The 100 Mile Festival of the Arts 2014 included speech arts, piano, vocal and instrumental performances at Martin Exeter Hall from April 22 to May 1.
It wrapped up on May 2 with the awards presentation and Showcase Performance, featuring some of the top performers from preceding 10 days.
Festival co-chair Marilyn Buyar says the festival went very well.
While it was a very busy time, she notes there is an army of 45-50 volunteers who put in a few one- or two-hour shifts to make everything go smoothly.
One of the highlights for her was the first day of the festival when the schools came out for their speech arts performances.
"It was marvellous. It was an absolutely packed house with lots of moms and dads and grandparents – and parents who slipped away from work for 20 to 30 minutes to catch their children's performances."
She adds the adjudicators were very good, as they gave a lot of practical feedback and spent some time with all of the students.
Buyar also acknowledged the great work by school band teachers Vanessa Toews (Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School) and Jasmine Kreschuk (100 Mile House and Mile 108 Elementary schools).
As for the Showcase Performance, Buyar says it was another packed house this year. She adds the adjudicators picked a great variety of performers for the evening.
"It was wonderful to just be able to sit down and really appreciate the talent we have in this community."
Noting it was a shorter show this year, Buyar says they cut it down to just over two hours, but "we managed to squeeze a lot into those two hours."
She notes the committee and the participants were very grateful to Matt Arnott of Kamloops who lent them a six-foot six-inch grand piano to use during the festival.
"It was marvellous because they all had a chance to play on an excellent piano ... they can play their best music when they have a good instrument."
Speech Arts Awards
Poetry Canadian Author – Brodi Lundquist
Dramatic Monologue – Lydia Kinasewich
Group Poetry (Adjudicator Award) – Emma Donnelly and Mackenzie White
Humorous Poetry – Mikayla Julseth
Choral Speaking – Mile 108 Elementary, Grade 3
Readers Theatre – 100 Mile Elementary, Grade 6, 7
Doug Macleod Memorial Readers Theatre – Stephanie Hilstad and M. Julseth
Narrative Poetry – Miah Scarpino
Lyric Poetry – L. Kinasewich
Prose – Adrienne Gardner
Story Reading – L. Kinasewich
Junior Aggregate – L. Kinasewich
Albert Nicoll Memorial Intermediate Aggregate – Katya Levermann
Adjudicator’s Awards – Malcolm Beveridge, Emma Law, Anya Levermann and Brendan Nixdorf
Gregory Grant Bursary Award – M. Scarpino
Outstanding Achievement – L. Kinasewich
Sandra Cannon-Walker Awards – Forest Grove Elementary, Mile 108 Elementary and 100 Mile Elementary
Performing Arts BC recommendations:
Intermediate Observer – K. Levermann
Junior Competitor – L. Kinasewich
Junior Observer – A. Gardner and A. Levermann
Piano Awards
JS Bach Junior Helen Ames Award – Elizabeth Haretzmuller
JS Bach Intermediate/Senior Margaret Christie Award – Cory Mapson
Baroque Junior June Truant Memorial Award – Noah Geerts
Baroque Intermediate/Senior Priscilla White Memorial Award – Anna Betuzzi
Romantic Junior Esther Newberry Award – Avery Collinson
Romantic Intermediate/Senior Hildegarde Goertz Memorial Award – A. Betuzzi
Classical Repertoire Junior Trudy Silverwood Award – Heather Heales
Classical Repertoire Intermediate/Senior Trudy Silverwood Award – Nina Geerts
Sonata Watkins Family Award – A. Betuzzi
Canadian Composer Joan Ireland Award – Bryton Armishaw
Twentieth Century Junior BJ Trophies Award – E. Haretzmuller
Twentieth Century Intermediate/Senior – Nina Geerts
Christian Music Fujiko Matsuda Award – Ashton Chretien and Candice-Rose Mapson
Piano Ensemble Garth and Shirley Gibson-Bull Award – Nina Geerts and Maya Geerts
Adjudicator’s Awards – Miki Hatton and Daven Mapson
Outstanding Achievement 100 Mile Free Press Award – A. Betuzzi
Organ Award Adjudicator’s Award – D. Mapson
Music Composition Award Junior Katie Kidwell Award – Cory Mapson
Performing Arts BC Recommendation:
Intermediate Competitor – A. Betuzzi
Instrumental Awards
Beginner Solo 1 – Cameron Ardiel
Beginner Solo 2 – Vanessa Mah and Christina Mah
Junior Solo 1 – M. Geerts
Junior Solo 2 – E. Donnelly
Intermediate Solo 1 – A. Betuzzi
Ensemble – E. Donnelly and Curtis Wolfe
Jazz/Popular Music – Foggy Bottom Clarinet Buskers
Charles Cawdell Memorial Band Award – Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School Grade 8 Band
Adjudicator’s Award – W. Mah
Helen and Anthony Lau Bursary – A. Betuzzi
Outstanding Achievement – E. Donnelly
Performing Arts BC Recommendations:
Intermediate Observer – A. Betuzzi
Junior Observer – E. Donnelly
Vocal Awards
Classical Repertoire, Junior Roz Hooper Memorial Award – L. Kinasewich
Sacred, Irva and James Stewart Memorial Award – Mia Weir
Art Song, Heather Sherry Memorial Award – M. Weir
Concert Recital – Christiane Nauen
Musical Theatre, Junior Roz Hooper Memorial Award – Courtney Cave
Folk Song Olga Pugsley Memorial Award – L. Kinasewich
Popular Music Award – M. Weir
Jazz, George Kellett Memorial Award – Kira Saenger
Country John Jones Memorial Award – C. Cave
Vocal Ensemble Sakura Award – Twila McIntosh and Tom McIntosh
Adjudicator’s Awards – Eshuan Grewal and Kelsey Schuurman
Outstanding Achievement – C. Cave
Performing Arts BC Recommendations:
Classical
Junior Competitor – M. Weir
Junior Observer – B. Armishaw and L. Kinasewich
Musical Theatre
Junior Competitor – C. Cave
Junior Observer – Kayleigh Jacobson