The 2024 edition of the Pacific Northwest Music Festival wrapped up with a gala evening featuring a variety of talented artists April 27 at the R.E.M. Lee Theatre.
There were 1,047 entries this year and with multiple participants in some of those entries, 2,901 performers took part over the 17 days of the festival which ran from April 11 to the gala evening.
Participants came from the Nass Valley, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Smithers and Houston.
Organizers this year said more than 300 families and groups from around the region came to Terrace, a circumstance that benefited the local economy.
Adjudicators, some from as far away as Toronto, were also brought to Terrace and their hotel stays provided a separate economic boost.
In all, more than 100 awards were sponsored by businesses and individuals amounting to more than $12,000.
“It was amazing. It was a great festival,” said festival society chair Bonnie Juniper.
“It felt like we were back,” she said in noting that there’s a new-found energy in the aftermath of the pandemic years.
The festival has been an annual event since 1965 with the exception of the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
While the gala is the closing highlight of the festival each year, there is also one evening where adjudicators select participants in junior, intermediate and senior categories for scholarship awards.
This year Haruka Yamamoto, who competed during the festival in the woodwinds category was the junior scholarship winner of $250 as sponsored by the Munson family while speech arts competitor Rohan Cooper was the intermediate scholarship winner of $500 as sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and dance category competitor Edan Jairus Tadiaman was selected to win the senior scholarship of $1,000 as sponsored by Horizon Dental.
This year’s festival also saw the first-ever ukulele entrant in the history of the festival. That was nine-year-old Polly Rogers. She achieved the highest mark in the guitar/ukulele solo category for performers 12 and under.
Here’s a full list of award winners:
Dance
Original Composition Dance Choreo – Sydney Harris
Musical Interpretation, Highest Mark Ballet Solo – Edan Jairus Tadiaman
Musical Interpretation, Highest Mark Jazz Solo – Emily Raposo
Musical Interpretation, Highest Mark Modern Solo – Hannah Hansen
Ballet, Highest Mark Classical Solo – Edan Jairus Tadiaman
En Pointe, Highest Mark Solo – KC Matias
Contemporary Ballet, Highest Mark Solo – Edan Jairus Tadiaman
Contemporary Jazz, Highest Mark Solo – Hannah Hansen
Contemporary Jazz, Highest Mark Duet – Evelyn Desousa-Sabey & Emily Furtado
Acrobatics, Highest Mark Solo – Grace Robinson
Acrobatics, Highest Mark Duet – Abby DeSousa & Addison Pitzel
Demi-Character, Highest Mark Solo – Nolan Robinson
Demi-Character, Highest Mark Duet – Aspen Taylor & Cara Van Loon
Tap, Highest Mark Solo – Isabella Gibson
Jazz, Highest Mark Solo – Edan Jairus Tadiaman
Jazz, Highest Mark Duet – Izzie Croot & KC Matias
Variety, Highest Mark Solo – Cassidy Kawaguchi
Variety, Highest Mark Duet – Jordyn Lok & Scarlett Higginson
Street Dances, Highest Mark Solo – Edan Jairus Tadiaman
Street Dances, Highest Mark Duet – Keanne Lan & Mia Lan
Song and Dance, Highest Mark Solo -Ellara Smyth
Dance Musical Theatre, Highest Mark Solo – Aizlynn Pushong
Modern, Highest Mark Solo – Jordyn Schmidt
Dance Academy of Prince Rupert, Junior Summer Intensive – Aria Rigler
Dance Academy of Prince Rupert, Intermediate Summer Intensive – River McDonald
Art in Motion, Intermediate Summer Scholarship – Alisha Phangura
Art in Motion, Junior Summer Scholarship – Keanne Lan
Free Elements, Summer Intensive Intermediate – Astrid Warburton
Free Elements, Summer Intensive Senior – Laura Fudger
Dance Academy of Prince Rupert, Senior Summer Intensive – Valentina Protheroe
Art in Motion, Senior Summer Scholarship – Ava Forsland
Highest Mark Ballet Group – Sing Sing Sing, Contemporary Collective
Highest Mark En Pointe Ballet Group – Sleeping Beauty
Highest Mark Contemporary Ballet Group – Allegria, Creative Impulse
