MusicFest Canada


MusicFest Canada, originally established as the Canadian Stage Band Festival, is a national educational music festival in Canada. It was founded in 1972 by Robert Richmond, Gary Wadsworth, and Paul Miner. The CSBF added vocal and concert band components in 1981 and 1985, respectively. The name was changed to MusicFest Canada in 1987, embracing the instrumental jazz, concert band and choral/vocal jazz divisions. In 2012, in partnership with the National Arts Centre, they added a 4th orchestra/strings division.
MusicFest Canada is an invitation-only event. Ensembles must earn an invitation by performing at an outstanding level at one of the 54 affiliated festivals from coast to coast. The average attendance at The Nationals is about 8,000.
Ensembles are adjudicated by noted Canadian and U.S. professionals in the jazz, band, orchestra and choral fields. Classifications are either by age or by an established level set by test piece. Performing ensembles are ranked according to gold, silver, and bronze; awards and scholarships are also presented to individual musicians.
In addition, MusicFest hosts 6 national honour ensembles; the Jack Long Honour Band, the Woodshed Canadian Percussion Ensemble, the Thomastik-Infeld Canadian String Orchestra, the Ellison Canadian Concert Choir, the Conn-Selmer Centerstage Jazz Band, and the National Youth Jazz Combo.

National finals

The Nationals are officially held in spring in a select Canadian city. Regional competitions are held in several Canadian cities during the preceding three months. Nearly 250,000 musicians participate annually in the preliminary events; some 8,000 proceeded to the finals.
Activities at the national finals have also included clinics and concerts, the latter offered over the years by the Boss Brass, Gary Burton, Canadian Brass, the Humber College Faculty Band, Maynard Ferguson, and Woody Herman big bands, the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir, Oscar Peterson, Quazz, UZEB, the Swingle Singers, the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Vertical Voices, Sixth Wave, the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Diana Krall, the New York Voices and others. The festival's closing concert of winning ensembles has been documented by TV specials produced for TVOntario, CBC Television and in 1976, 1977 and annually beginning in 1980, CTV.

Host cities

Additionally, the festival was hosted virtually in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Current executives

Jim Howard was appointed as the national co-ordinator in 1984 and the executive director in 1985. In 2016, Neil Yorke-Slader was appointed treasurer and associate director, and later executive director in 2024.

Board and officers

  • Peter Grant, Chairman
  • Colin Clarke, President
  • Carmella Luvisotto, Vice-President
  • Kevin Merkley, Secretary
  • Bryan Stovell, Director
  • Lynne Watt, Director
  • Mark Hopkins, Director
  • Andy Morris, Director
  • Jim Howard, Executive director
  • Neil Yorke-Slader, Treasurer and executive director

    Ensemble leadership

  • Sharon Fitzsimmins, Chair
  • John Chalmers, Chair
  • Tony Leong, Chair
  • Kelsley Grant, Chair
  • Isabelle Brassard-Porter, Vice-Chair
  • Pratik Gandhi, Vice-Chair
  • Scott Leithead, Vice-Chair
  • Frank Lee, Vice-Chair
  • Shirantha Beddage, Vice-Chair
  • Marika Galea, Vice-Chair
  • Donnie Deacon, Vice-Chair
  • Marilyn Mann, Honour Ensembles Coordinator
  • Darryl Ferguson, Co-Director
  • Mark Hopkins, Director
  • Gillian MacKay, Director

    Former executives

Presidents

  • Robert Richmond
  • John Nikel
  • Allen S. Michalek
  • Tom Glenn
  • Mark Wicken
  • Denny Christianson
  • Bryan Stovell