Registration has closed and plans are moving forward for an in-person 78th Powell River Festival of the Performing Arts. Since 2003, the longest continuously running festival in the qathet region has been organized by members of the Rotary Club of Powell River.
Numbers are up from last year when the festival was held under heavy COVID-19 restrictions and all entries were videoed for submission to Performing Arts BC’s provincial festival.
“We’re thrilled that we have entries in all our categories,” said coordinator Val Thompson when reporting to an organizing committee meeting on January 31. “The deadline was extended because the school break was longer than originally scheduled and our music teachers needed more time to make decisions on entering their students.”
Vocal and choral sessions will be held Wednesday, February 23, at 1 and 7 pm; speech arts at 1 pm on Friday, February 25; piano on Saturday, February 26, at 9:30 am and 1 pm; strings on Sunday, February 27, at 1 pm; all in James Hall. Dance will be held at Evergreen Theatre on Wednesday, March 2, at 9 am, 1 and 7 pm, and Thursday, March 3, at 9 am.
One disappointment will be the absence of the Focus on Youth concerts that were so popular in 2019. The impact of COVID-19 on the schools means the concerts will miss 2022 and hopefully be back again in 2021.
Cathy Bartfai, adjudicators’ coordinator, said she has people in place for all the disciplines.
“It’s my first time doing this and I have learned a lot so far,” she added. “I’m impressed with the flexibility and patience they have shown as we determine how the festival will proceed.”
She mentioned one adjudicator is excited that there will be choirs participating as she has missed hearing them over the past two years.
Karyn O’Keefe, who looks after finding volunteers for each of the sessions, said she has a list of community members willing to help out.
“We have fewer sessions than usual so they will all be easily covered,” said O’Keefe. “More volunteers will be needed for the Grand Concert because, at this point, we need to check for vaccine cards and IDs.”
The Grand Concert will take place Saturday, March 5, in Evergreen Theatre beginning at 7 pm. Tickets will be available in advance at Powell River Academy of Music or at the door.
“Under current COVID-19 restrictions, we are limited to 50 cent capacity,” said Thompson, “but we are hoping that will change by then. I’m just excited that we’ll be able to have a Grand Concert.”
Organizers were fortunate to hold a Grand Concert in March 2019, just prior to the shutdown of events and activities due to the spread of COVID-19. Many other communities in the province with later dates had to cancel their festivals as was the provincial festival.
When people attend the Grand Concert, they can check out the trophy case with trophies that feature past presenters’ and winners’ names, an historic legacy of the festival.
“The case was moved to make room for the second induction of athletes to the Powell River Sports Hall of Fame,” said festival chair Joyce Carlson. “We worked with the complex staff to come up with a more relevant location and they were most accommodating with the planning and moving.”