Highest Mark Tap Group – Get Up, Contemporary Collective
Highest Mark Jazz Group – Disco Pop, Contemporary Collective
Highest Mark Lyrical Jazz Group – Hold my Hand, Dance unlimited
Highest Mark Variety Group – Coffee, Dance Unlimited
Highest Mark Street Dances – Fallin, Contemporary Collective
Highest Mark Dance Musical Theatre – Get me to Oz, Dance Unlimited
Highest Mark Modern Group – Whispers of Madness, Northwest Dance Arts
Highest Mark Contemporary Group – It’s Just a Ride, Contemporary Collective
Highest Mark Acrobatics Group – Halo Jumper, Dance Unlimited
Highest Mark Cultural Dance Duet – Edan Jairus Tadiaman, KC Matias
Band and Choral Awards
Family Presentation, Highest Mark – The Gearey Family
Elementary Band MEMSS
Highest Mark Concert Band – Junior MEMSS
Highest Mark Concert Band – Senior Caledonia
Highest Mark Jazz Band – Junior Skeena Middle School
Highest Mark Jazz Band – Senior Caledonia
Vocal Awards
Highest Mark Choral – Sine Nomine
Highest Mark Oratorio, opera or art song Vocal Solo – Kai Janzen
Highest Mark Lieder Vocal Solo – Olivia Emery
Highest Mark Concert Recital Solo – Kai Janzen
Highest Mark Classical Vocal Duet – Cara Bruce & Madalyn Davis
Highest Mark Vocal – Quartet Hoffart Family
Highest Mark Vocal – Ensemble Dreamer, Inverary
Highest Mark Classical Vocal Solo – Kai Janzen
Highest Mark Folk Song Solo – Olivia Emery
Highest Mark Scared Classical Vocal Solo – Zoe Unrau
Highest Mark 20th & 21st century Composer Vocal Solo – Kai Janzen
Highest Mark Canadian Composer Vocal Solo – Claire Hansen
Highest Mark Conservatory Vocal Solo – Erica Rodgers
Musical Theatre
Highest Mark Musical Theatre Ballad Solo – Claire Hansen
Highest Mark Musical Theatre Comedy Solo – Kai Janzen
Highest Mark Musical Theatre Duet – Halle Classen and Kai Janzen
Highest Mark Musical Theatre Ensemble – It’s a Great Thing to be a Plumber, Inverary
Highest Mark Pop Solo – Kai Janzen
Highest Mark Pop ensemble – Lollipop, Inverary
Speech Arts
Highest Mark Choral Speaking – Veritas Grade 3
Highest Mark Narrative Dramatic – Bale Houlden
Highest Mark Lyric Poem – Myla Brotherton
Highest Mark Canadian Poetry – Sophia Wilkinson
Highest Mark Prose – Rohan Cooper
Highest Mark Trio – Homeschooled Group
Highest Mark Monoloque Shakespeare – Ana Purita
Highest Mark Other than Shakespeare – Rohan Cooper
Highest Mark Public Speaking – Brook Homeniuk
Highest Mark Sacred Reading – Jake Palacol
Piano Awards
Highest Mark Pianoforte – Avery Skillen
Highest Mark Bach – Edan Jairus Tadiaman
Highest Mark Baroque – Rhen Villasor
Highest Mark Mozart & Haydn – May Zhang
Highest Mark German Romantics – Benjamin Chouinard
Highest Mark Romantics – Cara Byrne
Highest Mark Beethoven – Shaan Uppal
Highest Mark Chopin – Benjamin Chouinard
Highest Mark Sonatina – Tomas Geier
Highest Mark French Impressionists – Odin Vetsch
Highest Mark 20th & 21st century Composer – Edan Jairus Tadiaman
Highest Mark Canadian Composers – Rhed Villasor
Highest Mark Conservatory – Hanayo Tsuno
Highest Mark Piano Duets – Ainsley Batjer Buchanan & Luke Fransisco
Highest Mark Inventions – Chloe Bautista
Highest Mark Popular Piano – Kayeanna Mackenzie
Woodwind, Brass and other
Highest mark Flute Baroque – Josephine Zhang
Highest Mark Conservatory – Haruka Yamamoto
Highest Mark Concert Ensemble – Group Canon, Inverary
Highest Mark Instrumental – Benjamin Chouinard
Strings
Highest Mark Conservatory solo – Benjamin George
Highest Mark Bach – Jacob Liubomudrov
Highest Mark Mozart – Beethoven & Haydn Elizabeth Kim
Highest Mark Canadian – Leo Son
Highest Mark Romantics – Elizabeth Kim
Highest Mark 20th & 21st century Composer – Erilyn Nicklie
Highest Mark German Romantics – Ethan Kietzmann
Highest Mark Baroque – Xavier Grielens
Highest Mark Concerto Solo – Ethan Kietzmann
Harp
Highest Mark Solo Class – Cecelia Skimson
Highest Mark Folk – Rowan Last
Highest Mark Duet – Milla Ivens & Tawney Cooper
Guitar
Highest Mark Acoustic – Gino Riley
Elementary School Highest Mark – School Group Ecole Mountainview Gr. 5, Fiona Robertson
Ukulele Highest Mark – Polly Rogers
