Music and Speech Arts Festival hitting the stage this week

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on March 18, 2023.

Herald file photo Abhinav Manda performs in the 10 and under Classical Guitar Solo class during last year's Lethbridge and District Music and Speech Arts Festival.

The Lethbridge and District Music and Speech Arts Festival is returning for another year celebrating the appreciation for music and speech arts.

The festival offers participants an experience performing on stage with live adjudication helping hone and craft their skills to be the best of the best. Running until March 31, the festival encourages artistic growth through amateur performances in the community hoping to cultivate a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

“We are back in person this year, we have a huge festival with over 3,000 participants in the festival this year. That includes solo-performances, in music and speech, and we also have bands and choirs,” said Jaimee Jarvie, General Manager for the Arts Festival.

“We are very excited to have a big festival again, it has been a challenge for the last three years. We have a got a couple of different venues at the Sterndale Bennett, Southminster United Church, St. Augustine Church, the Owl Acoustic lounge and Casa. It runs for two weeks. . . and we have three concerts happening as well as all our sessions.”

A full list of the lineup can be found on the Festivals website at lethmsf.org/

Last year, school choirs and bands were restricted due to pandemic rules on capacity. This year they will no longer be restrained, being able to play in front of live audiences.

“We have around 3,500 performers, and something like 753 pieces being performed. I think as people become more comfortable in the last few years, they have started to come back. One of the biggest changes we have this year is we are bringing our choirs and bands back to the venue,” said Jarvie.

“Last year, we took our adjudicators to their schools to work with them. This year, we have them all coming back. It is going to really big, exciting, and super busy.”

The festival is a great opportunity to get those involved in the arts a chance to gain feedback from professionals in the industry, helping take their craft to a higher level.

“Our adjudicators, from B.C., Albert and Saskatchewan are an incredible panel of people, and they are all listed on our website,” said Jarvie.

“How it works is each participant gets to do their piece, sing their song, play their instrument, or perform their speech. Then the adjudicators take some notes, then at the end of each class they get up and give some helpful feedback. All these people are working professionals, they are working in this industry, they have the knowledge. It is exciting for these students to get feedback, outside their own lessons.”

Programs for the event can be purchased at CASA or Décor Out the Door at 316 7 St S. Program books act as an all access pass to the events, if you have the book, you have entry into any session or concert.

Monday kicks off with senior piano at CASA in the community room, and woodwind/brass solos at St. Augustine’s Church.

“I’d love to see people come down and watch these amazing young performers, because they put a lot of time and effort into this. It is exciting for them to have an audience. It is nerve wracking, but it is also exciting,” said Jarvie.