Charles Hays musicians steal the show at Pacific Northwest Music Festival – The Northern View

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Charles Hays Secondary School’s concert and jazz bands earned silver at the prestigious Pacific Northwest Music Festival in Terrace this April.
The jazz band also received the top mark in the Senior Jazz division.
“Everyone did very well. And I got a lot of really good feedback from the adjudicators—the people who were evaluating the band,” said Daniel Sim, band teacher at the secondary school.
About 18 students participated in both categories, rehearsing twice weekly before school to achieve the accolades.
Charles Hays Secondary School’s concert band showcased pieces such as “Red Giant,” “Chasing the Sunlight,” and “Peacemaker March,” while the jazz band performed selections including “In a Mellow Tone,” “Night,” and “Chili Today, Hot Tamale.”
The Pacific Northwest Music Festival, a prominent annual event in Terrace for the past 54 years, is a highly competitive festival affiliated with Music Fest Canada. Participants range in age from toddlers to retirees. They come from across the region, a 400km radius, including Smithers, Houston, Prince Rupert, Kitimat, and the Nass Valley.
Spanning 17 days, it is the region’s largest event of its kind, as mentioned on its website. Last year, the festival saw over 1,400 entries across various performing arts disciplines, including dance, speech arts, piano, strings, guitar, band, and choral. Due to various entries featuring multiple participants, such as duets, trios, bands, choirs, and dance groups, the festival showcased approximately 4,000 performers on stage.
Local individuals and businesses typically sponsor over 130 awards, scholarships, and trophies.
The Festival Society is an entirely volunteer-run, non-profit, community-based organization.
“Although it is a competitive event, the main focus of the festival is as a learning and growth experience for the participants, rather than a formal competition,” said the society on its website.
About the Author: Radha Agarwal, Local Journalism Initiative
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