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By Derek Craddock

75 YEARS

P.A. Music Festival marks diamond anniversary

Mar 1, 2023 | 5:00 PM

From strings and brass to the human voice, there will be no shortage of music this month for the Prince Albert Music Festival.

The annual spectacle of shows kicked off Wednesday and will run until March 19 although as festival coordinator Jesse Campbell explained, there is a special event scheduled to mark the 75^th anniversary of the festival.

“We will be having a special concert to celebrate the 75^th anniversary, it’s called The Best of the Best and it’s going to take place after the festival. It will take place on April 24,” she said.

“The plan is to bring back some previous participants who have now gone on and pursued careers in music.”

So how many performers will be taking part in this year’s festivities?

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“When you include soloists, duets, ensembles including the large bands or choirs, we’ve got over 900 musicians,” Campbell said.

The festival is a chance for young performers to showcase their skills in front of adjudicators with several scholarships up for grabs. The different categories for the shows and awards are piano, voice and choral, instrumental and band.

Campbell said it’s great to have all live shows this year following restrictions and virtual shows the last couple of years due to COVID-19.

“We’re seeing an increase in participation compared to the last three years,” she said. “It’s felt like a long time since we’ve been able to have a full and proper festival. It definitely feels like it getting to the pre-pandemic levels of normal.”

This year’s festival was made possible thanks to a large donation from the Prince Albert Kiwanis Club. Although the club folded roughly two years ago, Campbell said they left a generous endowment for the festival.

“It’s all in support of providing performance and music education opportunities for our local youth,” she said.

When all is said and done, the festival is really about showcasing the tremendous, young talent that Prince Albert has.

“It’s a wonderful way to see what young musicians have been working really hard for and preparing for throughout the year,” Campbell said. “Through their performances and through the feedback they receive from adjudicators, it’s really instilling a lifelong appreciation for the arts.”

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @PA_Craddock