UNITY-- The audience at the Unity Music Festival’s final performances at the Unity Composite High School April 13 were treated to toe-tapping music, classical symphonic piano melodies, soaring vocals, entertaining musical theatre numbers and spoken word ranging from a child’s description of a car ride all the way to a scene written by William Shakespeare.
Four groups took the stage, along with thirteen piano soloists, seven vocalists, two girls performing spoken word, saxophonist Sadie Risling and a pair of boys, Noah Williams and Daniel Rafid-Hamed, who played a piano duet.
Some individuals were on the stage more than once – Charlie Reiche playing piano and participating in choral speech, Lyla Reiche performing both spoken word and a piano solo and Mayla Williams playing piano and singing. Thea Witzaney and Aimee Vold each sang both a musical theatre number as well as a more classical piece.
Other piano players were Beau Kuhn, Brynn Delhommeau, Harlie Risling, Annie Ajayi, Alana Romanowski, Karlin Vold, Joseph Vold, Keanna Kelly, Parker Mackay, Jensen Fawell and Emily Melynyk.
Emily won the award for Most Outstanding Piano Student at the festival. As well as performing April 13, she had played April 9 in the recital class for 11 years and under, and April 10 in the contemporary style class for 11 and under. She had also competed in a piano duet class with Alex Melnyk.
Emily’s performance was the last of the afternoon April 13, playing a lovely rendition of “Dreams Bright and Beautiful.”
Choral speech groups were the Unity Public School’s Grade 1 and Grade 2 classes as well as a group of Reiche Kids.
Vocal soloists, in addition to those already mentioned, were Adelia Vermeulen, Marishka Mauthe, Avyne McLean and TaraLee Witzaney.
A trio from Stand Out Dance Collective, dressed in fun Seussical costumes, sang the “Green Eggs and Ham” song.
Accompanists who played for the various songsters were Robyn Rutherford, Melody Kuhn, Anthony Witzaney, Chrystal Fawell and Kathy Jones.
Clara Reiche performed in the spoken word category, as Puck in Act 5, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Thea Witzaney was named Outstanding Vocal Performer of the festival. Thea had sung two songs in competition April 7, as well as a duet with sister TaraLee. She followed that up with three songs, in the recital, musical movie and up-temp classic classes, April 8.
For the April 13th audience, Thea sang the musical theatre number “Wonderful Day,” from the movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and the art song “Ridente la Calma” by W.A. Mozart.
Morag Riddell was named Music Festival Volunteer of the Year.
Recommended to play in the final performances but unable to attend were Eden Fawell and the St. Peter’s Wind Ensemble Grade ¾ and String Ensemble Grade 4/5 and the Grade 6 students.
The full list of award winners, including performers recommended to provincials, are listed below.
PIANO:
- The Tim & Nadine Keller Family Scholarship $50 – Harlie Risling
- Joyce T. Smith Memorial $75 – Beau Kuhn
- Myrtle Cleall Memorial Cup & Keeper and Scholarship (donated by Compass Minerals-Sifto Salt) $100 + Award – Parker MacKay
- Audrey and Tony Fischer Memorial $100 – Joseph Vold
- Wilma DeBelser Memorial $100 – Alana Romanowski
- Unity Lutheran Church $100 – Charley Reiche
- Unity Royal Canadian Legion $100 - Owen Neufeld
- Wilkie CWL $100 – Lyla Reiche
- Katherine Schell Memorial $150 - Keanna Kelly
- First Year of Instruction - Bricin Financial $50 – Alana Romanowski
- Duet - Barbara Surine Memorial $100 – Noah Williams and Daniel Rafid-Hamed
- Recital Class - Unity Arts Council $50 - Annie Ajayi
- Canadian/Saskatchewan Class - Dr. Mervyn Ashing Memorial $50 & Award – Brynn Delhommeau
- Pop Song - Bricin Financial Services $50 – Karlin Vold
- Bach/Baroque - Unity Music Festival Award and Veritas Designs & Inspections Inc. $50 - Jensen Fawell
- Sonata/Sonatina - Unity Music Festival Award and Veritas Designs & Inspections Inc. $50 - Annie Ajayi
- Dr. Fred & Evelyn Weeks Trophy and Keeper Award – Mayla Williams
BAND: Unity Elks Lodge $150 - Sadie Risling (Saxophone).
VOCAL:
- Unity United Church Choir $50 - Mayla Williams
- Veritas Designs & Inspections Inc. $50 - Adelia Vermeulen
- Judy Boskill Memorial – Thea Witzaney
- Unity Knights of Columbus – Aimee Vold
- Folk Song/Ballad - Award and $50 Unity Lions Club- Marishka Mauthe
- Recital Class - Unity Baptist Church $50 – Avyne McLean
MUSICAL THEATRE:
- Compass Minerals Sifto Salt $50 – Eden Fawell
- Barry and Chris DeRoo-Davisson $75 – Aimee Vold
- Gilbert Agencies – to a vocal student exhibiting a love of Musical Theatre, any age $100 – TaraLee Witzaney
- Rose Mauthe Memorial $150 – Stand Out Dance Collective
SCHOOLS:
- Div I - Don and Marilyn Wildeman Award and Unity Delta Co-op $100 – UPS Gr. 1
- Div II - Louis and Grace Sloboda Memorial and Unity Delta Co-op $100 – St. Peter’s Gr. 4/5
- Len and Audrey Boxell Memorial Award and $100 – St. Peter’s Gr. 6
- Vivienne Cantelon Memorial $100 – Reiche Kids
- Joyce M. Demerchant Memorial Award and Cut Knife CWL $100 UPS Gr. 2
- Beatrice Vollett Memorial $100 - St. Peter’s Gr. 3/4
SPEECH ARTS:
- Unity Elks Lodge $150 - Clara Reiche
- Unity Lions Club $100 – Lyla Reiche
MOST OUTSTANDING PIANO- PERFORMER OF FESTIVAL Trophy & Keeper AND Verna Veikle Memorial Scholarship $200 – EMILY MELNYK
Jimmie and Ethel Anderson Memorial MOST OUTSTANDING VOCAL/MUSICAL THEATRE PERFORMER OF FESTIVAL AND Unity St, Peter's CWL Scholarship $200 – THEA WITZANEY
RECOMMENDATIONS TO PROVINCIAL COMPETITION:
- Aimee Vold – Vocal, Concert Group (17 yrs & under)
- Mayla Williams - Vocal, Recital (15 years & under) and Musical Theatre Ballad, Contemporary (15 yrs & under)
- Avyne McLean – Vocal Recital (17 years & under)
- Marishka Mauthe – Vocal Folk Song/Ballad (17 years & under)
- Eden Fawell - Musical Theatre, Up-tempo, Contemporary (13 years & under)
- Clara Reiche – Canada West Speech Arts & Drama (13 yrs & under); and Spoken Word, Solo Prose (13 years & under
- Sadie Risling – Woodwind Sonata (17 yrs & under)
