Music director of the Quebec Symphony since 1991, Verrot was recently appointed principal guest conductor of the Shinsei Orchesâ€" tra of Tokyo Verrot completed his tenure as assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra PAGE 14 â€" WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1994 Raymond won first prize in the Canad.an Music Competition in 1990 and received top honors at the CBC Young Performers Comâ€" petition in 1991.in June of 1992, at just 26 years old, Raymond won top prize in the prestigious International Montreal Music Comâ€" petition, only the second Canadian to have received the award. And in June of last year, Raymonu received the Chamber Music Prize at the Van Cliburn competition. During the past two years, Rayâ€" mond‘s concert schedule has kept him busy. He‘s performed engageâ€" ments with Music Toronto, the Caraquet Festival in New Brunswick, a debut tour of Eastern and Atlantic Canada, tours in Italy and France, a debut recital in Chicago. and a debut appearance with the Toronto Symphony. This week, with the Kitchenerâ€" Waterioo Symphony, Raymond will perform César Franck‘s Symâ€" phonic Variations under the direcâ€" tion of guest conductor Pascal at the end of the 1990 Tangleâ€" wood season, a position he had held for four years. in addition to conducting the itself, Verrot has worked with the Boston Symâ€" phony Chamber Players both at home and on tour. On Jan. 7 and 8, Raymond will make his first appearance with the Kitchenerâ€"Waterioo Symphony for two Masterpiece Series concerts. And on Jan. 9, Raymond will make a stop in Waterloo to perform for the Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Chamber Music Society. A native of New Brunswick, Ray mond studied at the University of Montreal, where he received a Masters degree in piano interpreâ€" tation, and the Royal Conservative of Music, where he recently comâ€" pleted the "Artist Diploma®" proâ€" enowned Canadian pianist RR-chard Raymond makes his first visit to the area this week for performances in both Kitchener and Waterloo. W & g with 96.7 CHYM FM‘s new morning show, featuring @ @ @p George Michaels and Valerie Cole, Monday to Friday from 5:30 to 9 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 8:22, Waterloo Chronicle reporter Deborah Crandall joins Geprge :& Val for a look at local entertainment. we ... Continuous Favourites of the 70‘s, 80‘s and Today" NO /d Richard Raymond‘s Sunday evening performance for the KW Chamber Music society will feature Mozart‘s Sonata in Bb, K. 333. Bartok‘s improvisation, Op. 20. Liszt‘s Spanish Rhapsody and Sonata in B Minor. The pertorâ€" mance will be held in the Kâ€"W Chamber Music Society‘s Music Room, 57 Young St. W., Waterâ€" loo, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $19 for adults and $14 for students and seniors, and are available at the University of Waterloo box office . WordsWorth Books, Provident Books.and at the door. Richard Raymond‘s concerts with the Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Symâ€" phony will be held Jan. 7 and 8 at 8 p.m. at Centre in the Square. Tickets range in price from $20 to $24. The Prelude Series concerts featuring Janet Wright will be held Jan. 7 and 8 at 6:45 at Centre in the Square. Tickets are free to anyone holding a ticket for that evening‘s Masterpiece Series conâ€" cert. For further ticket informaâ€" tion, call the Centre in the Square box office at 578â€"1570. The halfâ€"hour Prelude events introduce the audience to orchesâ€" tra members and special guests who present programs designed to give insights into the repertoire being presented that evening. Wright will select one of her favorite Shakespearean speeches and will show how she uses pacâ€" ing, intonation, and emphasis to translate the words on the page into live performance.Kay will then use the same techniques to show how a Bach Sonata is interpreted by a classically trained musician. Wright will join Prelude Series host Thomas Kay, principal flute of the KWS, to show how an actress and a musician each approaches a performance piece. Preceding the Masterpiece Series concerts at Centre in the Square, acclaimed Canadian actress Janet Wright will perform in the Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Symâ€" phony‘s Prelude Series.Returning to Stratford Festival in 1994 for her fourth season, Wright has performed in recent productions of Les Belles Soeurs, Uncle Vanya, King John, and Shirley Valentine. Verrot holds degrees from the Sorbonne in Paris and the Paris Conservatory, where he won first prize in the conducting competiâ€" tion. Recent engagements have included appearances at the Lyon Opera House, with the Toronto Symphony, the Montreal Symâ€" phony, and the Chamber Players of Toronto.