n the last couple of weeks I introduced this year鈥檚 piano adjudicator for the Kiwanis Battlefords Music Festival, Amy Watson and this year鈥檚 band adjudicator, Terry Heckman. Musical theatre enthusiasts will be happy to know that once again we have an adjudicator assigned specifically to this discipline. The weekend of March 21 and 22 is dedicated entirely to musical theatre performances.
Joy McFarlane-Burton of Saskatoon holds a Royal Conservatory of Music Associate Diploma in Singing Performance, and studied vocal pedagogy at the University of Saskatchewan with the late Dorothy Howard. McFarlane-Burton is also a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and is a Registered Music Teacher.
McFarlane-Burton was the chair of the Federation of Canadian Music Festivals ad hoc committee for the inclusion of musical theatre as a discipline in the National Music Festival. As a result of her work on this committee, the first National Musical Theatre Competition was held in Kelowna in 2014. She is currently serving as vice-president of FCMF and is a past-president of the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association.
In 2013 McFarlane-Burton attended a National Association of Teachers of Singing workshop in Spokane, on working with children鈥檚 voices, with a focus on developing children鈥檚 voices for musical theatre performance.
McFarlane-Burton has performed in several leading roles in community theatre productions 鈥� Laurie (Oklahoma!), Nellie (麻豆传媒AV Pacific), Fiona (Brigadoon) and Dolly (Hello Dolly). She has enjoyed performing in the supporting roles as well 鈥� Sister Berthe (Sound of Music), the strawberry seller (Oliver!), Mrs. McAfee (Bye Bye Birdie) and Fruma-Sarah (Fiddler on the Roof).
McFarlane-Burton has also performed in the chorus with the Saskatoon Opera Association productions. Working behind the scenes as choral director and vocal coach for many productions has been rewarding. McFarlane-Burton has also enjoyed experiences working with several children鈥檚 theatre productions.
McFarlane-Burton has adjudicated musical theatre across Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. She also presents musical theatre workshops. McFarlane-Burton enjoys teaching singing and exploring musical theatre repertoire with her students from across west central Saskatchewan.
The current聽tentative schedule, pending final programming, for the 2015 Battlefords Music Festival is: piano March 16 鈥� 18; band March 19 鈥� 20, strings March 20, musical theatre March 21 鈥� 22, voice March聽23 鈥� 25 and speech arts March 26 鈥�27. The gala has been changed to April 1 at 7 p.m. at the Dekker Centre. Admission will be $10 a seat for adults with free admission for performers, award recipients, award donors and youth 18 and under.
聽鈥淚 wore goofy hats to school and did musical theater. Most people thought I was a dork. But if you have a sense of humor about it, no one can bring you down.鈥澛� 鈥� Zac Efron
