Young music students will have the opportunity to learn from the masters at the Howe Sound Performing Arts Association鈥檚 annual teachers concert.聽
鈥淚nspirations,鈥� on Sunday (Feb. 28) at 2 p.m. at the Eagle Eye Theatre, shows students that many adults who once participated in adjudicated concerts still incorporate music in their lives.聽
The concert features local music teachers in a variety of disciplines, including voice, piano, cello, recorder, fiddle, whistle and bass in ensemble and solo performances that cover the baroque, romantic and classical periods, in addition to folk, Celtic and jazz genres.聽
The event is the main fundraising source for the 13th annual Howe Sound Music Festival, which is set for April 11 to 17.聽
鈥淣ot only will teachers get to perform, and students will be inspired by them, but the general public has the opportunity to listen to high-calibre music,鈥� said Hayley Read, executive director of the Howe Sound Music Festival. 鈥淭his concert is for music students of all ages and anyone who enjoys listening to good music.鈥�
Erik Musseau, a teacher at the 麻豆社国产Academy of Music, is focusing on piano but will also display his skills on a number of other instruments. 鈥淲e have a wide variety of music spanning 350 years of history,鈥� said Musseau, who has been participating for six years. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always a good event that music students, in particular, enjoy.鈥�
As a major fundraising event, the concert will also benefit students who enter the Howe Sound Music Festival, an adjudicated festival where聽students from Lions Bay to Pemberton may be selected to represent the district at the provincial level.聽
鈥淭his is a great opportunity because the scholarships are awarded within the community, and only students in the corridor are eligible,鈥� said Read, adding that students from outside the Sea to Sky Corridor also participate. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had a student come from as far as Kamloops.鈥�
The festival gives youth and adults studying private voice and piano an opportunity to perform their pieces for an adjudicator, then receive verbal and written adjudication for their performance. This year, the festival is expanding to include instrumental classes.聽
Special guest Jeff Hyslop, a Vancouver-based musical theatre actor, singer, dancer, choreographer and director who is known for his performance in The Phantom of the Opera, is holding workshops for adults and youth during the festival.聽
In the past, about 150 piano and vocal students have performed approximately 200聽pieces in each festival.聽Choral groups usually add an additional 100 participants.聽
