After using the Windsor Arms Hotel as a venue for the past five years, Orticello said, the RCM decided on the Royal Ontario Museum this year to accommodate more people and use a site close to the new building, the Telus Centre for Performance and Learning (at 273 Bloor Street West). Throughout the ROM's Samuel Hall, the RCM's new branding by Scott Thornley and Company appeared on screens, posters, and in the programs. Advertisements with close-up shots of students included the revamped RCM logo and the new tagline—the finest instrument is the mind. "It's the beginning of a whole new phase for us, and there will be rebranding and a big media push in the coming months," said Orticello.

Entertainment included performances by 15 RCM students, and later, Furtado and Cuban jazz pianist Hilario Durán played two songs for the crowd. Guests dined in the purple-lit Currelly Gallery on mirrored tables with candelabra centrepieces. The four-course meal by Presidential Gourmet included molecular gastronomy touches such as beef tenderloin with Jerusalem artichoke mousse and lavender pots-au-crème with blueberry gel.   —Erin Letson