2010 Year-End Festival Report

2010 Year-end Festival Report

From Executive Director (Anne Carrier)

(Presented at the luncheon meeting, Monday, May 3, 2010)

Madam President Brenda, Rotarians and Guests:

I am delighted to have been invited to attend your meeting today and report on the 55th Annual Medicine Hat Rotary Music Festival.

The Festival was held March 6 – 21st at the Medicine Hat College and Cultural Centre.

Registrations were once again received by mail, with the deadline being December 31st, 2009.

-receiving registrations by mail works very well – data entry can begin by mid-December as the forms arrive.

-registration fees remained the same – Junior Solo - $14, 12 years and above – $18, Concert/Recital classes $22, Duets, Trios, Chamber groups - $34, Choirs, Choral Speech $30 and Bands $75.

-this fee includes a $2 Provincial Music Festival Association Fee.

-Total performances this year were - 1221 – 1103 music and 118 speech. (37 more performances that in 2009) – The number of performers was down about 50. In other words – fewer performers, but more performances.

-32 Performances will attend the Provincial Music Festival in May in Edmonton. 5 Choirs will perform this weekend at the Choral Festival – Medicine Hat College Children’s Choir, Medicine Hat College Girl’s Choir with Bradley vanMiddelKoop Director, St. Mary’s Academy with Helen Snortland, Director, St. Michael’s Grade 4/5 Choir – Patricia Swan Director and McCoy High School Choir – Erica Bodernak Director. 2 choirs who were recommended to the Provincial Festival are unable to attend due to lack of funds.

Adjudicator’s

-13 highly qualified Adjudicator’s were hired (including two for the Band Festival). We appreciated the time and dedication these individuals take from their busy schedules to attend Festival. They all support and encourage our young performers. An example of the dedication shown by these individuals is the $100 per hour fee charged in their home studios, as opposed to the $250 fee paid by Festivals for 8 – 12 hour days. The festival must thank the Coast Hotel for their excellent rate and hospitality offered our Adjudicators. This hotel is a warm, relaxing environment with excellent service and always a great restaurant

- 2010 saw Adjudicators from Vancouver, Victoria, Lethbridge, Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon. The weather cooperated with those driving this year, so we didn’t have any holdovers due to bad roads.

-Dawn Barr prepared gift bags for the Adjudicators Rooms – Thank you Dawn – this is a real treat provided by the Medicine Hat Festival. There are times when the Adjudicator’s are too tired and are short of time for an evening meal between afternoon and evening sessions. The snacks in the Gift Bags provide the nourishment to keep them going.

- Jim Solomon once again arranged transportation for the Adjudicators. Jim, in his pleasant, courteous way, greeted them at the airport, drove them to the hotel and arranged for drivers to and from the College venues. It is wonderful to have Jim taking care of thisarea, and my sincere appreciation is extended to him.

Venues

-The College and Cultural Centre venues have been booked for the 2011 festival. Dates March 7 – 20

-The fee from the City of Medicine Hat for the Vocal, Cello, Strings rooms and six weeks office space in 2010 is $2648.10. The only charge from the Medicine Hat College is $413 for the Rose Bowl in the Theatre and $165 for the Stars of the Festival trophy presentation evening, also in the College Theatre.

The College renovations will have been completed by March 2011, and we will once again have full use of the Courtyard room and other areas for warm-up. The few challenges this year with shortage of warm-up space worked out well. Choirs and students warming-up in the College Lobby attracted the interest of many from the student body and public passing by. The sound of music was wonderful as you entered the front doors. I also thought the Rose Bowl Reception in the Lobby was just excellent. This is a great opportunity, at the conclusion of a hectic two weeks, for performers, parents, volunteers Adjudicators, and the public to mix and mingle. I hope the reception will continue.

I also thought the Registration desks for the Trophy and Award recipients in the Lobby were a great idea. There was more space and much better visibility.

Trophies and Awards

-over 250 trophies and awards were presented at the Stars of the Festival concert. The only exception was the School Awards. These awards were presented at the various schools. This is a great idea – as it allows the student body to witness the presentations, and also provides an opportunity to highlight the support from the Medicine Hat Rotary Club to the Music Festival.

-Brenda Bauman worked very hard in this area once again this year. We are starting to get a good feel for this major part of Festival.

-Letters are sent out in December and early January soliciting the continued support of trophies and awards, and I am delighted to report there were no declines – as a matter of fact about 10 new awards were added. The Festival presents over $18,000 in awards and scholarships. Each winning performer receives a “Keeper Plague”, which the sponsor provides the funds for. The sponsor’s are also asked to provide an additional and optional $50 to help with the operation of Music Festival. This year, $1525 was collected and the names of these supporters were added to the Program in the Patrons List.

-Lori MacKenzie, Office Support Worker handles the Trophy and Award Book, along with the assistance of the Volunteer Office Support workers. Lori, Deanna Coleman, Donelda Niles and the other volunteers spend many hours in the office during Festival organizing all the awards, completing the cheques, addressing Thank you cards and making sure all is in order for the Stars of the Festival presentation.

Office and Technical Support

-The office space at the Cultural Centre was rented from mid-February through to the end of March.

