The competition side of the 48th annual St. Albert Rotary Music Festival finished April 14. However, officials are also hosting a celebration of select young musicians and their artistic achievements.
Encore, which takes place Tuesday, April 29 at the Arden Theatre, is a variety show similar to enjoying a delicious dessert after a sumptuous dinner.
Divided into two parts, it first features 19 acts of varying ages, levels and skills, performing pieces they presented throughout the festival. An award presentation including the prestigious Rose Bowl Award follows the concert. Approximately 65 awards will be gifted valued at nearly $9,000.
“It’s very exciting. Kids get to perform the pieces they learned. A lot are first-time players in front of a large audience and a lot of people come to see the show for a first time. And backstage in the Green Room, enthusiastic and nervous musicians are congregating and getting ready to strut their stuff,” said Mark Moran, festival chair and Encore’s Master of Ceremonies.
Ava Korek, recipient of the $1,000 Lyle Moore Scholarship, is one of the deserving musicians slated to sing and self-accompany on piano. She swayed judges with her 20-minute set of Smokey Robinson’s Who’s Lovin’ You, Carolyn Franklin’s Ain’t No Way, Stephen Schwartz’s Defying Gravity and Need You, a co-write with Josh Sahunta.
“I trained really hard for the scholarship and I’m glad the outcome was this,” said Korek. “But I was really surprised. I always expect the worst, and when I heard I was really proud of myself.”
Sherry Bennett, Rotary Music Festival manager, noted Korek will perform Tennessee Whisky at Encore.
“She’s really passionate about her art. She puts her whole soul into it. She’s someone who can excel in both disciplines. She’s very skilled and gives a very polished performance,” said Bennett.
Moran explained the St. Albert Rotary Music Festival received 437 entries, which translates into about 900 to 950 musicians and performers. The different categories ranged from vocal, piano, guitar, violin, fiddle, cello and woodwinds to school bands, orchestras, school choruses, musical theatre and composition.
At the concert, Abigail Swenson is representing the original composition category with her piece titled Reflection.
“She wrote and composed a clarinet piece for it. It’s piano and clarinet and her mother will play clarinet. For a young player to accompany a musician, and when you add Abigail composed it with a clarinet in mind, it’s a whole new level of creative skills,” said Bennett.
Mylee and Alex Zopf take to the stage singing What Is This Feeling from Wicked while Jehdeiah Edrad belts out Part of Your World.
Clara Knoefel, who has competed at the festival for four years, will showcase her classical pipes singing a Mark Hayes arrangement of Simple Gifts, a folk song.
“It’s a beautiful folk song and she sings it with energy and facial expression and with her eyes. She’s a very well-rounded musician and receives high praise from the adjudicators,” Bennet said.
Ava Mihalcheon, an up-and-coming fiddle player sizzles with the the traditional Mississippi Sawyer, while Naomi Brown lets loose with At Last, originally made famous by Etta James and later recorded by Beyonce.
“Naomi has phenomenal voice and presence that captivates the entire room.”
And Emmanuel Fraser, one of the younger performers, plays Debussy’s rag-time inspired Golliwog’s Cakewalk.
“It has a romantic era style with a bit of personality to it. I met Emmanuel two years ago when he did a concerto and I was amazed such a young person could be such a confident young pianist.”
As a cellist and long-time festival volunteer, Moran concluded by speaking about the rewards of seeing young musicians develop their full potential year-by-year.
“Seeing them grow is so satisfying. And performing at a professional venue like the Arden Theatre gives them added confidence. The kids’ energy and talent would be a big miss if you don’t see them.”
Encore starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $24. Visit tickets.stalbert.ca.
