By Tara de Ryk
March 15, 2010

DAVIDSON-This Sunday, March 21, the Central Saskatchewan Music Festival will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

To mark the occasion the festival's committee has planned a celebration in Davidson's Town Hall that will feature performances by a musical theatre group, a district choir of local singers and Frank Lang playing the violin. The anniversary celebration is also time to recognize individuals and groups who made the festival possible, says Nancy Wilkins, president of the Central Saskatchewan Music Festival executive.

She has spent much of the winter working on and writing the history of the music festival. It has meant going through 50 years worth of festival programs, going through local history books, festival records and interviewing festival organizers past and present to compile a comprehensive history.

The anniversary celebration will be a time to remember, reminisce and to add to the history. She invites past performers, teachers, parents and supporters to come and share their memories and reflections.

The success and the longevity of the music festival is something for which the community should take pride.

"To have 50 years of festivals in a community this size is a big achievement," Wilkins says. "To be here after 50 years, knowing what's happened in rural Saskatchewan is phenomenal."

She gives credit to all the music teachers, volunteers and parents over the past years for all their efforts that supported and promoted the musical talents of the region's youngsters.

"Part of the objective is to develop an interest in music, which is life long. We have many kids who have gone through the festival who have gained something from it," Wilkins says.

Some have managed to make their passion for music their life's work.

Scott Gust
Scott Gust, the son of Randy and Judy Gust, made his musical debut performance as a pianist in the Central Saskatchewan Music Festival in 1982. His piano teacher was his aunt Carol Edwards.

Gust competed at the festival through 1998, when he completed his Bachelor of Music (voice performance) degree at the University of Saskatchewan. His performance career took him to Southern Illinois University-Carbondale where he performed and completed graduate studies in opera-music theatre.

He performed with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and the McLeod Summer Playhouse where he performed his favourite role: Herod in "Jesus Christ Superstar".

In 2001 Gust earned his Master of Music degree and in the 2001-2002 season he worked full time in professional music theatre across the U.S. He returned to graduate school at Southern Illinois and earned a PhD in Speech Communication in 2005. He moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where he is an assistant professor of speech communication at Westminster College.

Judith Lindenbaum (nee Holswick)
Judith Holswick began training in singing at the age of eight and participated in her first music festival in 1962, the second year of the festival.

She studied voice with Margaret Boucher, performing in the yearly music festival in piano as well as voice. In 1969, at the age of 15, Judith's talent was well recognized and she continued her studies in Saskatoon with Frances Adaskin.

After graduation in 1972, she pursued her Masters of Music at the University of Alberta. In 1976 she represented Saskatchewan in the National Music Festival in Toronto. Her musical education continued in Germany at Northwest Academy of Music, while studying she also taught voice, piano and performed in concerts and opera.

She studied under internationally known vocal teacher Theo Lindenbaum, learning how to teach singing. She and Lindenbaum later wed. In 1989 the Lindenbaums moved to the Rhineland, where they opened a private studio.

She began teaching at the University of Cologne where she continues to teach today. Lindenbaum has been a soprano soloist in cathedrals and concert halls throughout Europe. Her passion, however, is for pedagogy. She and her co-teacher, the well-known tenor professor Thomas Heyer run a vocal pedagogy workshop in Cologne.

An excerpt of the history of the Central Saskatchewan Music Festival by Nancy Wilkins:
The Central Saskatchewan Music Festival had its beginnings in the fall of 1960 when the executive director of the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association invited Irene Sherlock to create a festival in this central part of the province. Interest was keen with 60 people attending an organizational meeting.
An executive set a date of April 28, 1961 for the first festival.

They received 106 entries from eight communities who competed in piano, voice and instrumental classes, which included a bagpipe class. By 1962 the festival was a three-day event with 216 entries, which included an accordion class, a concert band from both Stalwart and Craik, a Kenaston Wolf Cub Pack Choir, a Davidson CGIT chorus and the Choralettes from Imperial.

A violin class was included in 1963. A male quartet comprised of David, Arthur, Ronald and Donald Hundeby performed in 1965, which is the same year that the speech arts were included.

The festival grew throughout the 1970s, increasing from a one-day competition to four days and a five-day event by 1983. In 2004, reduced entry numbers were reflected in a three-day festival, with a two-day festival being the norm by 2007. There is optimism that the level of support for the festival will ensure its survival into the future.

For the past 50 years a great number of individuals, businesses and organizations from throughout the district have supported the festival with scholarships and operating funds. Over 160 people have served on the executive or committees.

Many music teachers, choir leaders and speech arts teachers from the general public and the school system have ensured that the entry level supports the on-going viability of the festival.

The leaderonline is a division of The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan, Canada.