In its 87th year, the Penticton Kiwanis Music Festival is in jeopardy! Key positions on the board have become vacant since the 2012 festival and they leave an insufficient number of volunteers to run the festival for 2013. Board members meet once a month from September through June and each have certain responsibilities necessary for the success of the festival.
The Penticton Kiwanis Music Festival was founded as the Okanagan Valley Music Festival in 1926 to provide an opportunity for performing arts students to present their music, speech arts and dance achievements and to receive a constructive, meaningful evaluation of their performances. In doing so, the festival aims to foster and promote a lifelong interest and appreciation for music, dance and speech arts.
Each spring, Penticton annually hosts over 1,400 competitive and non-competitive young amateurs from the Okanagan and surrounding areas in nine disciplines, which include strings, guitar, piano, classical voice, musical theatre, speech arts, woodwinds and brass, and dance. Respected adjudicators from Western Canada and the United States critique each performance and numerous scholarships and awards are presented at two highlights concerts.
We are counting on a show of interest and support because no new volunteers means a possible end to this long-running music event.
For further information about the festival or the need for volunteers, all those who are interested should email pkmf@vip.net, call 250-493-8322 or visit our website at www.pkmf.org.
Lorraine Alatalo, executive director
Penticton Kiwanis Music Festival