OUTLOOK — For 40 years, the Outlook & District Music Festival has been providing a forum for young musicians to develop their skills and abilities, but the local organizing committee has announced that a festival in 2022 will not be taking place due to insufficient entries impacted by COVID protocols mandated by the SMFA; the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association.
Festival President Sandy Stephenson said the restrictions set to run the event this year resulted in fewer students entering by the deadline date. “We did not receive enough entries due to COVID restrictions placed on us by the provincial body,” Sandy said, “so there will not be a festival this year.”
The Outlook & District Music Festival is one of 47 festivals throughout the province that operate under the umbrella of the SMFA. That association provides oversight to the local festivals, coordinates all the adjudicators and provides the framework for provincial competition.
The music festival is a highly anticipated event each year; one that is not only entertaining for spectators but also an important tool in the development of talent in our community. Stephenson said, “It’s a forum for young people to share their talents through song, individual instruments, musical theatre and spoken word. It is truly a celebration of music.”
The festival is organized by a local committee that consists of Stephenson, Cathy McPhail, Leslie Hicks, Heather Larson, Sylvia Sundby and Shelley Luedtke. They are committed to putting on an event that gives students opportunities to develop as musicians and encourage each other as performers. “It helps students gain confidence,” Stephenson remarked, “and they get so inspired from fellow performers. Students will hear a song at the festival and say it’s one they want to learn because they liked it.”
Outlook has benefitted from hosting four decades of high quality festivals. Since it is a district festival, it brings families in from other communities for the days it runs, and it provides a week of great entertainment for audiences for a very nominal fee. Stephenson said, “Some of the students studying these disciplines entertain at the High Rise, Golden Acres and longterm care and that benefits our community as well.”
In turn, the festival has benefitted from the support of a community that provides financial resources and enthusiastic audiences. “We are so grateful for the donations from all the businesses, organizations and individuals who support the event,” Stephenson said, “and for all those who look forward to taking in all the performances. We literally could not have the festival without all their support.”
It was in January 2020 that the committee presented a 40th anniversary concert to a full house, featuring outstanding performers from past years, some of whom have made music their life’s vocation. Just weeks later the SMFA cancelled all 2020 festivals across the province due to the pandemic. In 2021 the local committee determined they would not try and hold a festival given the protocols that were established for it to be held. It was hoped that in 2022 the festival would go ahead, but the parameters mandated this year significantly reduced the number of entries that were received by the deadline date, and so this festival, along with a dozen others in the province, will not be taking place.
But already the committee has their sights set on 2023. “We are positively going to have a festival next year and it is going to be something special,” Stephenson said enthusiastically. “We have a community of many talented young people and we can’t wait to bring a festival back next year. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your constant support. We will see you next year.”
