The 100 Mile House Festival of the Arts Registration was on Feb. 10 at the Parkside Gallery and saw roughly 245 people register for the amateur annual performance festival (April 23 to May 5).
“We’re quite a ways down from other years in entries,” said Ginny-Lou Alexander. “There are not so many younger people coming up I think and for me, it’s been a slow start in September, partly because of the fires and couldn’t get going.”
Alexander mentioned that the festival scene tends to grow and grow before shrinking, like this year before growing again - like a cycle.
Last year, roughly 345 people registered for the festival, 100 more than this year.
“I think the ones who have entered are anticipating a good fun time,” said Alexander. “Like Adrianne Gardner [a student of Alexander’s and one of the performers] is so, so pleased. She’s doing about six pieces on the piano that she just wanted to do all along but she couldn’t because of exams.”
The performers range from classical piano, brass and other instrumentals, vocals and the speech and dramatic arts. They must also follow the syllabus provided by the organizers at 100milearts.com/festival-of-the-arts.
Several awards are also up for grabs across all disciplines, such as the Hildegarde Goertz Memorial Award for intermediate/senior class in romantic piano and the Olga Pugsley Memorial Award for folk singing. A list of the awards is available to see on the aforementioned syllabus. Some performers will qualify to go to the provincial festival in Victoria from May 29 to June 2.
The 100 Mile House Festival at the Arts will be hosted at the newly renovated Martin Exeter Hall on Cecil Plaza.