Rotary Music Festival of Stephenville-Our Story
Stephenville Rotary Music Festival-Our Story
The first Stephenville Rotary Music Festival took place in 1975. It was a two-day event. At the time, the Arts and Culture Center did not exist and the events took place at the Zion Pentecostal Church Annex, The W.E. Cormack Academy, and what was then known as the Adult Center, Building 509. (Now the College of the North Atlantic). Some three hundred entrants took part in the first Festival. The Festival originally expected about 30 – 40 entries. The final concert was known as “Stars of the Festival”
The primary objectives of the Rotary Music Festival:
- To enhance an appreciation of our Province’s astounding cultural background.
- To discover and encourage musical talent in young and old
- To make available to those who compete, the constructive evaluation of musicians from professionals in the field
- To so enthuse those, whose talents justify it, that they may finally enter the profession of music teaching to direct and forward the training of others.
- To give some assistance through the awarding of scholarships to those who desire to further develop their musical knowledge and talents
- To revive interest in choral, instrumental, and dramatic speech performance.
- To promote greater joy and happiness to our Province by promoting musical talent.
The Stephenville Rotary Music Festival is affiliated with and a member of the Newfoundland Federation of Music Festivals.
Through this membership, performers at the Stephenville Rotary Music Festival can be recommended to perform at the Provincial Level. Performers at the Provincial Festival are eligible for recommendation to perform and compete at the National level.
In 1980, at the sixth annual Festival, Perpetual Trophies were awarded for the first time in the following categories: Best Piano, Best Choral, and Best in the Festival. The following years saw the addition of Best Vocal, Best Instrumental, Best Choral Speech, and Best Band. These trophies remain displayed at the Stephenville Arts and Culture Center. The names of the winners each year are printed on a small plaque attached to the trophy.
In 1984, a competitive element was added to the Festival. Competitors, 13 years of age and over, participated in competitive entries with awards and certificates presented to the three entrants with the highest marks. In 1990, the best overall trophy was replaced with the Rose Bowl Competition.
The awarding of the Rose Bowl is one of the highlights at the conclusion of the Festival. Competitors for the Rose Bowl must be at least thirteen years of age. Selections for the Rose Bowl competition must meet specified criteria and must include a sight-reading component. For a complete list of past recipients visit the Rose Bowl Winners page
During peak times, the Festival grew to include between two to three thousand participants.
From 1975 to 2018, a non-Rotarian member of the Community served as the Festival’s Executive Secretary. The Stephenville Rotary Club salutes and expresses sincere thanks to the past Executive Secretaries:
From 2019 a Community Steering Committee, chaired or co-chaired by a member of the Rotary Club of Stephenville or a community leader, organizes and manages the Festival and the position of Executive Secretary was dissolved.
While many people have been involved in the support and promotion of the Stephenville Rotary Music Festival, one person who deserves recognition is Mrs. Jean House. Jean’s zeal and commitment to music in the Bay St. George area are unparalleled. Jean was the founding member of the Festival and has continued to provide help and guidance throughout the life of the Festival especially in the area of syllabus development. Jean has been a dedicated teacher and mentor to many of our Festival participants.
Although we cannot present concrete numbers, we are aware that many of the Festival participants have gone on to pursue careers in the field of Music.
In particular, the Stephenville Rotary Music Festival was honored to welcome back the following two adjudicators who were regular competitors in the Festival during their development years in Stephenville
Debra Davis Scruto, as a little girl, was a performer in the very first Festival held in Stephenville. In 2015, in the Festival’s 40th Anniversary, Debra returned to adjudicate the Festival’s piano performances. Debra completed major university studies in Music and is a piano instructor and vocal coach in the United States.
In 2014, Andrea Penney adjudicated the Festival’s vocal performances. Andrea completed her university studies in music and has been teaching music in New Brunswick.
Two of the Festival’s more recent participants worthy of mention are (1) Evan Smith who is a leading performer with the Spirit of Newfoundland Productions in St. John’s, NL, and (2) Stephen Eckert who just graduated with a Masters in Piano Performance at the University of Ottawa and successfully pursued a Doctoral designation.
The Stephenville Rotary Music Festival launched in 1975 was held every year with the following exceptions: The 2013 Festival was suspended due to scheduling issues and the 2020-22 Festivals were interrupted by COVID-19.
The Rotary Club of Stephenville, through its organization of annual Music Festivals, has played a major role in the development of music appreciation and performance in the Bay St. George area. With Community support and interest, it is Rotary’s plan to continue this community service aimed at the music development of youth in the area.