This year's edition of the Moose Jaw Music Festival began on March 15 with choral performances at Zion United and continued until the final awards concert on Sunday, April 2, showcasing a spectacular variety of individual and group performances using just about every musical instrument there is.
The festival is part of the wider Saskatchewan Music Festival Association (SMFA) competition scene which takes place throughout the province each year. The Moose Jaw Music Festival has been ongoing for many decades and gathers performers ranging in age from 6 years old to around 20 years old.
Literally hundreds of performances took place in classes including:
- voice
- piano
- guitar
- strings
- woodwind
- brass
- percussion
- pipe and electronic organ
- choir/school music including special education
- multicultural
- speech arts (individual verse and speech therapy classes, storytelling)
- small ensembles
- band and orchestral classes
Participants were able to compete for locally sponsored music scholarships and for a place at the upcoming provincial competition in Regina on June 1, and the Canada West Performing Arts competition in July. However, performers could also choose to enter any class for adjudication only, meaning they received feedback and instruction from judges without competing.
Adjudicators are typically professional musicians and music professors, such as Judith Oatway. Oatway is an opera soprano from Winnipeg who has taught and performed across the country. The opportunity to receive personalized feedback and advice from professional musicians who have successfully built careers pursuing their passions is a major part of what makes festivals valuable opportunities for young performers.
The General Festival took place Saturday, March 25 through Thursday, March 30. The last day of the General Festival on March 30 saw the major scholarship competition at Zion United Church.
Zion United was the main stage for the music festival, with Peacock Centennial Auditorium and the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery's Performing Arts Theatre also hosting various performance classes.
The 2024 Moose Jaw Music Festival is scheduled for April 10-11 for choral performances, with the general festival running from April 13 to 21, 2024.
