The longest-running festival on the Sunshine Coast will observe its 50th anniversary this month. The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Performing Arts was founded in 1973 by the Gibsons Kiwanis Club and organized its first adjudicated performances for young artists in 1974.
“[The] committee deserves high praise for its work in giving our youth a chance to display their proficiency in the various arts, from elocution to music,” the Coast News published in March 2074. “The event is described as the first annual and there is strong hope now there will be a second annual event.”
Because its 2020 instance was cancelled due to COVID-19, April’s events will also constitute the 50th annual festival.
“The cultural impact of the Festival’s 50-year impact is almost too vast to measure,” said Sarah Lowis, president of the festival society. “As a mother whose children have participated in the festival, I know first-hand about the satisfaction and depth of experience that it brings. Multiplied over generations, I think the event has certainly shaped the Sunshine Coast’s reputation as a place where the arts and artists flourish.”
The 2024 festival will feature performances in a half-dozen musical disciplines as well as dance, speech and dramatic arts. Events take place at St. Hilda’s Anglican Church in Sechelt and are open to the public at no charge.
Piano performances are scheduled on April 9, 10 and 11, and will be adjudicated by Vancouver-based soloist and educator Lauren Kelly. Kelly recently launched an online mentorship platform for piano teachers, which has seen adoption across 15 countries.
Bowed strings will be adjudicated by Tyson Doknjas, originally from Campbell River, who now lives in Victoria. Doknjas is a regular player with the Victoria Symphony and Pacific Opera Victoria. He will offer insights into string performances on April 15 and 16.
One day — April 18 — is dedicated to folk instrumental music under the watch of two adjudicators. JJ Guy won the People’s Choice Award at the 2013 Canadian Grand Masters, a premiere national fiddle event, and was subsequently inducted to the North American Fiddlers Hall of Fame. Co-adjudicator Gordon Stobbe has taught at the Long and McQuade Music Education Centre (in Halifax) for 30 years; he co-created and directed eight seasons of a nation-wide music television variety program.
On April 19, the morning is allocated to speech and dramatic arts performances. Adjudication will be provided by Nitasha Rajoo, who has taught theatre arts in South Africa, Tanzania, India, USA, Jamaica, England and Canada.
The Coastal Dance Festival, which is affiliated with the Festival of the Performing Arts, will take place from April 20 to 21 at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons. Adjudicators Danielle Gould and Cassie Douglas are noted choreographers and instructors; Gould was recently commissioned to create a new work for Goh Ballet’s Youth Company for the opening of the Kengo Kuma skyscraper in Vancouver.
The final day of adjudicated performances at St. Hilda’s will be April 23, which will feature vocalists and choirs under the eye of Frances Roberts, a longtime music educator at North Vancouver’s Argyle Secondary.
Another veteran North Vancouver teacher, Bob Rebagliati, will serve as adjudicator for the woodwinds, brass and band performances (whose schedule and location will be announced in early April).
A highlights concert of exemplary performances is scheduled to take place on May 11 at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons.
“I particularly want to recognize the volunteers of the last 50 years,” added Lowis. “Each year’s festival is a project that demands immense labour. Today we stand on the shoulders of community leaders who had the original vision. We salute the generosity of sponsors and financial backers, and are deeply grateful to those dedicated people who offer their energies to the festival’s success, year after year.”
A detailed program is available via the society’s website at coastfestival.com; all performances will also be live-streamed through the site.
