Preparing for the show
By Melissa Piche Times Contributor
The Strathmore Musical Arts Festival (SPAF) is once again preparing for their annual musical festival March 24 to April 2.
This year the event is expected to be the largest one to date, since their start in 2019, with over 400 entries. With performances ranging from vocal solos to group band numbers, there will be something for everyone to take in.
Loralee Laycock is the current president of the SPAF who is excited to see the festival in person again this year.
“Let’s hope that’s the new trend,” said Laycock of the live event.
The festival had to take a brief virtual transition during COVID-19 but it came back stronger than ever for a live event in 2022.
The festival is a huge commitment, but one worth taking on, says Laycock. The board consists of eight members. They begin meeting for the festival planning in October. The actual date for the next year’s festival is set nearly a year in advance.
The fundamentals of the SPAF are to encourage the arts in and around Strathmore by providing a safe and positive environment for everyone involved, audience members, adjudicators and performers alike. The festival is primarily for elementary, junior high and high school students from the immediate area.
“One thing that’s been really exciting is that we have had an increase in the number of entries; we are at about 400 entries, which is the most we’ve ever had,” Laycock explains “It’s very exciting for us, but it does come with additional challenges.”
Ensuring there are enough venues and volunteers has been an area that needed extra attention along with the added task in making sure there are no scheduling conflicts for students who are in multiple disciplines.
“Approximately 60 volunteers are needed for just the running of the festival.” Laycock said “Like with any volunteer organization, we could always use more (volunteers).”
If you would like to volunteer and be a part of the festival you can email volunteerspaf@gmail.com.
Performers will also have an adjudication, where an expert in a specific field watches the performances, takes notes, and at the end gives live feedback of the performance.
“The advantage of this is that they (the performers) not only get feedback from an expert in their field, but they get to watch other people who are doing what they do,” said Laycock. “There is a feeling of community and support for other kids who are in the arts in the community.”
There will be seven adjudicators attending the week-long festival; Rhonda Sylvester (musical theatre), Dr. Joy Berg (classical voice and speech), Jodi Groenheide (band and instrumental), Jeremy Legault (band), Laurie Syer (strings), Lana Henchell (junior piano) and Dale Wheeler (senior piano).
The full festival schedule and adjudicators bios can be viewed on the SPAF website www.strathmorepaf.com. The festival runs from March 24 to April 1, with the final festival showcase performance and awards night on Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m. at the Strathmore Hope Community Covenant Church located at 245 Brent Blvd Strathmore.
“If people wanted a little snippet of everything that was happening during the festival, the final performance is a great way to view that,” said Laycock.