The St. Thomas Music Festival is a key showcase every year for area students to garner valuable experience and benefit from expert adjudication.
And registration for the 72nd edition of the festival is underway.
Spokesperson Frank Exley notes last year there were 266 entries competing at a half dozen venues. It’s a total organizers are confident they can exceed this year.
The story of the St. Thomas Music Festival starts with the inception of the Rotary Club of St. Thomas May 24, 1950. Establishing the Rotary Music Festival was one of its first projects.
The purpose of the competition was to fill a vacancy in musical performance opportunities created when the Elgin Junior Farmers and Girls’ Institute Festivals were discontinued.
Exley talks about some key dates this year.
The four sestival adjudicators make recommendations for which students can move on to perform in the Ontario Music Festivals Association provincial competitions.
The community is encouraged to support the students by attending their live performances during the week of the festival and a month later at the Keynotes Concert.
While there is no admission charge, the public is encouraged to support the festival through free will offerings at the door.
Festival chairperson Sherry Graham advises, “We are confident that our festival, supported by its hard-working volunteers, will continue to adapt to the ever-changing musical landscape and provide opportunities for competition and performance to musicians of all ages.
The deadline for registration is Dec. 19.
For more information and a festival schedule, visit http://stthomasmusicfestival.ca/
Written by Ian McCallum
