Delnora Rice, president of the Associated Manitoba Arts Festival (AMAF), discusses the recent May 3 event and its unique approach to showcasing Manitoba’s top young performers.
Students who qualified for the provincial festival were recommended by adjudicators from local events, including the Winnipeg Festival, Portage Festival, and others across the province.
This year, AMAF adjusted its schedule to accommodate advanced students—often university-level performers—who typically leave Manitoba after exams.
"We decided to move the advanced students up earlier to capture them before they go home," Rice says.
"It's still a provincial festival, but that section is separated," she notes.
Held in Portage la Prairie for its central location between Winnipeg and Brandon, the day-long event featured performances, adjudication, and catering.
"We had it in two sessions—piano and horn in the morning, voice and violin in the afternoon," Rice adds.
After each session, students received feedback in a masterclass-style format, followed by refreshments.
While no Portage students participated at the advanced level, local qualifiers will perform at the main provincial festival in Brandon from May 24 to 25.
Monetary awards were given to top performers, though Rice couldn’t recall exact amounts.
"I think maybe like $300 for first, $200 for second," she says.
The pilot event’s success means it will likely continue.
"We’ll reassess, but it looks like we’ll probably still do it," Rice continues. However, audience turnout was limited mostly to families. "We’d like to see more of the public come out to see such an advanced level of performance."
A new approach to showcasing talent
The festival’s experiment highlights efforts to adapt to students’ schedules while maintaining high artistic standards. With plans to refine the format, AMAF aims to grow both participation and public engagement in future years.
The results:
A total of $3,400 given out in Awards.
- Émilie Strain - 1st place recipient Senior Piano
- William Carroll Theuerer - 2nd place recipient Senior Piano
- Eli Granger - 1st place recipient - Senior Brass
- Carrie Chufan Wang - 1st place recipient - Senior Strings
- Hannah Orr - 1st place recipient - Senior Vocal
- Jayden Fraser - 2nd place recipient- Senior Vocal
- Shelby English - 3rd place recipient- Senior Vocal