WALDHEIM — This year marks the 85th anniversary of the Sask Valley Music Festival.
The first festival was held in May 1940 in Laird. School choruses were the primary competitors, but it soon expanded to other disciplines. In 1962, the Rosthern festival became associated with the Saskatchewan Association of Music Festivals, and in 1963, at Rosthern Junior College, the name Sask Valley was first used.
SVMF alumni Godwin Friesen wrote for the 2022 annual report, “My first experiences were in the Sask Valley Music Festival, at age 13, when I had no idea how I might rank in comparison with other pianists. The encouragement that I got from the results that year, including being sent to provincials and winning (which I couldn’t have imagined possible), encouraged me to keep being ambitious and participating year after year.”
Vaughan Fleischfresser is a music educator, saxophonist, conductor and composer from Australia who lives in Scotland and whose social media posts on the benefits of music education went viral. He states, “A lot of what young people learn at school becomes obsolete the moment they leave. Not so with music. Music provides meaning and purpose until our final breath.”
The organizers of this year’s Sask Valley Music Festival and all who have gone before would agree. A festival has stood the test of time when it continues to draw audiences and participants who continue to pursue music beyond the local festival.
Registration for the Sask Valley Music Festival opened on Jan. 15. The Sask Valley Music Festival district includes the following communities: Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation, Blaine Lake, Cudworth, Duck Lake, Hafford, Hague, Laird, Martensville, Neuanlage, One Arrow Cree Nation, Osler, Rosthern, Saint Isidore-de-Bellevue, Wakaw, Waldheim and Warman. Students from any community in Saskatchewan are welcome to enter the SVMA festival, but festival scholarships are only available to students who live or study with a teacher who lives in the Sask Valley district, except for the alumni post-secondary scholarships. The alumni post-secondary scholarship is available to former Sask Valley Music Festival competitors who no longer meet the residency criteria. The alumni award is available to competitors for a maximum of four years.
Entries close on Feb.8. Fees for each class entered are: solos and duets $15, small ensembles of three to eight members $20, large ensembles of nine or more members $25, and choirs and bands $25. The SVMF caps individual entrant fees at $75 and families at $150. First-time Sask Valley Music Festival participants may enter their first two classes (in the same discipline) for a single entry fee.
The SVMA believes the music festival experience should be available to all competitors who wish to participate. If the cost of entry fees is a prohibitive burden, a partial or complete bursary may be available to competitors. Only teachers can apply on behalf of the competitor and financial need is the primary prerequisite. For more information or an application form, teachers are encouraged to contact the Sask Valley Music Festival at [email protected]
All general festival performances and the final awards concert have been planned and scheduled. Instrumental/band festival performances will occur at RJC High School in Rosthern on Tuesday, March 25. Voice, Musical Theatre, Choral, and Spoken Word will be held from Wednesday, March 26 to Friday, March 28, and piano from Monday, March 31 to Wednesday, April 2, all at Salem Church, 509-1st St. S. in Waldheim.
The final awards concert will be held Friday, April 4, at Salem Church. To qualify for an award, competitors must enter and compete in at least two classes in the same discipline. Vocal classes and Musical Theatre classes will be considered for local scholarships and awards under the discipline of vocal.
Competitors who wish to qualify for provincial final competitions must enter designated provincial classes at a district festival and place either first or second with a score of 87 or higher to be eligible. Competitors must enter and compete in at least two solo classes in the same discipline, but not necessarily both provincial. For complete information, competitors are encouraged to refer to the syllabus first and then direct all registration and entry questions to [email protected]
Interested competitors should refer to the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association 2025 syllabus for class information, rules and regulations. The syllabus is available online at on the SMFA website.
