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Airdrie Rotary Festival of Performing Arts set for return next month

Airdrie Rotary Festival of Performing Arts is returning to a live, in-person event this spring with piano, voice, musical theatre, strings, speech, and classical guitar and ukulele performances.
Rotary Fest of Performing Arts
Airdrie Rotary Festival of Performing Arts back this spring in live format. File Photo/Airdrie City View

Airdrie Rotary Festival of Performing Arts is returning to a live, in-person event this spring with piano, voice, musical theatre, strings, speech, classical guitar and ukulele performances.

Registrations are being accepted until the end of January for the 10-day festival that takes place from March 21 to 31 at the Polaris Centre for the Performing Arts in Balzac.

According to Jennifer Harbour, the festival coordinator, the event offers opportunities for music students to perform in front of a live audience and professional adjudicators.

“It's an educational-focused festival and we're non-competitive,” Harbour said. “It's all about the experience of performance and having the opportunity to be adjudicated by a professional and receive some positive feedback on their performances.”

Adjudicators are asked to recommend deserving performers to a provincial festival, which is a competitive festival that allows performers to compete at a higher level.

Anybody aged five years and up can join the Airdrie festival. Harbour added that musicians of all ages join each year, though most participants tend to be school-aged youth.

“Anybody can perform in the festival but we look at those that live within the Rocky View School (RVS) division to recommend to the provincial festival,” Harbour said. “We really want to give that opportunity to those students within RVS, just to give them opportunities that they wouldn't get if they went to school in Calgary or other [divisions].”

Harbour has been involved in organizing the festival for around eight years. She has seen some kids return each year until they move away for post-secondary education.

Most students who have taken traditional music lessons register to perform at the festival. Sometimes hearing feedback from another person and not their usual teacher validates what they need to work on, she added.

“I think teachers love it because the adjudicators will validate what they've been teaching their students and encourage their students to work on certain [skills],” Harbour said.

The festival was held virtually last year with all performances submitted online. Adjudicators reviewed everything virtually, held master classes through Zoom, and wrote notes for each performer. Due to it being a virtual concert, fewer performers registered in 2021.

“We are going forward with a live festival at this point, so fingers crossed we'll still be able to do that. We'll just be very mindful of Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the restrictions that might be in place and follow all the rules for gathering in groups,” Harbour said.

Harbour hopes to have around 200 entries for the festival this year, but added it’s difficult to determine how many people will feel comfortable after the last few of years of pandemic-related restrictions and the lack of performances.

Currently, masterclasses will be limited to participants and their parents, but a showcase concert is being planned for April 2.

“We'll have 120 tickets available for people to purchase and what we do is invite students back who gave a really great performance and invite them to share their performance with us at that showcase concert,” Harbour said.

According to Harbour, arts and culture in Airdrie have seen a real shift over the last few years in terms of sustainability. While a few other local events and organizations have fallen by the wayside, she reported the Airdrie Rotary Festival of Performing Arts is alive and in a good position, with an active board and strong volunteer group. 

“Our finances are in good order, we're active and ready to support the arts community in terms of amateur classically trained students,” Harbour said.

She said the festival is a great opportunity for any music teachers who haven't heard about it before, or any students who are currently taking music lessons, whether in school or through a private instructor.

Harbour added there will also be volunteer opportunities at the festival that will be promoted next month via their website. Anyone interested is encouraged to reach out with questions at 403-585-6532.

Raffle tickets will also be available at the festival with a chance to win $5,000 if they sell out.

Tickets for the showcase concert and raffle are available via their website at AirdrieRotaryFestival.org. Registration remains open until Jan. 31.

 


Masha Scheele

About the Author: Masha Scheele

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