Celebrating 39 years of friendly community competition

Festival board members photos, from left, include Anne McMillan, vice-chair; Andy Blackwood, chair; Joanne Pond, volunteer coordinator; Darlene Homeniuk; Juli Proracki, treasurer; Carol Porter; Brenda Powers; and Vicky Lachine, festival secretary. Also on the board are Michelle Jackson and Christopher Edwards.

Alex Hunt 

Advocate Correspondent

Norfolk Musical Arts Festival inspires, connects and uplifts

Norfolk Musical Arts Festival held its festival highlights and award ceremony at Colborne Village United Church last Tuesday.

The March 4th event marked a milestone as the 39th year since the competition's debut.

Talented performances from selected competition participants echoed through the crowded church, full of community members ranging from volunteers, award donors, parents and teachers.

The event featured diverse musical and vocal numbers, trophy and scholarship acceptances, as well as memorable speeches.  

Joanne Pond, volunteer coordinator for the Norfolk Musical Arts Festival, said the event registered over 1,000 participants from demographics ranging from children to seniors in their 80s. Festival registrations have significantly risen since the COVID-19 years. 

“This festival sends a huge message that the arts are still alive. It could have just dropped away, but 39 years later, the competition is still going,” said Pond.

“I really think that getting up in front of people is something that everyone should do, and I think that students that are involved in music and getting up and performing, doing what they love to do really instills a love.” 

Scholarships presented from community organizations reached as high as $1,000 for award winners.

Oliver Tilson, award recipient and winner of two scholarships, said that music has taught him to experiment with new things and that he feels good when walking off the stage after a well-done performance.

Grade 11 Simcoe Composite School student and award winner recipient Maggie-Dylan Norton-Shebib stated she will continue to pursue the arts after graduation with the plan to attend theatre school. 

“I think the competition has really helped me to learn how to deal with my nerves,” said Norton-Shebib. “I really appreciate the constructive criticism that I receive from the adjudicators because it helps me improve every single year and it gives me a goal to work towards.”

Award winner recipient Christopher Clarke said that he connects with music because it makes him feel heard from others and strives towards making music more presentable to people. Throughout the competition, Clarke sang two songs and did a monologue.

As the final notes faded at the end of the evening, the Norfolk Musical Arts Festival proved once again that music has the power to inspire, connect and uplift the community.