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John Bkila Sub-Editor jbkila@oakvillebeaver.com Artscene 23 | Friday, September 30, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" Painted Faces Local artists (at top right) Helen Grif ths (right) and Carol Sanders opened their new exhibit, Painted Faces, at Sovereign House, 7 West River St., last Friday (Sept. 23). As the name of the show suggests, the exhibition features oil paintings focusing on faces and emotions and is part of Art on the Bluffs 2016 at Sovereign House. Above is one of Grif ths' works titled Shadow Play. At bottom right are two of Sanders' works, Canadian Girl (left) and Syrian Father. The exhibit stays on display until Wednesday, Oct. 5. Sovereign House is open Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays from 1-4 p.m. | Nikki Wesley/Metroland OCO Concerto Competition winners shine at concert by John Bkila Oakville Beaver Staff Fresh off of their concert last Sunday (Sept. 25), ve teens had the chance to share their love of music and talents with audiences as winners of the Oakville Chamber Orchestra's Concerto Competition. The competition honours excellence among emerging musicians in the community. Pianist Linda Ruan is a student at the Royal Conservatory of Music's (RCM) Glenn Gould School. The 18-year-old said she became interested in learning to play the piano after attending her rst recital in Shanghai at the age of seven. "The girl who was playing that night was wearing the most exquisite dress; and naturally, my seven-year-old self decided that I too, wanted to wear beautiful dresses. And that was how I began my lifelong love affair with music," she told the Oakville Beaver. "I absolutely adore performing and that feeling of connecting with the listeners on the deepest level with music...." Linda Ruan Trumpeters and siblings Matisse and Aled Blundell have been playing the horn for eight and nine years, respectively. Aled and Matisse Blundell The pair says music has become a part of their lives, "as essential as breathing" -- they played Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Trumpets at the Sept. 25 concert at St. Simon's Anglican Church. Matisse, 16, and Aled, 14, told the Beaver no matter where they are practising in their home, they can still hear (and correct) each other. Fifteen-year-old Feiran Bi is originally from China and has lived in Toronto for two years. The utist is a senior woodwinds student at RCM's Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists. The Sunday concert was Feiran's rst time performing with a complete orchestra in front of an audience. "In my future, I hope I will have the chance to work in the orchestra and join many great chamber music groups," she said. Feiran started studying the ute at age eight and was accepted by a music middle school afliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 2013. She was a member of the school's symphony orchestra, during which, she won rst and second prizes at China Flute Association competitions. She was accepted by the RCM's Taylor Academy in the fall of 2015 and now studies under professor Susan Hoeppner. see OCO on p.24