PEI Kiwanis Music Festival

See our 2024 vocal adjudicator, Olivia Barnes, and her husband, Sébastien Comtois, performing with Leo Marchildon in a very special performance, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Lucy Maud Montgomery.

Rustico, August 25, and Sept 1.

See article to find out how to get tickets.

Don't miss out on this unique musical experience August 31 in Morell, PEI. Make your Labour Day weekend plans today by purchasing tickets to this high-demand event! 🍃🎶

We have four starting times for you to choose from:
- 1:00 p.m.
- 1:20 p.m.
- 1:40 p.m.
- 2:00 p.m.

Purchase your tickets here: https://peisymphony.com/store

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Land Acknowledgement

In the spirit of Reconciliation, the PEI Symphony Orchestra acknowledges that the land upon which Tuning in to Nature convenes is unceded Mi’kmaq territory. Epekwitk or Prince Edward Island lies within the Mi’kmaq’ki and is covered by the historic Treaties of Peace and Friendship. We pay our respects to the Indigenous Mi’kmaq People who have occupied this Island for over 12,000 years -- past, present, and future.

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A big thank you goes out to our sponsors who have contributed to keeping the music playing!

Points East Coastal Drive | Morell & Area Development Corporation

🎉🎉More Congratulations to our PEI competitors from this week's National Festival Finals!!! This time to

🎶Olivia Zhang (piano)
and
🎶Jacob Reddin (Brass)

who both won second place in their disciplines! Bravo!! 👏👏👏

You can find links to the replay of the Grand Award Competition and the announcement and presentation of awards, along with the Developing Artists showcase video on the National Festival website: https://fcmf.org/nmf2024/

The Grand Award Competition is being live streamed here RIGHT NOW! Tune in to see Samel performing, to see the presentation of awards, and to see who wins 2nd place in each discipline.

Program in comments

- YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

📣📣📣 🎶🎶🎶 🎉🎉🎉
CONGRATULATIONS to PEI's Samel Sunil - Winner of the Musical Theatre class of the FCMF National Music Festival, Emerging Artists Stream!!

Good luck to Samel who will now be competing AGAIN, against all the winners of the other disciplines in the Grand Award Competition concert tomorrow evening.

If you are in or near Sackville, New Brunswick, please come along and support him!

Good luck team PEI!!

I'm so excited to be at Mount Allison University at the first live FCMF National Music Festival since 2019, with these 8 talented musicians, representing PEI in voice, musical theatre, piano, woodwind, brass, and strings in the Emerging Artists Stream.

We have had a very fun start to the 5-day festival today, getting to know the competitors from the other provinces, exploring the campus, and eating pizza!! Tomorrow the competitions and workshops begin!

Go Team PEI!

📣🎉🎶CONGRATULATIONS Adia Laureijs!!! 🎶 🎉📣

1st place winner for Musical Theatre in the National Festival online Developing Artists Stream!!

Adia was recommended to our Provincial Finals from the East Prince Music Festival in May, and our Provincial adjudicators then recommended her to go forward to the National Festival. Adjudications and workshops all took place online this week, and the results were announced in this evening's online showcase, which can be watched on the link I shared earlier this evening.

Well done Adia! 🎉Amazing achievement!

Check in here to see the winners of the online National Festival Developing Artists competition!

Here is the link: https://youtu.be/PKdTF5bpOXY.

Come and support our PEI competitors at the National Festival in Sackville this Sunday and Monday! The full competition schedule and details of how to purchase tickets can be found on the National Festival website (www.fcmf.org/nmf2024/)

Congratulations and good luck to Adia Laureijs, from the East Prince Music Festival, representing PEI in the Musical Theatre class of the online Developing Artists Stream at the National Festival this week!

Congratulations and good luck to Alix Lowe who is representing PEI in the online Developing Artists Stream (Strings) at the National Festival this week!

Congratulations to St. Peter's Cathedral Choir and Fango Choral Ensemble for being selected by our Provincial Festival adjudicators in June to represent PEI in the Ensemble Stream (Community Choirs) of the National Festival, which happened online last week.

Congratulations to the winner of Community Choirs - 19 years & over: Music from the Heart - Raise Your Voice Ladies Choir!

Congratulations to Tony Liang and Bernice Yun, representing PEI in the Developing Artists Stream for Piano at the National Festival!

Just LOOK at this AMAZING program for our concert TODAY!! This is going to be an incredible showcase of our island's advanced-level young musicians, all headed for the National Festival next week!

Please come along to support them and keep spreading the word.

A pdf version of the program is available for download on our website - www.peikmfa.ca

Congratulations to our String performers who have been representing Queens County Music Festival in the non-competitive stream of the National Music Festival this week! Well done Evan and Yvonne!

Congratulations to Ero, Bree, and Jade who represented PEI in the Non-Competitive Piano stream of the National Festival this week!

Congratulations to our local festival performers taking part in the online Non-Competitive Education Stream (Woodwind) of the National Festival this week!
From Queens County Music Festival: Ellery Yu (Clarinet) and Kate Shi (Flute)
From East Prince Music Festival: Adia Laureijs (Flute)

Congratulations to Holly Arthur and Savannah Ohlandt-Kerr from our Kings County Music Festival, who are taking part in the National Festival Non-Competitive Stream Musical Theatre workshops this week!

SUPPORT OUR NATIONAL FESTIVAL PERFORMERS and join us for an afternoon and evening of wonderful music!

