BATTLEFORDS — The opening classes for the 2023 Battlefords Kiwanis Music Festival are band and strings scheduled March 13 to 16.
This year’s instrumental adjudicator is Daryl McKinnon. McKinnon is currently the director of the Moose Jaw Adult Concert Band. Since 1982, he has taught guitar, vocal jazz, chamber choir, concert choir, musicals, concert band, jazz band and small ensemble band. He holds a B. Mus. Ed. (voice) from the University of Regina, a Diploma of Fine Arts (wind ensemble repertoire) from the University of Calgary and he has also taken after degree courses in conducting from the University of Alberta.
He has participated in many professional development opportunities, including several years at the Canadian Rocky Mountain Music Festival at Banff in the teacher development program. He has served on several cultural boards. He has been a regional director for the Saskatchewan Music Educators’ Association, a member at large for the Saskatchewan Band Association, the president of a local Saskatchewan Music Festival and a board member of the Saskatchewan Choral Federation.
McKinnon served on the local board (Moose Jaw) of the Western Canadian Music awards in relation to the career development day and as a board member of the Moose Jaw Kinsmen International Band and Choral Festival.
For budding visual artists, the festival committee welcomes youth 18 years old and younger in the Battlefords area to enter the annual musical image drawing contest. Selected pieces will be featured in the festival program and in the Festival venues. One entry will be chosen as the winner with the artist being recognized. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 26th. Submissions are to be directed to Battleford Central School attn: Lindsay Charabin, Box 400. Battleford, S0M 0E0.
Though any music theme is considered, the committee is encouraging the theme this year of “Music Lifts Us Up,” Artwork submitted should be on letter-size white paper using a medium of choice, but should have a white background. All artists must print their full name, phone number, school and grade on the back of their entry so their work can be considered for display. All submissions become the property of the Battlefords Music Festival and may not be returned.
Live streaming of festival sessions is offered again this year, Students invited to perform at the final gala and awards ceremony will again have the opportunity to bring their talent to the world class stage at the Dekker Centre.
The 2023 Battlefords Kiwanis Music Festival is scheduled to run from March 13 - March 25. Band, instrumental and strings are scheduled from March 13-16 using the Kinsmen Band Hall and the North Battleford Comprehensive High School Lecture Theatre as performance venues. Voice, spoken word, musical theatre and piano is schedules from March 20 - 25 utilizing the Sanctuary and Logie Hall of Third Avenue United Church.
“When something is bothering me, I write a song that tells my feelings. To write a song, I write about me a lot. And, ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter,’ I sat down on the back porch of the old home place and just looked up the hill and started—’ Well, I was born a coal miner’s daughter’—and I wrote the song. It’s like writing a poem and, you know, no big deal. When you’re hungry, you can find that you can do a lot of things that you didn’t know you could do”- Loretta Lynn (1932 - 2022)
