The opening of this year鈥檚 Battlefords area music festival is right around the corner beginning April 17 with vocal entries in Logie Hall at Third Avenue United Church. Mark your calendar for the gala date of Wednesday, April 27. It is being held at the Dekker Center at 7 p.m. Admission will be $10 a seat with free admission for performers, award recipients, session sponsors and award donors. Tickets are purchased at the door on the night of the gala. The festival gala features adjudicator-chosen festival highlights from all the music disciplines and categories followed by the distribution of awards to festival participants.
All festival sessions are open to the public. Donations towards festival expenses are gratefully accepted at the door of venues. When coming out to support young musicians from our community, please keep good performance manners and etiquette in mind. While enjoying the extensive talent being nurtured in the Battlefords area, remember performers have one opportunity to showcase their work. Ensure you are not responsible for distractions such as ringing or vibrating cell phones, whispering amid a performance, or entering or leaving the room during a performance. Any distraction during a performance or while the adjudicator is speaking must be avoided. This includes texting and perfumed scents. Please respect the provincial rules regarding photography and videotaping 鈥� no photography or video recordings are allowed during performances, adjudications or certificate presentations. Finally, be sure to congratulate all performers for their accomplishments and successes.
If you are a teacher or participant make sure you鈥檙e abiding by festival entry rules and regulations. It is important to not use any photocopied music since that is illegal. Any music being viewed by the adjudicator or used in the performance must be an original copy. The music handed in to the adjudicator must have the first bar of each line numbered. Music must be handed in to the session鈥檚 secretary prior to the start of each session. It is prohibited to practice in venue performance areas during the festival dates except in designated rehearsal or warm-up areas. The attire and behaviour of performers should reflect a manner respectful of the festival. Unless your musical theatre characters demands otherwise, it is appropriate to avoid jeans and T-shirts. Err on the side of modesty if uncertain. And please arrive on time so sessions start promptly.
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 months prior to the festival or be furthering their education elsewhere, but still supported by parents living in the Battlefords district. The festival committee salutes and thanks all organizations, businesses, service clubs, individuals and memorial donors for their incredible support of local music education through these generous awards.
Note the schedule for this year鈥檚 festival has been adjusted and finalized: vocal - April 17 鈥� 18, musical theatre - April 19, speech arts - April 20, band - April 19 鈥� 21, piano -April听21 鈥� 23 and strings - April 22.
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鈥淚 was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me, like food or water.鈥�鈥� Ray Charles
