The Energy City will be bubbling with musicians for the rest of the month as another year of the Estevan and District Music Festival kicked off this week.
Hundreds of individuals and groups will perform their polished pieces in locations all over the city for the 48th year of the festival, culminating in a highlights and awards night on April 3.
Anita Kuntz, the president of the local festival for the past 10 years, said it is an important event in the community each year, simply due to the nature of music.
"Music needs to be shared," said Kuntz. She added that it is a skill that is great to learn, but ultimately it is a medium we are supposed to share with one another.
The festival gives music students from all over the area the opportunity to perform, and for some this is one of the only opportunities they have to show off their stuff.
Kuntz stressed the importance of forcing students, in some cases, to participate in the music festival in order to perform in front of adjudicators and other people. Learning music is a great skill, but finding an opportunity to perform is a vital part of the process.
"The thing about it is, my gosh, some day in your life you'll be put into a position where you have to get up and do something."
It's the experience that these students receive now that they will be able to draw on when they need it later in life.
Kuntz said that while the festival is the third biggest in the province, behind only Saskatoon and Regina, there is an atmosphere that is very open to newcomers and those who are a little shy about their performance. While it is a competition, the goal is as much about performing at one's best than it is winning.
"We try to keep it kid friendly, so they feel comfortable. The experience kids get, not only in front of people but also the constructive criticism, is second to none," said Kuntz.
With a three-week festival that sees close to 675 participants, there is always a need for committed and organized volunteers. Kuntz said they are in good shape this year and that "people have really stepped up to the plate."
The festival has received lots of volunteer support in the past and the two local recipients of the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association Volunteer Awards are Zella Reed and Sharon Stregger. Kuntz calls both women "long-term" volunteers, as Reed has been part of the festival for more than 25 years, while Stregger has been involved for more than 10, after first watching her granddaughters perform.
The festival awards $10,000 in scholarships, with 50 in piano, 35 in vocal, 30 in band, 25 in speech arts and two for strings.
"We do pride ourselves in making sure a maximum number of kids get something for their work," she said, noting the awards range from $15 to $500. "I can't say enough about the generosity (of the awards sponsors)."
There is a new memorial award this year, the Deb Lindquist Award for Music for Young Children. Lindquist introduced the Music for Young Children program to the community in 1987, a program that Kuntz herself is part of.
Four adjudicators are here this year, with Troy Linsley and Dennis Weist overseeing the bands, Lore Ruschiensky doing piano and Margot Sim adjudicating the vocal and speech arts.
The April 3 awards night will be held at the Estevan Comprehensive School beginning at 7 o'clock.
