Ecole St. Mary High School Senior Band, directed by Julie Abbs, at the Best of the Best Gala Concert. (Submitted Photo/Jesse Campbell)

By Rob Mahon

Gala Concert

Encore performance: Music festival’s best return for gala concert at Rawlinson

Apr 26, 2023 | 11:00 AM

Putting a bow on the Prince Albert and District Music Festival, the EA Rawlinson Centre hosted a gala concert featuring the best of the best from the festival. It was a fitting way to give the 75^th anniversary of the festival a send-up.

The music festival features adjudicators from across the province, professional musicians in a variety of disciplines, who critique the young musicians. When that was done in March, the judges picked their favorite performances, and those performers made up the gala performers

“We wanted to mark our 75^th anniversary in a really special way by showcasing the hard work and talents of young musicians by getting them to perform on the big stage and under the bright lights of the EA Rawlinson Centre,” said Jesse Campbell, coordinator of the Prince Albert Music Festival.

Because the gala showcases the best from the music festival, as chosen by some pretty knowledgeable judges, there was a lot of talent on display on the big night.

“It was wonderful,” Campbell said. “We got to hear a variety of musicians. We heard bands and choral groups, solo vocalists, instrumentalists, piano players. We wanted the adjudicators to essentially make our program and chose the performers so there was an impartial opinion, and we saw a lot of artistry come out.”

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This time around, the pandemic didn’t leave its stamp on the music festival the way it had over the previous three years. With that in mind, there was an element of relief around the festival this year, and a sense of returning to normal.

“Performance and especially music education opportunities have been so limited the last couple of years due to the pandemic,” Campbell said. “Music was hit really, really hard due to those COVID concerns and restrictions. So it felt like quite a celebration.”

A celebration was a fitting way to described the festival and the gala. After all, the gala was intended as a way to celebrate 75 years of the music festival. People who approached Campbell about the gala gave her very positive reviews.

“People were really happy to know our music community is strong, that it is being supported,” said Campbell. “We, as a committee, really liked seeing the community support. It all worked together.”

Campbell added they heard from past participants in the festival that having the ability to be part of the arts gave them a new avenue for experiencing life.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP