A festival showcasing hundreds of different musical and spoken art performances kicked off this week.
the Edmonton Music and Speech Arts Festivalformerly known as the Kiwanis Music Festival, features various performances, ranging from musical theatre, orchestra, guitar, piano, Shakespearean works, and singing in its 114th iteration.
Heather Bedford-Clooney, the festival’s executive director, said the event features performers of all ages, from four-year-olds starting to play piano to an opera class made up of seniors.
“There’s just about anything,” Bedford-Clooney said. “What is significant about it is that it gives young people and beginning adults an opportunity to perform in a good space and to learn from seasoned adjudicators and be encouraged.”
All events are free to attend as an audience member and will be in-person, except for orchestra, choir, and band performances.
“I think the interesting thing about this is the number of people who have gone on to have famous careers that really got their start here,” Bedford-Clooney added.
“You come down and watch some of these kids, and how poised they are and how well they perform. It makes you feel pretty hopeful for society.”
The festival runs until May 1.