It has been a packed but inspiring week for participants and spectators of this year鈥檚 festival. Vocal, musical theatres, speech arts and band have already come to a close and kept Logie Hall at Third Avenue United Church busy ringing with music all week long.
If you have not been able to attend thus far, there is still time to enjoy piano and strings classes. Friday, strings open with concertos and then fiddling later in the schedule. The final discipline of piano entries runs from Thursday evening with Canadian repertoire through Sunday afternoon recital pieces.
All 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 that performers have one opportunity to showcase their work. Ensure that you are not responsible for distractions. No photography or video recordings are allowed during performances, adjudications or certificate presentations. Be sure to congratulate all performers for their accomplishments and successes.
Support Dekker Centre performances of adjudicator chosen highlights of the Battlefords Music Festival on Wednesday, April 12. The evening will feature all the music disciplines, categories, and age ranges. The performances begin at 7 p.m. Admission is $10 a seat with free admission for performers, students, award recipients, session sponsors and award donors.
Accessing the Dekker Centre is a treat for performers but would not be possible this year without the support of sponsor Lakeland Veterinary Services. In keeping with the ongoing spirit of support from local radio stations, Nick Fransoo has agreed to be the gala MC.
Tickets are purchased at the door on the night of the gala.
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 cannot function without the many volunteers working as door stewards and secretaries. Setting up and tearing down is much less of a burden with many hands helping. There would not be a stage to showcase local talent without the flexibility of festival venues. Third United Church accommodated the bulk of this year鈥檚 festival traffic providing performance and warm up spaces.
Looking ahead to next season, do keep in mind that we are always looking for parents and community-minded music lovers to step forward and say, 鈥淗ow can I help?鈥� If you might be willing to assist, even in a small way with the 2018 Battlefords Kiwanis Music Festival, simply share your interest with any committee member.
鈥淚n regard to music, I just think that it鈥檚 always best to have an attitude of being a perpetual student and always look to learn something new about music, because there鈥檚 always something new to learn. Don鈥檛 dismiss something out of hand because you think it鈥檚 either beneath you or outside of the realm of where your interests lie.鈥�鈥� David Sanborn
