For its 110th anniversary, the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association will be hosting their provincial finals back in Moose Jaw once again, just over a month after the city's district music festival.
Carol Donhauser, SMFA executive director, is excited to be returning to the Friendly City, as she finds Moose Jaw has great venues for music.
“The acoustics for voice can't be beat, and it's nice having the four venues — because we do need four for a weekend of close to 300 students, performing in such a short time frame,” said Donhauser.
Following 47 district competitions, the finals will see over 300 musicians and singers from across the province, participating in three age categories: junior, intermediate, and senior.
The intermediate category is new this year, said Donhauser, as the association felt that expanding would offer more young performers the chance to compete.
“We've added a junior level at provincials this year, which is exciting because it has added probably another 60 to 80 kids to our provincial weekend,” said Donhauser.
Junior competitors age from 13 to 15 years old, and will be attending the mini-workshops and receiving adjudicator feedback just like the intermediate and senior level performers. The Music Association hopes that including the younger performers will foster a dedication to their music.
“By opening up the junior level, we're hoping that they're excited about coming to provincials, and they’ll see the other levels of competitors performing and it'll keep them engaged for longer and so that they'll continue on in their music studies,” said Donhauser.
The new junior level will not be included in the annual Grand Awards competition, where the top performers in each discipline will perform for judges for awards. Over the whole weekend, over $24,000 in prizes will be handed out, in the form of awards and scholarships.
The national music awards this year will be taking place in Saskatoon, which Donhauser is also excited about. Hosting the music festivals, all levels from district to national, are helping keep the musical community thriving.
“It's kind of a lonely environment as a musician, a solo musician,” said Donhauser.
“[The music festivals are] another opportunity to perform with other students who are probably studying in the same discipline levels, . . . to meet other people that have the same interests that you do,” she added. “The camaraderie that the other students receive from going to the music festival and networking with other musicians in the same field is really beneficial and keeps them going.”
The Saskatchewan Provincial Music Festival Finals will be taking place May 30 to June 2. The Mae Wilson Theatre will host the final awards events: the Intermediate Grand Awards on May 31 at 7 p.m., the Senior Grand Awards on June 1 at 7 p.m., and the competition to move on to the National Music Festival on June 2 at 9 a.m.
The public is welcome to come and watch, to support the talent of each young musician performing. Admission is by donation.
“We’re just happy to have an audience come out and listen to the talents of the musicians that we have coming to Moose Jaw from across the province,” said Donhauser.
More information and a full schedule can be found at the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association website.
