This summer, Katarina Nieminen, a junior violinist and performance major studying under Routa Kroumovitch-Gomez, completed the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) ARCT Performer’s Exam in violin, earning First Class Honors with a mark of 88. The exam was evaluated by members of the Royal College of Examiners, and required a rigorous hour-long program which included movements of a concerto, a sonata, a showpiece, an unaccompanied Bach movement, and two standard orchestral excerpts. The Performer’s exam itself is one of many exams required for the ARCT (Associate) diploma from the RCM, which Katarina has been working towards for several years. Other exams required for the diploma are in harmony, counterpoint, analysis, history, and piano. With the Performer’s exam finished, Katarina has now completed all the requirements for the ARCT diploma and looks forward to the new possibilities it may bring for her.