-The permanent storage space in this room is provided year-round and everything from paperwork, filing cabinets, lunch supplies, desk and office chairs are stored.

-The TELUS ADSL connection continues to be upgraded each year by TELUS, and this is very helpful. The telephone/ADSL line is put to sleep at the end of March each year and re-activated mid-February the next year. This provides a cost-savings and the phone number is maintained from year to year at a minimal charge.

-Bill Haney (Infinity Computer Services) was once again hired to transfer program data to the Printer. This was a very smooth year and thank you to Bill and Bob and Delores Mutchler from the Printer for their hard work and support in preparing an excellent program.

- Terry Brekko reports that the fundraising was very successful thanks to the efforts of the 64 Rotarians who were assigned to one of eight teams for canvassing approximately 400 Patrons and Advertisers. Approximately 170 donors were acknowledged on the Patrons page in the Festival program.
To April 30, 2010 we have received $8825 from Patrons and an additional $23,880 from the sale of advertising for a Grand Total of $32,705 collected to date. Reminders have been sent to theapproximately 8 accounts outstanding for a total of $675. If we are successful in collecting all amounts this would be the first time we have collected in excess of $33,000.
The Rotary Music Festival was honored with one new Major Sponsor this year. Clear Sky Radio, operating FM 102.1, "The Lounge". Clear Sky has committed to $2000 per year for 7 years.
Thanks to then and our other major sponsors, EnCana Energy now operating in this area as Cenovus and our friends and CIBC Wood Gundy. Encana's 5 year commitment for $6000 per year ended this year. The committee will be asking Cenovus for a similar financial commitment.
Special thanks to the Team Captains Al Garden, John John, Sandy MacKay, Joan Sauve, Ernie Benesch, Dave Panabaker, Marg Mazerolle and John Moldon.Dr. Richard Bide and Bernie Scott must be thanked for helping process the contracts when they were received. Thanks also to Bob and Delores who always get the job done in spite of waiting for late ad copy.

Terry also states he is always looking for volunteers to help find new sponsors and ultimately replace him.

The Medicine Hat Rotary Club and Music Festival must thank Terry for his many years of very successful fundraising for the Program.

I received many comments this year – the parents and public loved the program.

Volunteers:

LADIES’ COORDINATORS – ROTARY MUSIC FESTIVAL – Deanna J. Coleman and Donelda Niles

-I met with these ladies mid-January and they start contacting the various Room Captains. By this time the Registration data has been accumulated and the Festival at a Glance prepared.

-A Luncheon was held at the Cracked Peppercorn Restaurant in the Coast Hotel and information regarding organizing the necessary volunteers was discussed.

-The volunteer work the Ladies perform is crucial to the smooth operation of the Music Festival. We have a great army of very dedicated individuals.

-A small appreciatation is extended to them in the form of a Ladies Luncheon, held at the Cultural Centre each year and once again catered to by the St. Ambrose Church Ladies in Redcliff.

-Deanna and Donelda are so dependable and hard-working – I cannot imagine a music festival without their support.

-The 2011 Festival will see them taking on an additional task of organizing the preparation of the daily lunches for volunteers and Adjudicators. This has been an area of concern and the Ladies feel they want to have control over the lunches. I am confident we will have excellent lunches at a reduced cost to Music Festival.

Rotary Club Volunteers – Brenda Bauman will speak to this area following my report

Director’s Report

The 2010 Music Festival was very successful. The performers, teacher’s, parents and the public acknowledged the great job the Rotary Club does in providing the opportunity for students of the arts to display their skills, and learn from the knowledgeable Adjudicators. This festival was a great accomplishment due only to the help and support of the hundreds of volunteers, both from the Rotary Club and the Community. A financial report has been prepared by Dale Stein, Treasurer, and is available at each table. Please review – Dale is prepared to answer any questions you might have. Thank you to Jeff MacFarlane for his hard work and I look forward to working with Dale in the future.

I have been elected to the Provincial Music Festival Board of Director’s, which I feel provides great networking and knowledge obtained by associated with members of the 35 Music Festivals in the Province. I will be attending the Provincial Choral Festival in Edmonton May 6, 7, 8. The Provincial Association provides my transportation and accommodation to this Festival. I also will be attending the Solo/Ensemble Provincial Festival in Edmonton, May 26 – 31st and representing Medicine Hat Rotary Music Festival at the Spring Meeting May 31st. Thank you to Raul Zalazar for taking time from his busy schedule to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Provincial Association – held in Calgary last October.

I also had the pleasure of chaperoning the Alberta performers to the National Music Festival in Saskatoon last August, and will be travelling to McGill University, inMontreal August 2010 with the Alberta Performers. I am honored to support these talented students and amazed at dedication of these up and coming performers. It provides me with an ever-growing knowledge of the Festival movement in Canada, which I feel helps in the organization and support of the local Medicine Hat Festival. This is a great opportunity to meet and contact Adjudicators

In conclusion, please accept my sincere thanks for the support and help provided by the members of the Rotary Club. It is important to me to provide you with knowledge and information and the Web Page () is one source we try to keep current.

Thank you for your time and attention. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Best wish to all for an enjoyable summer.

Anne