Two longtime friends are hoping to fill a musical void in Halton Hills.
Alexandra Lennox and Katharine Krul have always shared a love of music, but as the Halton Hills residents looked around, they didn’t see anywhere musicians could compete, receive feedback and work on their skills as performers.
That led to them creating the Halton Hills Music Festival, which will be held Nov. 11-16 at the Sanctuary Concert Hall, located in St. John's United Church.
“It was an idea based on our love of music,” said Lennox, who performs with the Canadian Opera Company. “The opportunity doesn’t exist. Peel is the closest festival. So we wanted people in the area to have a festival of their own.”
There will be classes for singers and piano players. Categories include pop, musical theatre, jazz, sacred, classical, choral, Disney, film, duets, world, original composition and singer/songwriter.
“Everyone should be able to find their niche,” said Krul, who has performed as a soloist and as choral member her entire life.
“We want people to sign up in whatever class works for them,” Lennox added. “We want it to be a fun, enjoyable experience for everyone.”
While most classes are for those 18 and under, there are classes for everyone
“We divided out our age groups under 18 to recognize skill and experience, but we also have open classes,” Krul said. “So even if you’re 30 and you’re not planning on this being a career, you just want to get some feedback from judges, we’ve left it open for any age.”
Performers will be evaluated by professional adjudicators who will choose a winner from each class.
Select performers will also be invited to perform in a final concert, The Big Show, the following week on Nov. 23.
“It’s a great place for the public to come see the talent in our community,” Krul said.
The festival will be awarding scholarships to some of the performers at The Big Show.
“We want to reward those great performers to further their interest and love in music,” Krul said.
The festival is looking for sponsorships in order to provide as many scholarships as possible.
“If there are businesses or anyone who wants to make a private donation, establish a memorial scholarship to help a performer further their musical education, 100 per cent of the donation goes to the performer,” Lennox said.
Registrations open July 1. More information is available at haltonhillsmusicfestival.com.
