The on-line registration for the 86th Kelowna Kiwanis Music Festival is now open.
Anyone wanting to register can do so at kelownakiwanisfestival.com.
Deadline for entries is Jan. 31 and payment can be made by PayPal.
The festival could not exist without the strong support of volunteers, as well as the ongoing assistance from the City of Kelowna, Astral Media and The Daily Courier, said Marvin Dickau, executive director of the board.
The new year also marks an addition to the support team – Sandman Inns is offering discounted room rates for festival participants and their families.
The new arts facility in East Kelowna, Bottega, has agreed to host all disciplines, except concert bands, which will continue to be hosted at Creekside Theatre in Lake Country.
Having all classes in one place is a tremendous boon for the festival, adjudicators and participants. Rooms are available for three classes to be held at once, cutting down on travel time from discipline to discipline.
The main room houses a Steinway 9-foot concert grand piano, the first in Kelowna.
Bottega is situated on wooded acreage, offering a peaceful and serene setting. It is also a working Alpaca farm.
Adjudicators this year are: Fiona Blackburn, voice; Barbara McDougal, strings; Greg Caisley, piano; Sherilyn Fritz, composition; Ron Goddard, woodwinds and brass; Tom Klassen, choral; Sarah Morie-Jones, speech arts; David Proznick, concert bands.
Plans are also under way for two fund raising events in February and May.
The festival runs April 9-27, with a gala concert on April 29.