K.S.S. music program students recently traveled to the ninth annual Powell River Vocal Summit hosted by the Max Cameron High School music program. The festival was noncompetitive, giving students a chance to perform in front of an audience of their peers and be adjudicated by professional musicians from all across the Pacific Northwest. Adjudicators this year included Frank DeMiero, Vijay Singh, and Jim Sparks.
   Three K.S.S. choirs attended the festival, performing on Friday and Saturday. During the two-day festival a total of 32 student choirs performed. Peter Taylor, the festival organizer and music teacher at Max Cameron has a reputation not only for holding one the best choral festivals in British Columbia but also for booking amazing groups to perform at the nightly festival concerts. This year’s concerts were phenomenal, featuring the Central Washington University Vocal Jazz, Powell River’s own Soundtrax, the Max Cameron Chamber Choir and the all male A Capella quintet, M-Pact, from Seattle. Students learn not only from the experience of performing and being adjudicated but also from the experience of just watching and listening.

   The concert choir was the first to perform on Friday at 11:00 am with Phil Lam singing a solo introduction to, “Ave Maria.” The newest addition to the music program, the chamber choir, performed at 2:00pm; this group is made up of 14 dedicated members and sings more challenging literature. On Saturday the K.S.S. Sr. Vocal Jazz performed at 1:15 pm. Soloists featured were Brittany Magor-Clark, Crystal Large, Steve Randall, and Daniel Walsh in, “Bim Bom,” and Heather Skipsey in, “You Don’t Remember Me.” Music students are now looking forward to competing at MusicFest Canada in Toronto this coming May.

By Heather Skipsey