Strathmore Performing Arts Festival returns in person

By John Watson Local Journalism initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Performing Arts Festival (SPAF) is returning to in-person performances beginning this weekend and running into the beginning of April, after a turbulent first few years of operation.

Carolyn Steeves, president of SPAF, said students, instructors and board members alike are excited to be returning to in-person performances after having to cancel one festival and host last year’s festival online. 

“SPAF is a festival for children who play piano, voice, string instruments, woodwind instruments, bands, choirs and where they enter classes and are given a chance to perform,” said Steeves. 

Launched in 2019, the festival offers local music students in a variety of genres and mediums an opportunity to perform in front of their community and be evaluated by a professional adjudicator. 

Students may be awarded based on their performances, with a surplus of scholarship opportunities available. 

“We’re very excited, this year we have 276 entries form students ages five to 18 and we’re going to be awarding approximately 73 scholarships valued at almost $6,000. We’re very excited to support all the young musicians of Strathmore and area,” explained Steeves. “It’s a very big festival, we have an amazing artistic community in Strathmore. These children have been waiting since 2019 for a live festival so they’re very excited.”

The idea is for this year’s festival to go off very similarly to the pilot festival held in 2019. According to Steeves, a similar number of students and age groups are performing. 

Due to the timing of the pilot and last year’s festival being online, for many students it will be their first time performing in front of live audiences.

Steeves added it will be a boon for the festival that local COVID-19 restrictions have, for the most part lifted, as it eliminates many of the potential challenges associated with setting up events.

“We were planning for two scenarios – a live festival if everything worked out well, which it has now, or possibly another virtual festival like we ran last year,” said Steeves. “Either way, we were going to do the festival again, it was just which way it happened. We’re very thrilled the pandemic has eased off and we’re able to offer the children a live festival experience again this year.”

Steves added that for music students, a festival like this is a sort of equivalent to a hockey or ringette tournament for athletes, in the sense that it exposes young musicians to their peers, builds community and gives them an opportunity to perform.

“Playing an instrument is, unless you’re in a band situation or a choir situation, it’s a very solitary type of thing. To see all the people who do what they do, it’s very powerful to have that live experience.”

The festival is running from March 26 – April 2 and will be open to the public, with a small fee of $2 to watch a performance session or $5 for an unlimited access festival pass.

A performance schedule is available online (www.strathmorepaf.com).