Discussions for possible musical festival

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

Gifted young musicians in Strathmore and the surrounding area wanting to compete at provincial musical competitions currently have two options: perform at the Calgary Performing Arts Festival or take part in the Drumheller and District Music Festival.
Often those options involve much travel time and expenditure as well as fierce competition. Recognizing the void, a group of community members met on April 29 to spitball the idea of creating a Strathmore Music Festival under the umbrella of the Alberta Music Festival Association.
Among the seven people in attendance was Wendy Durieux, the president of the Olds Music Festival and the Alberta Music Festival Association, who provided guidance and information. Despite discussing possible dates, boundaries, forming a committee and the logistics of running a festival, the group concluded they were not ready to make any formal decisions and instead are inviting all local music teachers, arts enthusiasts and community-minded individuals to attend a Strathmore Music Festival Discussion event in two weeks time.
“It was a brainstorming session with seven people and we decided to go farther and see if there is enough interest to bother to do all this work,” said Carolyn Steeves, music specialist at École Brentwood Elementary School and one of two people spearheading the idea.
“These were our thoughts so nothing’s decided. We have a lot of support of a lot of local teachers who have expressed interest and who would put their students in. It’s not a music festival in the sense of an outdoor summer festival. It’s not like that at all. Once we become a member festival, our adjudicators would be able to nominate participants to go to the provincial music festival.”
Loralee Laycock, director of the Strathmore Children’s Choir, approached Steeves with the idea earlier this year. While she said it would promote support for amateur musicians, she is aware of the challenges associated in establishing a festival, such as determining dates, venues and funding.
“It has always been wonderful to have access to festivals in Drumheller and Calgary, but the idea of being able to encourage the community of Strathmore to come out and support each other in the arts appeals to me,” said Laycock. “Having a local festival would mean providing an opportunity for those musicians to be able to perform without the necessity of travelling, particularly when the weather is not ideal. In addition to that, our town is growing. As we get bigger, it makes sense for us to host a festival of our own and encourage growth in the musical community as well. “
In order for Strathmore to send its own to compete on the provincial level and become a member of the Alberta Music Festival Association, the town is required to host one successful festival. Some other ideas included starting small with only piano, vocals, choir, band and musical theatre. Yet until after the June 14 meeting, where those interested can help shape the feasibility, format and direction of the festival, no decisions have been finalized.
The Strathmore Music Festival Discussion meeting is scheduled for June 14 at 7 p.m. at the Strathmore United Church. For more information call Carolyn Steeves at 403-934-2293 or Loralee Laycock at 403-629-9829.