At the Performing Arts Centre as parents, family, friends and community came out to see the best of the best.
With more than 700 performances in a wide variety of musical disciplines, evaluated over 10 days, narrowed down to a two-hour concert, concert-goers were guaranteed to enjoy the show.
This year, the Grade 2AH/2DB took the adjudicator's choice in speech/ chorus for their performance of “Marco Comes Late.” Dacia Gramlick's performance of “Prairie Boy” took highest marks in vocal, while Kaylee Somerville was Adjudicator's Choice in Piano with her deft performance of “Waltz in A-flat Major.”
Gramlick earned a second Adjudicator's Choice nod with her musical theatre performance of “I'll be Here,” while Chloe Shingoose took an Adjudicator's Choice in vocal for her performance of “Blue-eyed Sailor.”
Adjudicator's Choice for band went to Todd Yaremcio for his performance of “Sprint!”, while Isaac Hernando took highest mark in piano with “Sonata in C Major” and the Gracenotes, a fixture at the festival, took highest mark in Musical Theatre with “Thoroughly Modern Millie.”
The evening featured additional special performances of other highly-ranked performances, including “The Doctor is In” by Ellery Robbins and Shingoose, dressed up as Charlie Brown and Lucy for a musical theatre performance where Charlie Brown looks for advice on his sad day from his pal Lucy.
Abby Spencer, Laura Smith and Meggan Shultz awed the crowd with their “Dance of the Reed Flutes,” the lilting sound of the trio's performance washing over the packed house.
The Tiny Tenors and Rhapsody Girls sang their way into the audience's heart with a vocal performance of Scallywag and Donkey Riding, the energetic youthful voices making heads bob and feet tap.
Also perofrming was Alexandra Brighley with her speech performance of “The Cattle Country,” Jazz Cats Senior with “La Negra Tiena Tumbao,” Jaden Norman, Ania Bohn, Robyn Yaremcio and Abby Spencer performing the “Canadiana Suite” on piano, Emma Webowesky's musical performance of “I want it Now” and Joseph Brigley's performance of “L'etre.”
With this year's festival complete and scholarships handed out, the board will meet in May to pick next year's date, with work beginning in September to get the next year's festival under way.
Provincial Recommendations
Musical Theatre
Chloe Shingoose, Alexandra Brigley, Dacia Gramlick
Vocal
Chloe Shingoose, Aiden Kobi, Kaylee Somerville, Dacia Gramlick, Rhapsody Girls/Tiny Tenors, The Gracenotes Ensemble
Piano
Isaac Hernando, Jessica Boizard
Speech
Stettler Elementary Grades 2AH/2DB, Alexandra Brigley