The Globe & Mail – Reflections
by SHANNON MONEO
Special to The Globe and Mail

Carol Welsman – Havergal College, Toronto

Raised in a musical family in Toronto, Ms. Welsman has been a musician and singer since she was a child. After spending several years in Europe, she returned to Canada where her jazz career took off. A six-time Juno nominee and winner of Berklee College of Music’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the multi-lingual Ms. Welsman has just released her 11th album, Alone Together.

School recollections

“I had such a great experience. Classes had a maximum of 20 students. In Grade 7, we read Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad. The subject matter was so advanced. The demands on excellence were very high. There was a lot of peer pressure. You had to test into school. In the beginning, I really struggled, but I soon caught up.

“There was a great sense of camaraderie, a sense of togetherness that I never felt at another school. There was a team effort, team spirit for everything. It stays with you for life.

“When I get up on stage, I don’t script my introductions to songs. I tell stories, make jokes. I credit the school for giving me the confidence to do that.”