Grade 11 students from the John Paul II Collegiate Band pictured here after accepting the 'Promising Performers' scholarship on behalf of the band at the Gala Concert. (Submitted photo/Amy Francis)

By Martin Martinson

Local Music Showcase and Awards

Kiwanis Music Festival celebrates 90th Anniversary Gala Concert

Apr 6, 2022 | 4:00 PM

From classical piano ballads to folk songs, original compositions and fiddle tunes, the Dekker Centre was alive with music Tuesday night at the Battlefords Kiwanis Music Festival’s 90^th Anniversary Gala Concert.

Featuring performances from 22 festival participants as selected by adjudicators, over 69 awards and more than $7,000 in scholarships and bursaries were presented as well, on a night highlighting some of the top musical and performance-based acts from the local area.

Dylin Phommavong pictured here with certificates for ‘Promising Performer, Strings’ and ‘Promising Performer.’ (Submitted photo/Jamie Killoran)

The Gala Concert draws to a close seven days of performances from close to 320 entries at this year’s festival, and featured an audience for the first time since pre-pandemic festivals.

President of the Battlefords festival, Dianne Gryba said among the real highlights from the event this year was being able to see the acts perform for family and friends in attendance once again.

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“It was fantastic,” she said. “It was really wonderful to have people for the kids to perform for and last night you could just hear the excitement. After the performance part of the evening there was a little intermission while we prepared to hand out the awards, and the room was just buzzing. You could tell people were so happy to be there together.”

A full list of award winners is available here:

David Revet received ‘Promising Performer Woodwinds’ for his saxophone piece. Pictured right: Revet with his teacher, Gene Aulinger. (Submitted photo/Shianne Revet)

Ava Bahrey received a number of awards, including ‘Promising Performer, Senior Piano Duet;’ ‘Outstanding Piano Solo Entry in the Festival;’ and ‘Promising Performer, Senior Piano Duet,’ among others. (Submitted photo/Trina Bahrey)

Gryba said between the strong sponsorship numbers and those volunteering, the event wouldn’t have been possible without the strong support from the community.

“We’re really lucky in the Battlefords, as I think we have as much scholarship money provided by community businesses and individuals as anywhere in Saskatchewan, so we’re really well supported,” she said. “We’re [also] just really thankful to have enough volunteers to run the festival as we couldn’t do it unless we had the volunteers, so we’re very grateful to all who volunteered.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1