This year marks the 62nd annual Lakes District Festival of the Performing Arts in Burns Lake. The festival brings in performers from Terrace in the west to Prince George in the East in the four disciplines of Vocals, Piano, Instrumental and Speech Arts.
Adjudicators from all over British Columbia are tasked to listen and provide commentary on a performer’s strengths and challenges. And while it is nerve-wracking for young performers to get up there and do their stuff, the beauty of this festival is that performers compete only against themselves and their own progression in their chosen genres: meaning, everyone can get gold, or everyone can get silver. Thus, the festival is not a traditional competition in which there is only one gold, one silver, but rather a motivator for each performer to do their best and be recognized for their contribution in that moment in time.
Smithers and Telkwa have once again sent a talented young group of performers from all disciplines and from several studios.
Vocals took place on Thursday, March 7, with performances in Classical Voice and Musical Theatre.
From Lori K. E. Koop’s Legacy Music Studio: Chloe Sear, Khyrin Collier, Samantha Love, Lillica Pacquette, Bryer Maclean, Taya de Groot, and Sara Torunski.
All received Gold for their performances! Samantha Love was selected by adjudicator, Sarona Mynhardt from Vancouver, to represent this festival in Classical Junior Vocals at the provincials in Chilliwack in May. Lillica and Samantha were invited to perform at the Gala Concert on Saturday, March 16.
Instrumentals followed on Friday, March 8.
Khyrin Collier, violin, and Nicholas Collier, violin (teacher, Laura Hols-Wimbush) received golds for their performances and were invited to the Gala Concert.
Piano, with adjudicator Angela Alba from Prince George, took place on Monday and Tuesday, March 11 and 12. Students from Wolfgang Loschberger’s Music Studio Vienna took home a mix of gold and silver: Lexa Steenhof, Nicholas Collier, Khyrin Collier, Avery Sosnowski.
Students from Legacy Music Studio took home silvers: Jordys Bowman, Norah Bowman and Sarah Blackburn.
Khyrin Collier was asked to perform one of his pieces in the Gala on Saturday.
Finally, Speech Arts, with adjudicator Mike Stack (well know to the SSS theatre students) took place on Wednesday, March 13, and had only one participant from Smithers/Telkwa: Nicholas Collier. Nicholas carried the audience along in his story telling of Where the Wild Things Are (by Maurice Sendak), received gold and the request to entertain once more at the Saturday Gala.
–Submitted by Legacy Music Studio.
