The Cowichan Music Festival has been shining a light on the valley's future rising stars for 76 years.
"The Cowichan Music Festival has a rich heritage that has been community based for 76 years," said CMF president Carol Newington. "This festival could not happen without the dedication of our volunteers and sponsors, and all of the sponsor dollars stay within the community. We are a closed festival which means that participants must either live or train in CVRD. We are so fortunate to have local sponsors who are enthusiastic to support our local talent."
The 76th annual Cowichan Music Festival got underway this year on Feb. 11 starting with performances in the Vocal category, held at Duncan United Church. This weekend community members can still catch performances by these skilled students who have been working hard all year in the categories of Piano and Musical Theatre at Duncan United Church on Feb. 21 and 22 beginning at 9 a.m. and running until mid-afternoon. Elementary and secondary school bands perform at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre on Feb. 26 beginning with Duncan Christian School at 9:15 a.m.
"This is an opportunity for each participant to showcase their hard worked art in front of their family and friends," said Newington.
This year's Gala Recital will be held on March 2 at 2 p.m., at Duncan United Church, and the highly anticipated annual Highlights Concert will take place the following evening on the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre stage at 6:30 p.m. The top representatives that will be going to the 2025 Performing Arts BC Festival, which will be held in Victoria in June, will take the stage at both the Gala and Highlights concerts.
As the regular festival begins to winds down on Feb. 26 concert goers can still purchase a 'Festival Pass' for $25 which will allow them to see all performances over the weekend and on the 26th. Admission for the Gala concert on March 2 is $5, and tickets for the Highlights Concert on March 3 are $20 for adults and $10 for children. All tickets can be purchased in person at the CPAC box office. For a full schedule and more information visit cowichanmusicfestival.com
"I hope our audiences enjoy the performances and take away just how many wonderful talented youth we have in this community," said Newington.
