40th Annual Norfolk Musical Arts Festival

Competitors in the Norfolk Musical Arts Festival from come Norfolk, Haldimand and Brant counties and beyond. This year’s 40th annual festival is March 1st to March 5th in Simcoe.

Chris Abbott

Editor

Celebrate the musical arts in Norfolk, March 1-5, starting with a special anniversary concert

The 40th Annual Norfolk Musical Arts Festival invites everyone to come out and enjoy its competitions and performances from community and school bands, community and youth choirs, English and French speech arts, instruments, piano, strings, ukulele and voice.

“It’s for everybody, any age, for sure,” said Vicky Lachine, Festival Administrator. “It’s open to the public for anybody who wants to come enjoy it – entry by donation.”

Spectators will enjoy a wide range of disciplines, which includes classic and contemporary selections.

“A lot of it you can relate to – some of it’s popular. We get more classical in the strings and piano.”

The March 1st to March 5th festival in Simcoe welcomes competitors from Norfolk, Haldimand and Brant counties and beyond. Competitor representation includes schools from the Grand Erie District School Board as well as the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board and École Sainte-Marie. Other groups include local adult and youth choirs, barbershop, ensembles, drama groups, community bands, string groups, ukulele groups and solos and many solo performers.

“The numbers are consistent,” said Lachine. “It fluctuates every year. Sometimes we get more of one, and less the another... the numbers are up and down in different areas.

“We have more school choirs this year. We have a huge bunch of classes coming from West Lynn. Port Rowan, we haven’t had them in a while. St. Cecilia, Bloomsburg… and there’s a few coming from Brantford.

“For community choirs, we always have Young Theatre Players. We have a lot of their kids this year, which is really great, from juniors up to seniors. We also have community choirs like the Lynn Valley Voices, Carillon Belles, Gentlemen of Harmony. New this year, we’ve got the North Shore Highlanders Pipe Band, so that’s fun.”

“There’s an adult group in the Ukulele, so the festival is pretty much from Kindergarten all the way up to ‘whatever’ age,” Lachine said.

Professional adjudicators will provide constructive and encouraging feedback to the competitors. Visit the website (www.nmaf.ca) for the entire week of competitions and more.

Venues through the week of competitions include Colborne Village United Church, St. James United Church, First Baptist Church, Holy Trinity Catholic High School, and Colborne Village United Church.

Admission to all events is by donation.

You can follow the festival on Facebook and Instagram for more information, or contact them via email at norfolkmusicalartsfestival@gmail.com or phone at 519-420-9216.

“Please join us and support our local talent!”

Several special events have been planned during festival week.

40th Anniversary Concert & Reception

This year’s Norfolk Musical Arts Festival kicks off Sunday, March 1st with a special 40th Anniversary Concert & Reception, 2-4 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 129 Young Street, Simcoe.

The community is invited to experience past festival competitors who will perform live in honour of the 40th anniversary:

Dr. Bryn Blackwood, piano

Clare Blackwood, drama

Gisele Böll, violin

Nathan Carroll, vocal

Dr. Mark Edwards, harpsichord

Eric & Stuart Eigler, piano duet

Angela Hare, piano

Alaina Newbatt, vocal

Shawn Oakes, recorder, vocal duet with Katie Walshaw

Soenen Sisters, instrumental quartet

“All of the 40th Anniversary Concert performers are past competitors that are now doing music in their life now, or they are in school. We brought them back to showcase their involvement in the past 40 years, and that they are pursuing music in their careers now.

“We’re hoping to fill the church for that one to celebrate our 40th year!”

The festival would like to fill their venues at every event, Lachine said, but especially the 40th anniversary concert at First Baptist on March 1st.

“If we can get the churches filled for everything, that would be awesome!”

SENIOR CUP

Another highlight event is on Thursday, March 5. The Senior Cup Competitions, from 7-9 p.m. at St. James United Church, 150 Colborne Street South, feature senior competitors, chosen by their respective adjudicators, competing for the following awards: Ellen J. Hellyer Memorial Cup for Voice; Rotary Club of Simcoe Cup for English and French Speech Arts; the Dr. Peter F. Barrett Cup for Piano; and the Norfolk Musical Arts Festival Cup for Strings.

AWARD CEREMONIES

The 40th Annual Norfolk Musical Arts Festival wraps up Tuesday, March 10 with the Festival Highlights, Awards Ceremony & Reception, 7-9 p.m. at Emmanuel Bible Church, 24 Churchill Circle.

All are welcome to enjoy a fun, entertaining program of competitors from the festival week. Scholarship and trophy recipients will be presented with their awards.

“It’s a new venue – it’s a bigger venue and we were running out space at Colborne Village.”

Lachine said they are excited for the March 1st-5th festival and they are committed to continuing for many more years to come.