Planning and fundraising for the provincial B.C. Performing Arts Festival is well underway, as local representatives delivered a creative presentation to city council asking for financial support.
Led by East Kootenay Performing Arts students across a wide spectrum of disciplines, the youth pitched the benefits of the festival, the range of artistic talent that will be coming to Cranbrook next June, and the economic stimulus that will result from the event.
As the students led various aspects of the presentation, Garron Stuart soothed council chambers with a cello performance.
Festival organizers have set a $65,000 budget and are asking the city for $10,000 in support of the event, which runs from June 2-6, 2020. They anticipate it to draw 2,400 people to the area over five days, injecting over an estimated $1 million into the local economy.
Organizers are also anticipating a need for approximately 150 volunteers and are actively recruiting and anyone interested in serving can contact Corrina Robinson via email.
The festival is expected to feature 650 delegates, which include performing arts students between 10-26 years of age in disciplines that include classical voice, musical theatre, piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, guitar, chamber music, speech arts, ballet and modern and stage dance.
Adjudicated performances are set to be hosted in venues such as the Key City Theatre, Royal Alexandra Hall, Studio Stage Door, local dance and yoga studios and churches. In addition to the adjudicated sessions, organizers are offering three concerts — one at the Royal Alexandra Hall and two at the Key City Theatre featuring the best of the child and youth performers.
Festival organizers are asking for city support in renting the Key City Theatre and Royal Alexandra Hall for one day. Additionally, a request is being made for use of Western Financial Place for a dance concert, which would provide the ‘grandest dance venue ever seen at any provincial festival’.
The Regional District of East Kootenay has chipped in $7,500 in support through their Discretionary Grants-in-Aid programs.
Prior to the provincial event, 33 regional festivals will precede, including the East Kootenay Festival of the Performing Arts in Cranbrook starting in February 2020. Students will then be selected from regional festivals to perform and compete in the provincial edition.
trevor.crawley@cranbrooktownsman.com
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