From left to right, Melfort Music Festival overall award winners Danielle Itakura, Keely Hadwen, Megan McAvoy and Heidi Klettberg. (Submitted photo/ Melfort Music Festival Association)

By Brendan Mayer

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The 93rd annual Melfort Music Festival was a success despite COVID-19 restrictions.

Melfort Music Festival vice president Victoria Riley said the Sefton Memorial Competition and highlights concert were great even though the performances were closed to the public.

“It went really well,” Riley said. “We are lucky and fortunate that we were able to do this. We had a good turnout as far as our entrants. Not having an audience to perform in front of was very different.”

The band portion of the festival was cancelled, which also was the case last year.

“We knew that wouldn’t be happening well before the festival started,” Riley added. “Bands were happening in some places and other places they weren’t happening. We didn’t have any entrants for band this year. That part was different.”

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Ensembles, duos and trios also didn’t take place at this year’s festival.

Heidi Klettberg, a piano player, won the $300 Sefton Memorial Competition which was held March 16 and the highlights concert took place March 19.

The other overall festival awards winners were Keely Hadwen for strings, Danielle Itakura for piano and Megan McAvoy for vocals.

The full list of award winners and video recordings of the Sefton competition and the highlights concert are available on their website.

The Melfort Music Festival is looking for volunteers for next years festival and those interested can contact melfortmfa@gmail.com.

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Brendan.Mayer@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BrendanMayer