Submitted to The Record
Do you love young voices raised in harmony or the sound of enthusiastic young concert band musicians?
On Nov. 16, 17 and 18, the Comox Valley will host some of Vancouver Island’s finest student musicians at School District 71’s 24th Annual Comox Valley Band and Choir Festival.
This year’s festival welcomes two concert band clinicians from Western Canada, and a choral clinician from Washington. Their insight, musical knowledge and passion for music making is sure to inspire students. Our local high schools – Highland, Mark R. Isfeld and Vanier – will be joined by groups from all across Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland during this three-day festival.
Monday, Nov. 16 will feature the choral portion of the festival, at Comox Pentecostal Church, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Clinician Dr. Geoffrey Boers, from University of Washington, will work with choirs from Mark R. Isfeld and Highland and out of town guests throughout the day.
Tuesday and Wednesday (Nov. 17-18) will feature the concert band portion of the festival at the Sid Williams Theatre. Dr. Gerry King from University of Victoria and Dr. Wendy McCallum from Brandon University will be working with 15 band groups over the two days. Doors open at 8:15 a.m. and people are welcome to come and go throughout the day.
“The festival is an excellent way to pull students together at the beginning of the year and give them a focus. Education has always been at the forefront of this festival and our mandate is to offer the students encouragement and concrete musical ideas and concepts that they can continue to expand on throughout the year,” says Jen Riley, festival organizer and fine arts lead teacher for SD 71. “We are grateful for the generosity of local businesses Long and McQuade and The Old House Village Hotel and Spa who donate to our event each year and the support we get from the Sid Williams Theatre and Filberg Centre. Without their contributions the festival would struggle to sustain its quality.”
Members of the community are invited to come out and enjoy some of the fine musicianship that is blooming under the direction of local band and choir teachers in the Comox Valley and all over Vancouver Island. A detailed schedule of performance time is available at sd71.bc.ca/finearts/