Canada Post has issued a commemorative envelope for the 125th anniversary of the Royal Conservatory (RC), one of the largest and most respected music and arts education institutions in the world. The cover shows a young conservatory student seated at a piano, shot from behind. It was created by Canada Post manager of graphic design Celine Morisset, in consultation with the RC. Morisset said the design was meant to be representative of thousands of students. “With the child facing away, she becomes every child who has ever laboured to learn their scales for their piano exam,” she said. “It also emphasizes the larger role the Conservatory has played in training generations of Canadian musicians.”
The stamp on the cover is a personalized postage design. It shows the conservatory logo in black, with part of the image reflected below. The gold-printed cancel has a Toronto location and the date Sept. 19. A total of 3,000 covers were produced and will be sold by Canada Post through selected outlines as well as online. Originally called the Toronto Conservatory of Music, the school was founded in 1886, but first opened for classes in September 1887, in the upper floor of a music store at the corner of Yonge and Dundas streets. Edward Fisher, its founder, was a young American organist who had captured the interest and support of Toronto’s high society. Today, the Royal Conservatory makes its home in Toronto’s Telus Centre for Performing and Learning. The Conservatory was the first school in Canada focused on training singers and musicians, and fostering a love of music in young children.
As it grew to become one of the dominant musical institutions in Canada, so did its reputation for professional training, its national examination system, and its faculty of distinguished musicians. Over the years, some of Canada’s most famous musicians studied at the Royal Conservatory, including Glenn Gould, Oscar Peterson, David Foster, Sarah McLachlan and Angela Hewitt. In 1947, King George VI awarded the Conservatory its Royal Charter, in recognition of its status as one of the Commonwealth’s greatest music schools. In 1991, the institution broke from the University of Toronto and took full control of its facilities and programs. Now celebrating its 125th anniversary, the Conservatory’s mission continues to be to develop human potential through music and the arts. For more information go to www.rcmusic.com.