Drumheller Festival at Brentwood school

Times Reporter

 

The Drumheller Festival, a part of the Alberta Music Festival Association, AMFA, held a concert at Brentwood Elementary School on March 11. The Strathmore Children’s choir and the primary, junior and senior Brentwood choirs took part in showcasing their skills.

“Every year our choirs go in both the Calgary Kiwanis Festival and the Drumheller Festival. We’ve done both for a long time,” said Carolyn Steeves, Brentwood’s music teacher.  

Participants get adjudication and marked on their performance. The adjuidicator then picks choirs to send to the Alberta Provincial Music Festival choral competition to represent the AMFA in Edmonton.

In the last few years, due to renovations of Drumheller’s Kaleidoscope Theatre, the festival has been held in Strathmore. Each festival is responsible for hiring their own adjudicator and does their own set up. At the end of the festival there are awards handed out, and a final concert. The final concert for the Drumheller Festival is taking place in Drumheller on March 18. 

“We have sung in both final concerts over the years. Which is a huge honour,” said Steeves. 

After the local festivals, there is the Alberta Provincial Music Festival choral competition May 5 to 7 in Edmonton. 

“Over the years we have placed second a few times but we have actually won three times,” said Steeves. 

There is another festival in June, for soloists. Brentwood won’t be sending anyone this year to the June festival. After the provincial festival certain classes are picked to continue on to the provincial national level. In 2007 students from Brentwood attended Nationals. Both the provincial and provincial national festivals are held at the McDougall United Church and Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton. 

“We’re hoping that we’ll get nominated for provincials and I guess we’ll just wait and see on Friday,” said Steeves.  

She said Paul Grindlay, the adjudicator for the Drumheller Festival spoke to her after the concert. Steeves said he was impressed with their ability, the performance standard and the fact that there are a number of boys in the choir. Grade 1 students at Brentwood must participate in choir, but after Grade 1 participation becomes optional. Look in next weeks Strathmore Times to find out if a Brentwood choir group will be continuing on to the Alberta Provincial Music Festival choral competition in May.