Congratulations to these 8 performers from our Provincial Festival finals who will be representing PEI at the live National Festival in Sackville NS at the end of this month.

Next Saturday they will all be performing their full National Festival programs in a series of recitals to raise funds for the expenses they will incur in travelling to the 5-day festival.

Performances will be taking place between 3pm and 8pm, and the audience can enter or leave at any point (between performances). Entry is by donation.

Please come along, and share this flyer far and wide to help get as much support for our performers as we can next weekend!

If you didn't make it to the Under the Spire Festival's Youth Legacy Concert yesterday afternoon, you missed a real treat. These performers did themselves and our festivals proud. Congratulations to all of them for winning Under the Spire performance awards: Olivia Zhang (piano), James Ronahan (Musical Theatre) and Devyn Collette (Alto Saxophone) at our Provincial Finals, and Cole Brioux (Vocal and Guitar) at our Contemporary Styles Festival, and thank you for your wonderful music.

This is always a most amazing concert, in an incredible venue, with a variety of musical styles, featuring award winners from our Provincial and Contemporary Styles festivals, plus a Nova Scotia prizewinner. Many will be competing in the National Festival in July.

Please come along and give these musicians a great audience to perform to. Tickets are "pay what you can" at the door.

A great opportunity here for string and piano players!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PEI Symphony Orchestra Announces New Education Program

PEISO Academy for Young Musicians to foster chamber music ensemble skills among youths

CHARLOTTETOWN, PE — June 10, 2024 — The PEI Symphony Orchestra (PEISO) is proud to launch the PEISO Academy for Young Musicians, a dynamic education program dedicated to fostering the chamber ensemble skills of young musicians aged 18 years and under.

“We are thrilled to launch the Academy for Young Musicians, which promises to bring together budding student musicians on the Island to explore chamber music under the guidance of some of our orchestra’s finest teaching artists,” said PEISO Board President Dr. David Sharpe. “We hope this Academy will help plant the seeds for the future, as our young artists come together to collaborate, grow and form lifelong connections through the power of making music.”

Using the centrally located facilities at The Haviland in downtown Charlottetown, the program will offer weekly small chamber ensemble and musicianship classes tailored for PEI-based students ages 18 years and under. Led by our esteemed PEISO musicians, the program’s initial focus will be on developing small string ensembles, including piano, from two to approximately five players in a group. Financial assistance is available to ensure that the program is accessible to all aspiring musicians, regardless of financial circumstances.

Admission to the program will be through audition, with an anticipated enrollment of 12-16 students starting September 2024. Auditions will be held on the following dates:

- Wednesday, June 26, 4:00-7:00 pm at the Kirk of St. James, Charlottetown
- Sunday, June 30, 1:00-4:00 pm at The Haviland, Charlottetown
- Wednesday, July 3, 4:00-7:00 pm at the Kirk of St. James, Charlottetown

Teaching artists include Natalie Williams Calhoun (cello), Madeline Kapp MacDonald (violin), Jeffrey Bazett-Jones (viola), and Stephanie Cole (piano).

“I'm so excited to get this new PEISO program underway, as chamber music is such an integral part to any students' learning,” said Natalie Williams Calhoun, PEISO principal cellist and co-chair of the musicians’ committee. “I am thrilled to be able to lead students in some exciting repertoire and to discover new things about themselves and their instruments.”

Full program details, audition and eligibility requirements are available online at www.peisymphony.com.

BACKGROUND

The Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra (PEISO) is one of PEI’s most respected performing arts organizations, providing Islanders with vibrant live orchestral experiences including classical, cross-genres, family and chamber-music concerts. Currently entering its 57th season, the PEISO is a proud member of the community and enriches the region through dynamic performances, comprehensive educational activities and impactful community relationships.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Laura Ono
PEI Symphony Orchestra
(902) 892-4333
[email protected]
www.peisymphony.com

Our provincial festival kicks off bright and early tomorrow with an Advanced Organ class at St. Dunstan's Basilica at 8.30am! There will also be String and Piano classes at Dr. Steel Recital Hall, UPEI, starting at 9am, and School Choirs, Voice, Musical Theatre, Brass, and Woodwind classes at Park Royal United Church, starting 9.15am.

It's a jam packed day, finishing with our Community Choir and Musical Theatre evening, starting at 6pm.

It's a steal at just $5 entry for each session (morning, afternoon, or evening)! You don't have to stay for the whole session either - see the website for a full program showing when all the different classes take place, and tell everyone you see to come along to see and hear some incredible performers, and support our island's talented young musicians as they compete in the Provincial Finals of the Kiwanis Music Festival!

Send a message to learn more

So, this happened this morning! Catch Olivia Barnes, our vocal adjudicator, and me, talking about the festival to Matt Rainnie on CBC Radio 1 this afternoon between 4pm and 5pm!

We're so excited! It's nearly Festival time!!

The full listings for all classes and all the other information you need to know about the festival was posted on the website last night. All performers, teachers and accompanist should have received this by email as well. If you did not receive that email, but should have, please check your "Spam" folder. If it is not in there please get in touch and/or check the website. 😀🎶

Send a message to learn more

FINAL SCHEDULE JUST UPLOADED TO THE WEBSITE.

Thankyou for your patience while we dealt with various scheduling dilemmas this week!

More information will be emailed to everyone in the next couple of days so keep checking your emails.

Send a message to learn more