Heather Latter
For the very first time, local performers from the Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts have qualified for the provincial competition in Manitoba later this month.
As previously reported, the Festival this year joined with the Associated Manitoba Arts Festivals (AMAF), which offers a number of benefits from access to resources and information, as well as some significant cost-savings.
Having local performers be eligible for provincial recommendation was an added bonus.
“The provincial level is a very high level of competition,” noted Festival committee chair David Schwartz.
“You don’t go unless you’re going to be doing very well.”
Schwartz said the Festival has been part of the Ontario Festival Association in the past, but the provincial competition always is held in southern Ontario.
“The cost is just too prohibitive for most people,” he noted.
“This way here, people can car pool, share hotel rooms, and you can drive there in a day and drive home right after the competition, if you wish,” Schwartz said of the May 27-29 at Brandon University.
In order to go to the provincials, Schwartz noted local performers have to be recommended by the adjudicators.
Those selected included:
•Anne Jean, Anna Schwartz, and Callahan Wiedenhoeft for vocal;
•Emma Dykstra, Mira Donaldson, Christian Wiedenhoeft, and Morgan Beckett for drama;
•Brianna Eldridge, Mika Kooistra, Alexa Veldhuisen (alternate), and Anna Schwartz for piano; and
•Raymond Polz, Katelyn Bruyere, and Tianna Veldhuisen for instrumental.
While not all of these performers have decided to travel to Brandon to compete, David Schwartz is thrilled with the number who submitted their registration forms.
“It’s definitely an honour to be selected to compete at provincials,” said Callahan Wiedenhoeft, who will be performing “Practically Perfect” from “Mary Poppins” in the musical theatre category.
“I’m pretty excited, a little bit nervous, but I did really well on my impromptu speech here and I actually really like it,” noted Donaldson.
“So I’m looking forward to it.”
While some performers were aware of the possibility of receiving provincial recommendations, and set out to achieve that goal, for others it simply was an extra honour.
“It’s not something I was thinking about when I was going for the Festival Rose Bowl,” Bruyere admitted.
“I didn’t know what it was but when I found out, I knew it was an honour to be picked,” echoed Christian Wiedenhoeft.
“I knew it was a possibility, but it was still really exciting to know I got picked,” said Anna Schwartz, who will be performing three piano solos and three vocal solos in Brandon.
“You work so hard in Festival that it’s nice to be able to get that kind of recognition,” she reasoned.
Since this is the first time in a very long time that any local performers will compete at the provincial level, they don’t really know what to expect.
“I have no idea what it’s going to be like,” Donaldson admitted.
“I’m expecting it to probably be a lot more challenging and some difficult competition, which I think will actually be a lot of fun,” Anna Schwartz said.
“It will be really interesting to compete against people from different areas who I haven’t met before.”
“It will be exciting to perform in front of a larger, different crowd of people,” echoed Eldridge.
Both Callahan and Christian Wiedenhoeft said they’re excited to see Brandon University and learn more about its music program.
The local performers also will be able to take in some workshops, including ones on composition, musical theatre, and drama speech arts.
“For these kids to go there and experience a competition level of this calibre, I think it can only help them so that they know how experienced some of the other competitors are out there,” David Schwartz stressed.
“And they know that if they want to take this to a farther level, they see how much they are going to have to practice, how polished their pieces have to be,” he added.
“I think it will only help them in the long run.”
Schwartz said the adjudicators picked these performers because they did extremely well.
“We did tell the adjudicators we don’t want these kids going if they aren’t going to be at least able to hold their own,” he noted.
“They weren’t picking kids just to fill the spots.
“These are kids who should go because they can compete,” he added. “Whether they’ll be in the top one or two or three, I have no idea.”
But Schwartz said it’s the experience that counts.
“We’re kind of an isolated community, so the kids just kind of compete against themselves all the time,” he remarked.
“So to see what other kids are doing, maybe make some friends, say I never thought about doing it that way for that musical piece or for that speech arts thing.
“I just think it’s an all-round good experience for them to get out and experience some new things,” he reasoned.
“I want to thank our awesome Festival committee for making this all possible,” Callahan Wiedenhoeft enthused.
“We promise to represent Fort Frances in the best way possible and make you proud.”
