St. Albert Rotary Music Festival celebrates 40 years and counting

Pat Richards smiles when she tells the story of six-year old Jarome Iginla reciting a poem at the St. Albert Kiwanis Festival now known as St. Albert Rotary Music Festival.

“He read a poem and won a prize. Can you imagine?” she asks trying to picture the young local elementary school student now an NHL right wing now playing with the Los Angeles Kings.

Most aspiring young artists entering spring music festivals are similar to Iginla. They follow a different career path from the performing arts.

But other homegrown talent that chose the arts to inspire others have made an immeasurable contribution – artistic voices such as internationally renowned actor-director-pianist Ted Dykstra, mezzo-soprano Michelle Garlough, concert pianist Todd Yaniw, violinist Neda Yamach and ballet dancer Aiden Gibson to name a few.

As the festival marks a magnificent 40th year from April 4 to 13, the Gazette looks at marking this musical milestone with a look-back at its growth and evolution.

Originally the spring festival was billed as the St. Albert Kiwanis Music Festival and was started in 1977 with 12 members. At the time, the town’s population was barely more than 23,000 people.

However, folks rallied and several of the first competitions were held at Sir George Simpson School. The festival grew into a success, and at one point the Kiwanis festival attracted close to 4,500 participants – an extremely enthusiastic response for the population size.

But by 1990, the Kiwanis Club faced difficulties recruiting members. Kiwanis was viewed as an older club and the newly formed St. Albert Rotary Club was the magnet for young, energetic businessmen, professionals and tradesmen.

Larry Johnson, a professional in education, who was elected the Rotary Club’s first chair, had recently moved from High Level and saw first-hand the disintegrating Kiwanis Club.

“They were hanging on by their fingernails. If you saw children performing, the adjudicating, the program printing and the general organization, there wasn’t enough horsepower to keep it afloat. At the end of the festival they always had a grand concert and to be kind it was amateur hour. To be fair, they were working hard, but they only had six or seven volunteers and they needed more. The organization was sinking.”

Johnson organized a music festival in High River and had four daughters heavily invested in music scene. And as an educator, he recognized that performance boosts children’s confidence, an asset at every stage of life.

He approached the Kiwanis leadership and offered Rotarian assistance. The upshot was the Kiwanis asked the Rotarians to operate the festival.

By 1994, St. Albert Rotary officially took over and renamed it St. Albert Rotary Music Festival. One of the first things organizers did behind the scenes was introduce a computer database, a change that reduced hundreds of volunteer hours.

Richards, who started volunteering at the festival in the 1980s, noted Kiwanis organizers would build a schedule by spreading hundreds of registration sheets on the floor.

“Once computers came, it was much easier.”

Ten years earlier, Johnson had written a program titled Music Festival Organizer that was tested in High River.

“It was primitive, but it worked and it’s gotten better ever since. Right off the bat we used a computer to run the tally and we’ve used it ever since.”

An updated Music Festival Organizer is now used in 75 music festivals across Canada from the west to the east coast including Newfoundland.

Over the decades, tens of thousands of excited youth participants have performed their best waiting to hear what adjudicators have to say. And during that time tears of joy and sorrow were shed, scholarships and awards handed out to grinning participants, and a few hearts broken in between.

Through the decades, the music festival has fostered an “education instead of performance,” focus says Dr. Allan Murdock, chair of the board of trustees for the Rotary Club.

“We say, ‘come and perform and we’ll give you an adjudication and for those who excel we have a special award.’ You essentially compete against yourself instead of others.”

Although the young artists’ enthusiasm has never wanted, participation has dropped bit-by-bit, year-by-year. This year organizers estimate about 2,000 participants are registered in solo, duo, group, choral and band classes.

Dr. Alan Murdock, chair of the board of trustees for the Rotary Club, remembers a time when the festival attracted roughly 2,800 participants.

“All the kids used to play piano. But the spread today is much greater than it was then. Kids have more options today,” Murdock says.

Between homework, after school jobs, recreational activities and planning Easter vacation (that sometimes lands during festival season), students face a fiercer time crunch than previous decades.

In addition Johnston believes that music teachers’ influences are critical to the festival’s success. He remembers a former Leo Nickerson Elementary School teacher who entered her students in the speech arts class.

“That was in excess of 300 students. After she retired the numbers dropped and it was never filled. She put her heart and soul into those kids. If you can get a child up to recite a poem, you’re halfway home to singing,” notes Johnston.

He adds, “If music teachers in the community believe in the festival, it assures longevity. If teachers lose confidence in a festival, it’s done. It’s teachers that encourage students.”

Maryan Threndyl, heavily involved in organizing the festival for 15 years, adds that the numbers cycle from year-to-year but remain fairly steady.

“However, over time there are less entries in the advanced classes. The discipline that is needed to purse a career in voice or music – that’s changing. The time they need to practice and rehearse is not there. Kids have jobs. It’s a changing time.”

Having said that, Threndyl chuckles because this year the $1,000 Lyle Moore Scholarship competition, hosted on Wednesday, April 5 at Salvation Army headquarters, has attracted five strong contenders.

Pianist Katienne Bargen, a University of Alberta music student, is last year’s scholarship winner. St. Albert percussionist Jacob Kryger was the festival’s 2016 Rose Bowl winner while Anikka Hanson is a versatile musical theatre performer/choreographer.

Violinist-pianist Gabrielle Després is multi-competition winner and recently performed with Edmonton Youth Orchestra. Lastly, opera singer Elizabeth Vanstaalduinen is the recipient of numerous awards and plans to audition for Edmonton Opera.

“I’m really excited to have such a variety,” notes Threndyl.

The Rotary Festival continues to attract top-notch talent from St. Albert, Sturgeon County, Morinville, Westlock, Stony Plain and Spruce Grove.

There are about 600 classes in band, choral, vocal, composition, dance, piano and strings. Musical theatre, freshly introduced three years ago, is by far the most popular category. With Broadway’s new hit musical Hamilton and Hollywood’s La La Land’s exposure, Threndyl expects it will draw a great deal of attention from youth.

“Young people just want to sing all this great music.”

The classes offered depend on whether a provincial or national syllabus is available. Looking ahead to the near future, Murdock notes that the festival is looking to incorporate jazz bands.

“And we would like to establish more links with schools. It’s important to work with schools. Music is an important part of the educational system. My son (Andrew) for instance used dance credits to get to Julliard. We want to promote school bands and their other forms of music and we’d like to bring classical music to elementary schools.”

Threndyl adds, “Our festival has always provided young people the opportunity to pursue their musical dreams. I’m pleased we provided that opportunity and brought members of the community together.”