A variety of musicians will take the stage during the two-day festival beginning on March 13. (Melfort Music Festival Association/Facebook)

By Rachel May

Melfort Music Festival

Melfort Music Festival to feature an abundance of homegrown talent

Mar 8, 2022 | 12:00 PM

This year’s Melfort Music Festival will be smaller in scale but packed with local talent.

Starting on March 13, the two-day festival will showcase a variety of musicians eager to hit the stage.

Dawne Glanville, president of the Melfort Music Festival Association told northeastNOW this year’s festival will look a little different than past years.

“For our regular festivals, they would be spread out over a number of days. This year with the limited entries that we had, everything is held on two days.”

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the event saw around 350 entries. Last year, the number of entries dropped to 210 and this year another drastic decline in entries was seen.

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With 87 entries this year, the festival will feature performances in piano, strings, band, musical theatre, voice and speech arts.

Artists from Melfort, Tisdale, Star City, Kinistino, Birch Hills and Prince Albert will be performing at the Kerry Vickar Centre.

Glanville explained that this event will be in person and although masks are not mandatory, there will be precautions to keep those in attendance safe.

“We will still have the sanitizing that we will be doing and there’ll be enough space that people can distance themselves from others.”

The event is free for the public to attend. The Sefton Memorial competition will have a cost for those wanting to enter.

Young musicians playing at a Grade 8 level or higher can enter the competition. Participants will be judged on who had the most impressive overall performance.

In previous years, Glanville said performers would have to wait a few days while judges deliberated on who was the winner. However, this year the wait will only be an hour.

“That’s one of the last things announced at our awards program. So it’s kind of a surprise. They won’t have as long to wait this year.”

The winner of the competition will receive a $300 prize and a plaque.

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Rachel.May@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RachelMayFM