43rd Annual Wendy Brook Music Festival

43rd Annual Wendy Brook Music Festival

Rosanne Fortier - News Correspondent

The 43rd Annual Wendy Brook Music Festival, (WBMF) was presented from March 7 to 14 in person at Vegreville United Church Sanctuary and A.L. Horton School and through virtual means.

The theme this year was ‘Cultivating the Classics’ in any genre.

WBMF Chair Larissa Bombak said there were a total of 166 entries this year which is more than last year.

“The Wendy Brook Music Festival provides an opportunity for our youth, and adults to develop their vocal and instrumental skills, confidence, audience appreciation skills, and love of the arts.

Entries include: Vocal (singing, choir, musical theatre), Piano, Strings, Instrumental (recorders, hand chimes, wind and bass instruments), Band, Speech Arts (choral, poetry, readings, Reader’s Theatre, skits), Ukrainian Language (vocal and speech).

Clara and Ruth Derow perform; It’s the Hard Knock Life- Annie by M. Chamin.

(Rosanne Fortier/Photo)

March 7th session found piano performances at Vegreville United Church Sanctuary with Abigail Pederson as the adjudicator. Some of the positive feedback Pederson gave for the first performers were she said they were confident and had a lovely start, had good rhythm and used the right notes, had perfect tempo and a lovely tone to the piano, they had a well prepared piece, did a wonderful job, had steady beat and flawless rhythm, and chose the perfect speed for the songs.

March 11 presented vocal performances and one speech art performance with Elizabeth Raycroft as the Adjudicator.

Some of the feedback she gave were she said the vocal performers did a wonderful job and had beautiful voices and were very animated.

For some of the musical theatre performances, she told the performers to use more movements, practice in front of a mirror and draw a picture in their brain for every sentence. Raycroft’s comments for other performers of musical theatre were she loved their staging and choreography.

With the Reader’s Theatre Ensemble, Raycroft said they had a wonderful story to tell, lovely projecting voices and performance.

The afternoon of March 14 ushered in with Ukrainian Language and a Choral Speech Ensemble in English at A.L. Horton School.

Adjudicator Natalia Toroshenko said the students performed a beautiful choral speech audition and did a fantastic job, their group performances sounded like one voice together exactly the way it is supposed to sound.

For the solo and vocal duets, Toroshenko mentioned that they spoke clearly, did a great job, used lots of expressions, and created a fun atmosphere that made sense of what the poetry they performed was about.

A.L. Horton School Grade 1 and 2 Ukrainian Bilingual perform, ‘Cherepaha’.

(Rosanne Fortier/Photo)