THE BATTLEFORDS — The deadline of Saturday, Jan. 25 for entries in the 2025 Battlefords Kiwanis Music Festival is just around the corner. Online entry forms will be located on a new platform this year, Jotform. This platform promises to be user-friendly for gathering information and receiving entry payments. The syllabus and festival rules and regulations can be found online on the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association (SMFA) website. Look for more information via the Battleford Kiwanis Music Festival Facebook page or email. If you would like to be added to the email list or need more information, feel free to contact the committee secretary Amy Francais [email protected]
The 2025 Battlefords district festival is scheduled to run from March 17 to 29. Tentative discipline dates are strings March 17, band March 18 - 21, vocal and musical theatre March 21 - 24, speech arts March 24, and piano March 25 - 29.
This annual local festival provides an incredible opportunity for music students by providing a venue to showcase their talent and access feedback from top-quality guest adjudicators who are experts in their field. It’s an event filled with inspiration and celebration for young musicians in our area.
Festival entry fees are solo $15, duet/trio/small ensemble $15 and band/choir/large ensemble $30.
The SMFA is one of the province’s oldest organizations having a cultural impact since 1908 encouraging educational growth, supporting the endeavours and successes of young people, creating a space for multi-generational interaction, promoting discipline and nurturing confidence. SMFA programs and services reach lands covered by Treaties 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10, the traditional lands of the Cree, Dakota, Dene, Lakota, Nakota and Saulteaux peoples, as well as the homeland of the Métis.
A list of all Saskatchewan district festivals can be found on the SMFA website. Participation is open to all ages of non-professional musicians.
Additional opportunities for festival participants include access to local awards, scholarships, and potential recommendations to compete at the provincial and national levels of competition. To be eligible for an award or scholarship, a participant must be 19 years of age or younger, have lived in or studied in the Battlefords and district for a minimum of six months before the festival, or be furthering their education elsewhere but still supported by parents living in the Battlefords and district. Other students are welcome for adjudication and recommendation to the provincial and national level competitions.
Note that there are now a variety of non-competitive classes in the provincial syllabus for those who seek the educational aspect and experience of performing for an expert adjudicator without participating in the competitive aspect. Additionally, there is the option to participate in classes that include workshopping in each area of musical discipline. The areas of musical discipline for the festival include vocal singing, musical theatre, spoken word, choral, piano, pipe organ, electronic organ, guitar, strings, woodwind instrument, brass instrument, percussion, band ensemble, school music and multi-cultural music. Expanding inclusivity for styles of music, there are now World Music Classes on an instrument of choice that may include popular forms of non European classical (ex. Chinese guzheng, Indian raga, Tibetan chant), Eastern European folk (ex. Balkan, Bulgarian), Nordic folk, Latin, and Indonesian. In non-competitive classes, no mark is assigned.
Volunteers are always needed and welcome. If you have an interest in volunteering, there are tasks ranging from small to more involved. The committee also encourages and welcomes new members so as to keep this annual event thriving for years to come. Additionally, there are numerous opportunities to support the festival through sponsorship and awards if you or your business are interested. Please don’t hesitate to reach out and see where your time, skills or resources might be of most help.
