This year’s edition of the 100 Mile House Festival of the Arts was fabulous, according to Ginny-Lou Alexander, the festival’s spokesperson.
“Everybody really performed well and the whole thing flowed and it was a nice mix of different genres and it was just great,” she said.
Some of the highlights she pointed out was the Peter Skene Ogden (PSO) Secondary School band but also pointed out Avery Jonasson’s speech performance, Claire Kreschuk performing the Stepsisters’ Lament from Cinderella. Kayleigh Jacobson and Emma Donnelly were also part of Alexander’s highlight reel.
She also said Mia Weir pulled off something no one else has done at the showcase so far and was amazed by it:
“No one had her books so she sang acapella Her Garden Mother’s Lullaby, that was amazing and with no accompaniment,” said Alexander.
The festival is hoping to invite the same adjudicators to attend next year, but they will have to look for a new vocal/speech adjudicator because the festival can only have them on for two years.
“It’s kind of an unwritten rule or maybe it’s a written rule with the festival that you should have a new adjudicator every year and most other festivals do but we like to have them for two years Maximilian because you need a change. You can’t just keep on having the same adjudicators every year because they all focus on different things and adjudicate differently,” said Alexander, adding the committee liked to have some continuity.
Finding a replacement for Gaye-Lynn Kern, the vocal and speech adjudicator might be a bit of a task for the Festival of the Arts Committee because they will have to find someone who can do both because the two sections aren’t big enough on their own.
They are hoping to get both Alan Crane (piano) and John Girard (instrumental) to come back next year.
Instrumental Awards: Beginner Solo 2 - Baylee Shields, Junior Solo 1 - Hailey McNabb, Junior Solo 2 - Emma Donnelly, Ensemble - Emma Donnelly and Nicole Hollander, Jazz Popular Music - Emma Donnelly, Charles Cawdell Memorial Band Award - PSO Tour Band, Adjudicator’s Award - Allie Donnelly, Alisha Robinson, PSO senior band, Outstanding Achievement - Emma Donnelly.
Recommended for Provincial Festival:
Junior Strings Merited Participant - Emma Donnelly, Junior Woodwinds Merited Participant - Hailey McNabb, Intermediate Guitar Merited Participant - Baylee Shields
Piano Awards:
JS Bach Junior - Emma Yang, JS Back Intermediate/Senior Margaret Christie Award - Julia Siclari, Baroque Junior June Truant Memorial Award - Grace Yang, Romantic Junior - Emma Yang, Hildegarde Goertz Memorial Award - Julia Siclari, Classical Repertoire Junior Trudy Silverwood Award - Isabelle Barrick, Classical Repertoire Intermediate/Senior Trudy Silverwood Award - Julia Siclari, Joan Ireland Award - Emma Yang, Kinasewich Family Award - Jason Watkins, Twentieth Century Intermediate/Senior - Joelle Waldner Kuyek, Garth and Shirley Gibson-Bull Award - Julia Siclari and Ginny Alexander, Adjudicator’s Awards - Isabelle Barrick, Sophia Barrick and Alexa Ohlund, Heather Heales, Maya Geerts, Noah Geerts, Jaidyn Lange, Israel McLelland, Outstanding Piano Achievement - Julia Siclari.
Recommended for Provincial Festival:
Junior Piano Merited Particpant - Julia Siclari.
Speech Arts:
Canadian Author - Lydia Kinasewich, Dramatic Monologue - Lydia Kinasewich, Group Poetry - Sophia Barrick and Becca Vanderhorst, Humorous Poetry - Avery Jonasson, Choral Speaking - 100 Mile Elementary Grade 4 Class, Readers Theatre - 100 Mile Elementary School Grade 2-3 class, Doug Macleod Memorial Readers Theatre - Riley Campbell, Liam Guimond and Denis Hoople, Lyric Poetry - Cate McArthur, Narrative Poetry Award - Adrienne Gardner, Story Reading - Lydia Kinasewich, Prose - Cate McArthur, Senior Aggregate- Adrienne Gardner, Adjudicator’s Awards - Alexa Ohlund, Forest Grove Elementary Grades 1-3, Outstanding Achievement - Adrienne Gardner.
Composition Awards:
Katie Kidwell Award - Brittany McLean, Senior Grace Sundman Award - Adrienne Gardner.
Recommended for Provincial Festival:
Junior Speech Arts Competitor - Cate McArthur, Junior Speech Arts Merited Participant - Mikaela Anderson, Alexa Ohlund, Senior Speech Arts Competitor - Adrienne Gardner.
Vocal Awards:
Roz Hooper Memorial - Cate McArthur, Classical Repertoire, Intermediate - Courtney Cave, Sacred, Irva and James Stewart Memorial Award - Baylee Shields. Art Song, Heather Sherry Memorial - Devyn Johnstone, Concert Recital - Melody Watkins, Musical Theatre, Junior Roz Hooper Memorial - Claire Kreschuk, Musical Theatre Intermediate Award - Courtney Cave, Olga Pugsley Memorial - Mia Weir, Popular Music Award - Desirae Thorsteinson, Katharina Wetzig, Country Song Award - Devyn Johnstone and Baylee Shields, Sakura Award - Claire Kreschuk and Emily Thain, 100 Mile House Performing Arts Bursary - Kayleigh Jacobson, Adjudicator’s Awards - Lydia Kinasewich, Sarah Pfannmueller, PSO Choir, Outstanding Achievement - Courtney Cave.
Recommended for Provincials:
Junior Classical Voice - Claire Kreschuk, Cate McArthur, Junior Musical Theatre - Claire Kreschuk, Emily Thain, Intermediate Classical Voice - Courtney Cave, Kayleigh Jacobson, Devyn Johnstone.