The Pacific Northwest Music Festival has clearly shaken off the pandemic with a full roster of performers displaying their talents at various venues from March 27 to April 12 before appreciative audiences and supporters.
With 2,605 participants in 1,148 entries this year, the numbers are a clear statement that the festival has recovered, notes president Kelly Lima.
And that's evident in the estimate more than 3,000 audience members who viewed performances over the festival period, she added.
"This festival was the first full one following COVID," Lima said.
Interestingly enough, Lima said responding to the pandemic helped the festival reinvent itself.
"It's become a little bit more manageable. I think that the way we did it before was great but with the rise of technology, the way people communicate, we've just been working smarter rather than harder," she added.
Lima was most pleased that the festival has attracted a rejuvenated volunteer corps with 83 people (plus the festival's 15 committee members) filling 362 slots during 74 performance sessions at three venues over 17 days.
One Kitimat couple has made a years-long practice of camping out in Terrace in their trailer while volunteering for dozens of jobs.
Once again, the REM Lee Theatre was the foundation venue, including the April 11 scholarship night and the April 12 gala evening. Knox United Church and the Terrace Pentecostal Assembly church were the other venues.
Lima also acknowledged the support of local citizens and businesses in donating $12,600 which was distributed in 126 awards and scholarships.
"For a lot of people, with the financial state that we're in right now, may not be able to splurge on non-essentials. When we were looking at our budget, I really didn't know how it was going to fly. We really had to tighten our belts but we had some anonymous donations from people .. a $1,000 here and a $1,000 there," she said.
"The Rotary Club [of Terrace] has been one of our long-standing supporters and stepped up this year to become our top scholarship donator," Lima continued.
Each venue also had a donation jar for audience members and each was often full, another sign of the festival's draw.
"Around the province a lot of festivals will charge a fee to get in but that is the last things we want to do," Lima said. "I want people to be able to come and enjoy the festival."
The festival took on a national flavour this year when former Skeena Middle School band teacher Katia Georgeson, now living in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, brought three bands and a choir.
A community band from Smithers and a dance studio from Stewart added to the festival's regional appeal.
This year adjudicators have given 27 people the opportunity to participate in various forms at the provincial performing arts festival in Victoria the first week of June.
To help defray costs for those who are able to go, the festival is holding an online air ticket raffle on its website, https://www.pnmf.ca/.
Scholarship winners
Rotary Club of Terrace Senior Scholarship of $1,000: Veronica Mikhailava
Knights of Columbus Intermediate Scholarship of $500: Izzie Croot
Munson Family Junior Scholarship of $250: Sebastian Cooper
Senior Awards of Excellence at $200 each
Acadia Mechanical Senior Piano Award: Edan Jairus Tadiaman
Northwest Counselling Senior Speech Arts Award: Renee Rondeau
Sandpiper Senior Dance Award: Edan Jairus Tadiaman
Fusion Eye Care Senior Vocal Award: Erica Rogers
Intermediate Awards of Excellence at $150 each
Crystal Thomas Intermediate Piano Award: Elise Urbanowski
Elks Intermediate Strings Award: Benjamin George
Elks Intermediate Speech Arts Award: Rohan Cooper
