NIPAWIN — While in-person attendance is restricted, members of the community can check out local classical talent at the Nipawin Music Festival as they broadcast their finals over Zoom on March 30.
Myra Schmidt, the festival’s secretary, said as part of the restrictions only 30 people can enter the session room, and tools such as pianos require regular sanitization.
“You can’t actually have any spectators this year in venue sessions,” Schmidt said. “The nice thing is the adjudicators can be here and speak in-person to the students and see them live where some festivals just went virtual right away, like the students send in their recordings.”
Schmidt said the pandemic did impact competitor attendance, with the festival being down about 20 to 30 per cent. This is consistent with the other festivals across the province, including Melfort.
All the performances may be viewed on nipawinmusicfestival.ca/zoom-links. The link for the finals will become active at 7 p.m. on March 30.
Other events include the guitar, winds, brass and percussion, which will take place on March 25 starting at 1:30 p.m.; and piano on March 25 to 27, starting at 9 a.m.
Schmidt said once the Zoom show is over, there isn’t a plan in place to post the videos elsewhere.
The festival remarks will be emailed or mailed to the competitors after the event is completed.
“They do know they win if they win first or second place, it’s just they won’t receive the certificate right here at the venue if they win,” she said.
Only competitors, adjudicators, teachers, volunteers and festival committee members will be admitted to the in-person venues.
