Fine Art Festival prepares for 51st edition
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- Published on Thursday, December 22, 2016
By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
The Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
The Neepawa and District Fine Arts Festival is getting ready to enter is 51st year. The annual festival provides a chance for singers and pianists to showcase their skills in front of an audience and receive feedback from an experienced adjudicator. There are both competitive and non-competitive classes.
At the end of last year’s festival, long-time president Carolyn Durston stepped down, though she remains involved, mentoring this year’s 11 member executive. Cheryl Beaumont, who along with Rhonda Dickenson is chairing this year’s committee, said that they have a full executive, including members at large. “Many hands make light work– the skeleton crew has grown into a thriving group, with the thanks of the passion of the few board members that wanted the festival to continue,” said Beaumont.
The 2017 festival will take place from Apr. 6 - 8 at Knox Presbyterian Church in Neepawa. Piano participants will perform on the venue’s grand piano, which was purchased in 1997 with funds raised by the festival. Choirs from HMK and NACI usually participate in the workshop during the day and then perform in the evening.
The festival is open to all Manitobans, but it primarily draws performers from the Neepawa area, including Brookdale, Arden, Eden, Franklin, Bethany, Birnie and Riding Mountain. Last year’s larger anniversary festival attracted performers from further away, including Dauphin, Gladstone and Winnipeg.
Beaumont explains that the syllabus, the booklet that contains all of the classes at the festival, is available at ArtsForward. Participants pick the classes, such as piano grades, or genres, such as Canadian composers, in which they want to participate. They will perform at the festival in front of adjudicator Leanne Regehr Lee, who specializes in piano and choral music. Lee has a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Manitoba and has taught junior and senior high music. In additional to valuable feedback, top performers are also recognized with awards and scholarships donated by local organizations.
The deadline for registrations is Feb. 15. Syllabus and entry forms are available from Neepawa and area piano and vocal teachers, as well as the ArtsForward office. The committee also has a Facebook page with information that will be updated as the festival nears.