Bert’s Deli Intermediate Vocal Award: Zoe Unrau
Rotary Club of Terrace Intermediate Dance Award: Isabella Gibson
Junior Awards of Excellence at $100 each
Cecil R. Goodvin Junior Strings Award: Elizabeth Kim
Terrace Community Band Junior Woodwind Award: Josephine Zhang
Terrace Academy of Music Junior Piano Award: May Zhang
Woodd Family Junior Dance Award: Mia Lan
Elaine Johnson Junior Speech Award: Elizabeth Kim
Ambur Braid Junior Vocal Award: Olivia Emery
2025 Pacific Northwest Music Festival Awards for 2025:
Adult/Family/Child Presentation:
- highest mark $50 - Amber Zanon & Claire Hansen
Band: Adjudicator’s Choice:
- Elementary band $100 - MEMSS Elementary
- Concert band junior $100 - CCS High School
- Concert band senior $100 - Smithers Community High School
- Jazz band junior $100 - PR M.S. Jazz Band
- Jazz band senior $100 - Charles Hayes Jazz Band
Choral:
- highest mark choral $100 – including jazz, school, church or community - Amber’s Group
Vocal:
- highest mark oratorio, opera or art song: $75 - Erica Rogers
- highest mark lieder or solo & accompaniment: $75 - Olivia Emery
- highest mark concert recital solo or concert group solo $75 - Julia Yoo
- highest mark small or large ensemble $75 - Inverary “Imagine a World”
- highest mark classical solo $25 - Erica Rogers
- highest mark folk song solo $25 - Emilie Pouladi
- highest mark scared classical solo $25 - Benjamin Carter
- highest mark 20th & 21st century composer $25 - Olivia Emery
- highest mark Canadian composer $25 - Olivia Emery
- highest mark conservatory $25 - Isabella King
Vocal Music Theatre:
- highest mark ballad solo $50 - Benjamin Carter
- highest mark comedy solo $50 - Thayna Healey
- highest mark duet $25 - Renata Ar & Brynn Dando “Stepsisters Lament”
- highest mark ensemble/production $100 - Inverary “What is this Feeling”
Pop Vocal:
- highest mark solo $25 - Kai Janzen
- highest mark duet, trio, quartets, ensemble $50 - Caledonia Kermode Choir “Lovely”
Speech Arts:
- highest mark choral speaking $50 - Veritas Grade 3
- highest mark narrative dramatic $25 - Suzanne Lombard
- highest mark lyric poem $25 - Renee Rondeon
- highest mark Canadian poetry $25 - Elizabeth Kim
- highest mark prose $50 - Rohan Cooper
- highest mark duets, trios, quartets $75 - Isobel Thomas & Emma Quinn
- highest mark monologue Shakespeare $50 - Suzanne Lombard
- highest mark- other than Shakespeare $50 - Rohan Cooper
- highest mark duologue’s $75 - Rohan Cooper & Thayna Healey
- highest mark public speaking $50 - Grayson Raposo
- highest mark sacred reading $25 - Ariana de Medeiros
Piano:
- highest mark pianoforte solo $25 - Nic Reynolds
- highest mark Bach $25 - Edan Jairus Tadiaman
- highest mark Baroque $25 - Jayvier Freddy
- highest mark Mozart & Haydn $25 - May Zhang
- highest mark German Romantics $50 - Jayvier Freddy
- highest mark Romantics $50 - Benjamin Chouinard
- highest mark Beethoven $25 - Ajuni Chhabra
- highest mark Chopin $50 - Audrey Reynolds
- highest mark Sonatina $25 - Rhed Villasor
- highest mark 20 and 21st composers $25 - Elise Visser
- highest mark Canadian composers $25 - Ava Snelling
- highest mark conservatory $25 - Chloe Bautista
- highest mark piano duets or ensemble $50 - Evelyn Hall & Abigail Helie
- highest mark Inventions $25 - Janella Fransisco
- highest mark popular piano $25 - Rheyn Villasor
Strings:
- highest mark conservatory solo $25 - Benjamin George
- highest mark 20 & 21st Composers $25 - Benjamin George
- highest mark German Romantics/Romantics $25 - Elizabeth Kim
- highest mark Baroque $25 - Elizabeth Kim
- highest mark concert group/concerto solo $50 - Erilyn Nicklie
Harp:
