Vanier Hosts MusicFest Québec during March Break for the 15th Year

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The Vanier College Music Department is set to welcome over 5,300 elementary and high school students from all over the province to this year’s MusicFest Québec to be held March 18 to March 21.

Students from everywhere
Students from as far as Mont-Joli, Québec, Gatineau, and Mont-Tremblant will be performing in 127 ensembles featuring symphony and chamber orchestras, concert bands, choirs and classical guitar ensembles.  Seven of these ensembles will be representing such Anglophone schools as John Rennie, Westwood, Saint-Lambert and Lakeside Academy.

A festival with a difference
Generally each musical group performs a maximum of three pieces in front of two adjudicators and is evaluated according to the quality of their own performance and the given criteria in the evaluation form.  After the performance one of the evaluators meets with each group in a workshop and comments on the technique, interpretation and attitude of the performance.  At the end of the process the jury attributes the performing group with one of the following mentions: Gold, Silver, or Bronze, and the musical director of the group receives a certificate attesting the mention obtained.

Judges and music specialists
The panel of judges this year will include Vanier cello teacher Christopher Best and former brass teacher Alain Cazes, as well as a number of music specialists who have given workshops at Vanier in recent years. More than 100 student volunteers will be involved as guides, security, program announcers and entertainers.

Starting Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Performances will begin on Tuesday, March 18th in both the Auditorium A-103 and Recital room A-250, following which the performers will be given the workshop in another venue, ending with a group photo in the Student Mall, which will also house displays by some of the festival sponsors such as Groupe Archambault, Twigg Musique, and J.C.L. Cartier.

Highlight of the year for visiting students 
“These visiting students have been preparing their performances since September and we encourage and applaud their dedication, discipline and team spirit,” says Nadia Turbide, Coordinator of the Vanier Music Department.

Concerts every day from 9am to 5pm
Check the daily schedules for the times and names of schools performing.  Performances run every day from 9 am to 5 pm, except the first day when performances begin at 10 am.  Open to the public.