President’s Report

Festival 2006

Our 33rd annual Music Festival was a great success thanks to our talented performers, their supportive families and dedicated music teachers, along with our wonderful volunteers, generous community donors, corporate sponsors and enthusiastic audiences. This year our registrations increased by over 100 to 461 entries.  Five excellent professional adjudicators provided advice and encouragement to over 700 performers including both solo and ensemble categories. This year gifted Festival award winners performed for appreciative audiences in the annual Festival Highlights Concert and Piano Encore Concert.  Sponsorship of these concerts by Wilson Creek Marketplace IGA, and Coast Recital Society is greatly appreciated.

Community support for Festival continues to increase, as you can see from the 3 year financial overview which demonstrates the commitment of our community to this initiative. We are very pleased that the Sunshine Coast Community Orchestra established the Lyle Carter Memorial Award this year to honour past Board member and gifted musician, Lyle Carter, who died suddenly this year. This year a special award was made by the Coast Philharmonic Orchestra in memory of their late conductor, Tom Kershaw.  We are very pleased to be able to allocate uncommitted funds this year to the Awards Fund that will support the establishment of new Festival awards. The Festival Committee is reviewing our current awards, and will make recommendations to the Board. Vice-President Dorothy Fraser chairs this Committee.  Dorothy has spent countless hours keeping track of our many trophies, transporting them to Festival venues and making sure they go to the correct recipients.  With the support of the Sunshine Coast Arts Council, a trophy case for public display of Festival awards is now located here at the Arts Centre, where our award winners can return their trophies in early January so they are available for Festival 2007.  Many thanks for all your efforts on behalf of Festival, Dorothy!

Festival continues to benefit from the many hours spent by community volunteers – in particular, Terry Andrews contributes countless hours producing the Festival Syllabus and Program. Many thanks,Terry.  We are also very grateful for the continuing support of Interfor, where Dorothy and I have spent many fun hours photocopying Festival material.  Thanks also to dedicated Festival volunteer Bob D’Arcy who is our webmaster. Our new partnership with School District 46 provided Festival with access to Chatelech Theatre at no cost.  This year Chatelech Theatre was the location for the choral and instrumental Festival sessions.

With the requirement for the families of Festival participants to be Society members, our membership this year increased to 148. Many thanks to Membership Chair Patti Gunning for handling this challenge so capably! This increases our revenue to offset the rising costs of adjudicator and venue costs without raising entry fees.  The increase in entries kept our Discipline Chairs very busy!  Many thanks to Margaret Webb, Piano Chair;  Kathleen Hovey and Germaine Foofat, Strings Co-Chairs; Shelley Dillon Vocal Chair; Joe Hatherill PWB, who also covered Acoustic & Electronic Music following the resignation of Angela Johnson, whose work commitments prevented her from continuing on the Festival Board.  Val Anderson as Registered Music Teachers Liaison is always a terrific help and assists wherever needed.  Special thanks to Betty Paterson for her capable coordination of volunteers – Betty attended all the Festival sessions, and we all relied on her organizational talents!  Our new Board member Ellen Rowa was kept very busy handling not only publicity, but also fund-raising when Peggy Malcolm’s contract working in a northern community was extended, preventing her planned return to the Coast.  Aline McNeill and Betty Jane Norris have been hard-working contributors as Board Treasurer and Secretary respectively.  It is with regret that the Board will say farewell to Betty Jane, although we are pleased she will continue as an active Festival volunteer.  This is a terrific Board!!!

At the conclusions of today’s business meeting, we will enjoy performances by our two very gifted musicians, Sarah Davey, winner of the Lyle Carter Memorial Senior Woodwind Trophy, and Jamie Weekes winner of the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre Electronic and Acoustic Award. (piano).  As our AGM is in progress, we will send good wishes to our provincial candidate, Neal Andrews, who is performing this week in the Performing Arts BC competition in Prince George.

Thanks to our energetic Board members, supportive community members, donors and talented participants Festival 2006 was very successful.

I look forward to working with you all in Festival 2007!