- highest mark solo harp $50 - Sienna Pretto
Woodwind:
- highest mark woodwind solo $50 - Josephine Zhang
General:
- highest mark concert ensemble group (mixed instruments) $50 - Beneto Trio
Original Composition:
- highest mark instrumental $50 - Benjamin Chouinard & Beneto Trio
- highest mark speech $50
- dance choreography $50 solo or group- Edan Jairus Tadiaman
Guitar:
- highest mark solo guitar $25 - Cedar Talstra
Elementary School
- highest mark school group $75 - Uplands Elementary
Ukulele:
- highest mark solo $25 - Polly Rogers
Dance:
Music Interpretation:
- highest mark classical ballet solo $25- Hope Misner
- highest mark modern solo $25- Edan Jairus Tadiaman
Ballet:
- highest mark classical/Demi-Character/Contemporary Ballet solo Junior $25- Emeline Hanna
- highest mark classical/Demi-Character/Contemporary Ballet solo Intermediate $50- Ava Forslund
- highest mark classical/Demi-Character/Contemporary Ballet solo $75- Edan Jairus Tadiaman -
- highest mark duet $50 - Aria Rigler and Evelyn Doyle
- highest mark small/large group $75 - Large Group- Estudiantina Waltz- Contemporary Collective
En pointe:
- highest mark solo $25- KC Matias- Contemporary Collective
- highest mark small/large group $75- Hero- Dance Unlimited
Contemporary Ballet:
- highest mark small/large group $75 - Small Group- Silent Figures- Contemporary Collective
Demi Character:
- highest mark small/large group $75- Small Group- Le Drame Du Jardin- Contemporary Collective
Tap:
- highest mark solo Tap/Song and dance junior-$25- Jordyn Lok- Dance Unlimited
- highest mark solo Tap/ Song and dance intermediate-$50-Keilly Luong- Dance Unlimited
- highest mark solo Tap/ Song and Dance Senior-$75- Nolan Robinson- Dance Unlimited
- highest mark duet Tap/Variety/Song and Dance- $50- Fiona Riesen & Gracie Long
- highest mark small/large group $75- Tap Large Group- Best Fake Smile- Dance Unlimited
Jazz:
- highest mark solo junior-$25- Ryah Da Silva
- highest mark solo intermediate-$50- Grace Robinson
- highest mark solo Senior-$75- Nolan Robinson
- highest mark duet $50- Emily Raposo and Valentina Protheroe
- highest mark small/large group $75- Large Group- Hold my hands- Dance Unlimited
Lyrical Jazz
- highest mark solo junior-$25- Mia Lan
- highest mark solo intermediate-$50- Izzie Croot
- highest mark solo Senior-$75- Nolan Robinson
- highest mark duet $50- Avalee Weber and Emeline Hanna
- highest mark small/large group $75- Small Group- Pray- Dance Unlimited
Variety:
- highest mark solo intermediate/senior- $50- Gracie Long
- highest mark solo junior- $25- Mia Lan
- highest mark small/large group $75- Large Group- Y2K- Creative impulse
Street Dances:
- highest mark solo $25- Edan Jairus Tadiaman
- highest mark duet $50- Mia and Kiki Lan
- highest mark small/large group $75- Large Group- Bandit- Contemporary Collective
Song & Dance:
- highest mark small/large group $75- The Lorax- Dance Unlimited
Modern:
- highest mark solo $25- Gracie Long
- highest mark small/large group $75- Not What it seems- Northwest Dance Arts
Contemporary:
- highest mark solo junior-$25- Emeline Hanna
- highest mark solo intermediate-$50- Izzie Croot
- highest mark solo Senior-$75- Edan Jairus Tadiaman
- highest mark duet Contemporary/Modern- $50- Grace and Nolan Robinson- Dance Unlimited
- highest mark small/large group $75- Large Group- Pressure- Contemporary Collective
Acrobatics:
- highest mark solo $25- Grace Robinson
- highest mark duet Acrobatics- $50- Abby DeSousa and Addison Pitzel
- highest mark small/large group $75- Sunshine- Dance Unlimited
Authentic National Dance:
- highest mark solo $25- Valentina Protheroe
- highest mark duet $50- KC Matias and Edan Jairus Tadiaman
