Based on the recommendations this year, two Estevan performers will be heading to provincials and may compete at the national level classes.
Levi Stepp and McKenzie Warriner were recommended for the honours with their performances through the Estevan and District Music Festival, as announced just before the Vocal and Speech Arts Highlights and Awards night Monday at St. Paul’s United Church. Both will compete at national music festivals later this year and could be the first Estevan-area performers at the national level since Audry Andrist was recommended to compete in provincials in 1979 and 1980 for piano.
Stepp is a 16-year-old student at Estevan Comprehensive School and performed in the musical theatre category. He’ll be competing in Saskatoon on the first weekend at the provincial music festival, competing with all others recommended for a spot at the 2018 National Music Festival for musical theatre performances in Sackville, N.B. later this year.
McKenzie Warriner, originally from the Oxbow/Alameda area, is a fourth year University of Winnipeg music performance student who returned home for the festival this year. She will compete in Saskatoon also in June for a chance to be the province’s representative in classical voice at the National Music Festival.
The awards and highlights show featured some of the best performances from the speech and vocal arts, including poetry readings, choirs and songs, as well as a musical theatre performance from Stepp.
The schools and students there received awards from supporters in the community and those performing ranged in age from 6-years-and-under poetry reader Nate Wilhelm to high school-aged students like Stepp. Also winning awards were the choir from Spruce Ridge School for performance – speech and the Sacred Heart Grade 4s for performance – vocal.
The festival continues this week with the band and instrumental parts at ECS.
