The deadline for entries is Saturday, Jan. 21, with the late entry deadline the following Saturday, Jan. 28. Entry registration is, once again, conveniently online. Alternatively, in-person entries may be submitted at EMBM between 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday.
Fees for solos, duets, trios and small ensembles remain at $13 per entry. We continue to encourage multiple entries by offering the family rate of a 50 per cent discount after 10 solo entries by individual participants. Band, choir and large ensemble entries are $25 per entry. Solo participants are asked to email the committee if they are part of an ensemble such as band or choir to help with co-ordinating the festival program. It is also helpful if teachers entering ensembles email a list of participants so as to minimize schedule conflicts. Emails may be directed to [email protected].
Participants are welcome for adjudication by experts in the field of each musical discipline and recommendation to the provincial and national competitions. To be eligible for scholarships and awards, participants must be 19 years or under and have lived in the Battlefords and district for a minimum of six month prior to the festival or be furthering their education elsewhere, but still supported by parents living in the Battlefords District. The discipline areas include voice, piano, strings, and band or instrumental. Further information about regional and provincial music festivals can be found on the Saskatchewan Music Festival鈥檚 website http://smfa.ca. Correspondence may also be directed to P.O. Box 1301, North Battleford, S9A 3L8.
The committee is always looking for more parents, grandparents, and community-minded people to step forward and say, 鈥淗ow can I help?鈥� If you have any interest in offering support, please do not hesitate to contact a committee member or indicate your interest on your child鈥檚 registration form. If your time is not available but you or your business would like to support the festival monetarily, consider sponsoring an award to be presented at the final gala event, or sponsoring a session for a music discipline of your choice, or being recognized as a patron or friend of the festival. Don鈥檛 be shy. We have numerous options from small to large if you are a supporter of local music education.聽
This year鈥檚 festival is currently scheduled to run from April 2 to 8. Expect some crossing of schedules between the various musical disciplines allowing for an exciting music-packed week. The festival will culminate with a celebratory gala at the Dekker Centre where festival highlights will be showcased and awards distributed.
鈥淚 had the title poet, and maybe I was one for a while. Also, the title singer was kindly accorded me, even though I could barely carry a tune.鈥�
鈥� Leonard Cohen鈥�
