Success found at ChoralFest

Garden Valley Collegiate
Winkler, Manitoba

By Ron (Grade 12)

The 10th Annual ChoralFest was held November 12-24 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Garden Valley Collegiate, in Winkler Manitoba, participated in ChoralFest held in the Sturgeon Creek United Church. Malcom Edwards and Mark Sirett were the adjudicators along with Leonard Enns and Marilyn Houser Hamm as composers. Eighteen local clinicians gave advice to the various participating choirs.

Over 100 different choirs across Manitoba, were featured in this 12 day program. ChoralFest offers choirs and conductors an opportunity to work with well-known adjudicators and clinicians to improve their singing talents. ChoralFest is held in a non-competitive atmosphere dedicated towards the improvement of choral skills and the promotion of choral arts in Manitoba. Choirs from these 22 Manitoba areas participated: Altona, Brandon, Carberry, Carman, Gretna, Holland, Kenora, Landmark, Manitou, Melita, Morden, Oakbank, Portage la Prairie, Selkirk, Sprague, Steinbach, Swan Lake, Winkler, Winnipeg, Virden and Vita.

Each day started off at around 9:00 am. The choirs were given 20-30 minutes for their performance and adjudication. The choir members were allowed to sit in and listen to the other choirs and see how the adjudicator suggested improvements for their piece. Since there was no competition, there was a huge amount of learning opportunities. The day for the singers ended at around 4:30, giving them time to rest for the next day.

All choirs were given recordings of their performances including comments of the adjudicator and the clinician.

ChoralFest is organised by The Manitoba Choral Association Inc.

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