The arts have always been a crucial part of education, allowing students to express themselves creatively while developing critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Each year at Ridley College, we celebrate the remarkable talent and achievement of our student artists throughout the month of April in a celebration that has come to be known on campus as Arts in April. Arts in April provides students with opportunities to showcase their talents to their peers and the wider community.

This year’s festival brought together students, parents, faculty, and staff of all ages to create a vibrant and inclusive space for artistic expression, kicking off with the Ridley Independent Film Festival (RIFF) on April 14th.

Celebrations continued with the Canadian Independent Schools Music Festival (CISMF), which culminated in a performance at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto on Saturday, April 15th. Ridley music students, along with 1400 others from across the country, took to the stage to perform in a one-of-a-kind celebration of music through choir, bands, and orchestra.

Students spent Thursday and Friday rehearsing before departing for the dress rehearsal and big day at Roy Thompson Hall. Mr. Will Reid, accompanied by Mr. Ken Hutton, conducted two pieces with the senior choir, and Mr. Scott Vernon conducted one piece with the symphonic band.

This year also saw a new addition to our annual programming — the novel Arts University Fair and Portfolio Review, which exposed students to the range of post-secondary pathways available in art, design, film, theatre, and music and the expectations for a successful admissions portfolio.

Representatives from seven universities from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom were in attendance, including OCAD University, Sheridan College, York University, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Savannah College of Art and Design, and the University of the Arts, London, to mentor and support our art students on their journey.

The festivities came to a close on April 20th with our Senior Art Exhibition Opening, which was followed by our annual celebration of student achievement, the Arts Awards. The event featured fantastic performances by our Symphony Orchestra, Strings Ensemble, and Jazz Ensemble, along with a dramatic monologue by Jules Idigbe ’24 and a montage of student films.

The ceremonies concluded with Headmaster, Ed Kidd, Director of the Arts, Duane Nickerson, and other school representatives distributing awards to Ridley’s most distinguished and deserving artists. Congratulations to this year’s winners!

THE HAROLD BENJAMIN GREENING MEMORIAL MUSIC AWARDS FOR PROFICIENCY IN MUSIC:

Brass: Danyi Hu ‘25

Strings: Kwan (Marcus) Cheng ‘24

Woodwind: Clare Carter ‘23

Percussion: Lizhao (Aiden) Yao ‘25

Soprano: Shakeela Vadhat ‘25

Alto: Obiajulu (Jules) Idigbe ‘24

Tenor: Yixuan (Eason) Zhang ‘25

Bass: Yihan (Andy) Wen ‘24

THE S. O. GREENING MEMORIAL PRIZE FOR PROFICIENCY IN MUSIC:

Chi Lok (Derek) Kwan ‘24

THE STEPHEN L. SOUTER MEMORIAL AWARD FOR TECHNICAL THEATRE

Film: Amy Lu ‘23

Stage Management: Mehek Manji ‘23

THE RICHARD NAYLOR AWARD FOR ACTING

Ryan Gao ‘23

THE UK BRANCH PRIZE FOR DRAMATIC MONOLOGUE

Catherine He ‘23

HUME CRONYN CUP

Kechun (Tony) Wu ‘23

THE MANDEVILLE TROPHY

Onyedikachukwu (Kaka) Peters ‘23

THE J.Z. GIVEN PRIZE FOR VISUAL ART

Ruiheng (Vincent) Li ‘23

THE KENNEDY FAMILY DANCE SPIRIT AWARD

Faith Sauntry ‘24

THE JAMES NESBITT DANCE TROPHY FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE

Teagan (TJ) Goertz ‘24

It was a wonderful event thoroughly enjoyed by students, parents, faculty, and staff. We encourage you to visit our virtual gallery of visual works by our Grade 7-12 students, as well as photos of the Senior Art Exhibit and Arts Awards.