The Cariboo Festival board and committee extend a warm welcome to all participants, volunteers, teachers, adjudicators, sponsors and others involved with the 2012 Cariboo Festival which starts today, April 3.
The goal of the Cariboo Festival Society is to encourage the development of the arts within the community of Williams Lake and surrounding area.
The mission of the festival experience is to travel with others along the path to artistic excellence.
Through a month-long spring festival, the Cariboo Festival promotes educational and artistic growth in music, voice, piano and a variety of instruments, and in speech arts and creative writing.
We serve hundreds of participants from schools and the community through individual classes, championship playoffs, and the Spotlight and Honours concerts.
Participants receive instruction by highly qualified adjudicators from around B.C. and eligible entrants are recommended to proceed to the annual provincial festival held in a different British Columbia community every year.
The Cariboo Festival Society is registered under the British Columbia Society Act, affiliated with Performing Arts BC, and a member of the Williams Lake Community Arts Council.
The spring festival and all the preparations — arranging for adjudicators and venues, publishing the syllabus and program, organizing concerts and awards, and fundraising — are planned and carried out by dedicated and caring volunteers who make up the festival committee.
We are always looking for ways to improve the festival. New volunteers and award sponsors are always welcome.
The 2012 Cariboo Festival will wrap up with the Honours Concert on May 5.
The traditional Spotlight Concert has been cancelled for this year due to a shortage of volunteers.
Speech arts is the first performance category on April 3-4 at the Calvary Church.
Band and instrumental will follow on April 11-12 at St. Peter’s Anglican Church.
Creative writing will receive adjudication April 13 at the Central Cariboo Arts Centre.
Vocal entries will perform April 16-18 at St. John Lutheran Church.
Piano performances will be held April 23-26 at the Calvary Church.
Adjudicators for the disciplines are Catherine Hansen from Prince George for speech arts, Sebastian Ostertag from Prince George for band and instrumental, Lorne Dufour from Mcleese Lake for Creative Writing, Alexandra Babbel from Kelowna for voice and Lori Elder from Prince George for piano.
The public is invited to attend the competition with the understanding that photographs are not permitted while the performances are being judged. Preschool children are not permitted in the concert halls during the performances.
Pictures are permitted during the teaching sessions with the adjudicators following the performances.
The Honours Concert will conclude the festival on May 5, at 7 p.m. at Cariboo Bethel Church.
Performers recommended by adjudicators go on to the provincial festival May 27-31 in Nanaimo and if successful there to the national festival Aug. 16-18 in Fort McMurray, Alberta.