Four young musicians from the Shuswap won awards at the 2021 Virtual Performing Arts BC Festival held June 1-5.
These four contestants were among many promising young artists from regional festivals across B.C. who were recommended by adjudicators to advance to the provincial competition.
Salmon Arm vocal students, Cloe Papworth and Etoile Brown, and pianist Teslyn Bates were among seven contestants selected to advance by adjudicators at the Virtual 2021 Shuswap Music Festival held in April. The fourth local candidate, Holly McCallum, was recommended by adjudicators at the Kamloops Festival.
At the Performing Arts BC Festival, Cloe Papworth was named winner of the Senior Musical Theatre category. She plans to continue her music studies at Brigham Young University in Utah. In the Junior Musical Theatre category, Etoile Brown won runner-up. Both vocalists are students of Andrea Roberts.
In the Intermediate Canadian Piano category, Teslyn Bates won Honourable Mention. Jane Hein teaches Bates and praised her for her work ethic.
“She is a Grade 11 student at Salmon Arm Secondary and is working on her ARCT level (Associate of Royal Conservatory of Toronto), the highest level for piano in the Conservatory,” said Hein.
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Holly McCallum won runner-up in Senior Strings. She has been a prominent contestant at the Shuswap Music Festival for many years winning both Best of the Fest in Strings and in Piano at the 2019 festival.
The pandemic not only forced festivals to go virtual, but also delayed the completion of the band competition for the Shuswap Music Festival. SASCU provides the band awards, which help to support the band program in district schools. This year Salmon Arm Secondary’s Jackson Campus Grade 9 and 10 Concert Bands and the Jackson Jazz Band won SASCU Gold Awards.
The Shuswap Middle School Grade 8 Band won the SASCU Silver Award and the Shuswap Middle School Jazz Band won a SASCU Gold Award. Band performances were live and not recorded for YouTube.
Performances of contestants in Strings, Piano and Vocal that entered the Virtual 2021 Shuswap Music Festival can be viewed online at ShuswapFestival.com until June 30. Check the website to learn more about the festival and how to help support young musicians.
Contributed by Susan Wolff, Shuswap Music Festival Society
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