THE BATTLEFORDS — Though some provincial music festival long time traditions continue, the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association continually updates as deemed appropriate for the times. In the spirit of inclusiveness, gender specific titles have been replaced with musical and age-appropriate ones. As use of test pieces has dropped, test piece classes have been removed. Language as “senior, intermediate, junior, elementary and primary divisions” has been replaced with references to age groups (open, 28 and under, 17 and under, etc.). There are now “non-competitive” groups of classes for students who prefer a performance and workshopping opportunity. Spoken word classes have been added aimed at classroom students to encourage participation in this discipline.
Music festival competitions have historically occurred on local, provincial and national levels, but a new opportunity is happening for the first time this summer. The inaugural Canada West Performing Arts Festival will be hosted in Saskatoon at the University of Saskatchewan July 21 to 23. This event brings together performing arts associations of Western Canada including British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Winners from those provinces will come together for a larger scale celebratory competition. Age categories of 12 years and under, 17 years and younger and 28 years have the opportunity to enter classes for all the disciplines — piano, voice, musical theatre, strings, brass, woodwind, guitar, speech arts, percussion and chamber music. Scholarship opportunities are connected with this event as well.
The 2022 Battlefords Kiwanis Music Festival is scheduled to run from March 20 to April 1.. Areas of competition for Saskatchewan Music festivals include voice, piano, guitar, strings, woodwind, brass, percussion, pipe and electronic organ, choir/school music including special education, multicultural, speech arts (individual verse and speech therapy classes, storytelling), small ensembles, as well as band and orchestral classes. Local festivals are accessible to all ages, all ethnic groups and people of all religions across the province. Participants may enter any classes for “adjudication only” and forego marks and scholarships.
Thank you to the numerous businesses and individuals who have already steeped up in support of awards, scholarships, and sponsoring. Anyone wanting to support provincial festival through recycling, the SMFA is soon signing up with SARCAN making it possible to donate cans and bottles. If you are an individual or business interested in local sponsoring, there are a range of options. If interested in being a major gala sponsor, contact committee member Jaki Esquirol directly at jaki@sasktel.net. If interested in sponsoring awards or scholarships, contact committee member Karen Ulmer atkculmer@sasktel.net. If you have an interest in volunteering, contact committee member Loralee Cawood at l.sander@hotmail.com.
The festival committee invitesyouth to create artwork to be featured in the festival program and in the festival venues. The theme invites ideas that are “blasts from the past” and “flashes from the future” reflecting the 90th year of the festival.
Recently there was exciting news about Eleanor Collins, considered to be Canada’s first lady of jazz, with Canada Post unveiling a commemorative stamp honouring her contributions to the entertainment world just ahead of Black History month. The legendary 102-year-old singer, television host and entertainer was born in Edmonton on Nov. 21, 1919 during the time when Black homesteaders migrated from Oklahoma settling on the prairies. In 1955, she became the first Black woman to headline a TV show in North America, starring in “The Eleanor Show.” She also was awarded an Order of Canada and has a star on B.C.’s Entertainment Hall of Fame.
“How do I feel? I feel wonderful and honoured. To really have someone affirm your work and life on a postage stamp, that is something. There’s only one word for that; surreal. At 102 years old, one doesn’t expect to be remembered. But I am grateful.” – Eleanor Collins
