of our teachers are songwriters and half of those teacher/songwriters have recorded too.”

Aside from offering rural residents a beautiful new music studio, Pelchat is also hoping to launch a chapter of the Songwriters Association of Canada, an opportunity for locals to network, access resources and “celebrate the art of songwriting and perfecting your craft.”

Staff have been handpicked for their impressive credentials and include vocal teacher Jenny Vodarek and piano teacher Ioulia Koznova, a performance Student at York University with her Grade 10 piano “and a budding concert pianist.”

Because piano lessons can be “drab” and “tedious,” Pelchat says she wanted “someone fresh and also in touch with kids today.”

Leanne Metsa, a vocal Student with her Grade 9 piano and voice honors, and choir director Monique Danek are the Song and Play teachers.

The common thread among her Instructors, says Pelchat, is that they approach everyday with a ‘life is good’ attitude and “they smile a lot.”

Originally from Quebec, Pelchat grew up in a musical home, in the small-town communities of Petawawa and Pembroke where her mother was “the” piano teacher.

“I started voice lessons at eight and by the time I was 14, I had my Grade 8 voice and piano.”

In her teens, Pelchat began studying opera, specifically the Bel Canto technique, an Italian musical term meaning beautiful singing; “the ability to sing long, beautiful legato lines.”

She also studied vocal performance at McGill University and has sung in professional productions throughout the Toronto area as well as locally.

As her dream flourishes, Pelchat relishes the idea of being entrenched in the community. Bel Canto is here for the long term, she says.

“We want to become an established name. We’re not run of the mill.”

She has worked incredibly hard to bring Bel Canto to fruition, awaiting the most opportune moment in terms of logistics, location and life (she is the mother of two small children).

“I think it’s a good match. Campbellville is a real arts community. People here have a real appreciation for things artistic and creative. There are a lot of families here who want programs for their children.”

Offering her music School in a rural setting, to people accustomed to travelling long distances for extra-curricular activities, is extremely exciting as well, she says.

For Amanda Smith, following her destiny meant ignoring the noise of the world and listening to the inner song of her heart — and the advice of her music teacher.

Smith, 20, is one of two local music students who have been accepted into a university vocal program to pursue opera. The other student is 18-year-old Lindsay Moniz.

It’s quite an accomplishment, with entrance to music programs in such highly regarded universities difficult to gain — particularly for vocalists. “Two Milton girls are going into the opera scene for real,” said teacher Kirsten Pitkanen with obvious excitement.

Next week, Smith will be leaving for Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo — one of the top music schools in the country — and is now dealing with those starting-school butterflies. She has no idea what to expect, but knows she’s doing the right thing. “I know this is something I’m supposed to be doing,” she said.

At the end of her four-year bachelor of music program, plus the one-year opera diploma, Smith has every hope she’ll be able to realize her dream of joining an opera company.

But for Smith, getting to this point hasn’t been easy. She’d already been studying psychology at the University of Toronto, Mississauga campus, for two years when Pitkanen told her she should be studying vocal performance at university. “I said, ‘You’re going to regret this if you don’t give it a shot,’” Pitkanen recalled.

It was difficult to hear, Smith said, since she was essentially being told she was on the wrong career path. But deep inside, Smith knew Pitkanen was right and decided to audition for the music program at Laurier.

Naturally, her parents were reluctant about the switch, Smith said, but they eventually got on board.

Along came the audition last spring, which went well despite the fact Smith was one of the lesser experienced vocalists trying out — she only had two-and-a-half years of vocal training under her belt, while some singers had been taking lessons for a decade.

Soon after, Smith received the letter she’d been hoping for. She’d been accepted. Not only that, she was among a handful of top accepted students.

“It’s pretty interesting how it all turned out — it’s like it was meant to be,” she said.

The recent events have strengthened Smith’s belief in the importance of doing what you love — even if that means taking a bit of a risk.

“I see so many people who go to school and study just for the sake of studying,” she said. “I want a life, not just a job.”

Moniz is equally as excited about the new chapter she’s about to start as she gets ready to attend the University of Western Ontario in London.

Moniz was in the middle of economics class last spring when she decided to check her e-mail and found out she’d been accepted.

“I started crying in class,” she said, chuckling. “I had all these people I don’t know staring at me.”

Like Smith, Moniz will be working toward a bachelor of music. In her second year, she’ll be able to pick either the performance or music education stream. Although she loves nothing more than to be on stage, Moniz said she’s leaning toward becoming a music teacher. “It’s a hard decision to make — opera or education,” she said, adding she’ll leave her options open.

Moniz has been taking lessons with Pitkanen for the past couple of years. If it weren’t for Pitkanen, Moniz feels confident she never would have taken up opera.

“She made me love it so much,” Moniz said, adding she liked the fact it was something different from what most people her age were into. “I like standing out.”

Opera also provided a well-needed challenge for Moniz, who said a song can take a year or two to learn and perfect.

With Pitkanen’s background in opera performance, Moniz said she was constantly inspired.

“I looked up to her and saw what she’s done, and I know I can too,” she said.

Pitkanen couldn’t be prouder of her students. Both Smith and Moniz have the two elements required to succeed in the world of professional music: talent and a strong work ethic, she said.

“Natural talent isn’t enough.”

It’s a big deal that both these young women were selected for such prestigious programs, Pitkanen added.

“If they want to, they will be opera singers,” she said with certainty. “It seems like a far-fetched dream, but it’s not. It’s attainable.”

Stephanie Hounsell can be reached at sthiessen[at]miltoncanadianchampion.com