News: 2019-2020
Piano Adjudicator
A self-described new music explorer, Canadian pianist Everett Hopfner is celebrated for his passionate and inventive performances.
Committed to education, Everett currently serves as director of the Eckhardt-Gramatté Conservatory of Music and teaches sessionally at Brandon University. He enjoys sharing his enthusiasm, imagination and constructive pedagogical approach with musicians of all levels in workshops, festivals and masterclasses.
Vocal/Choral Adjudicator
Loretta Thorleifson attained a B. Ed. in Music at the University of Manitoba under the mentorship of Henry Engbrecht, and has been privileged to be involved in choral music ever since. She has taught choral music extensively at the Junior High and High School Levels, and her choral experience has spanned everything from teaching and directing a children’s choir in Botswana, to a vocal jazz ensemble on Parliament Hill.
She directed the choral program at Garden Valley Collegiate in Winkler for many years, where she grew the program to three concert choirs and two vocal jazz ensembles. Here, she became the founding director of the “Inversions”, who in 2003 were invited to be the representative Manitoba choir at the National Unisong Festival held in Ottawa on Canada Day.
Loretta has enjoyed acting as a guest conductor and adjudicator at numerous choral events and festivals throughout Manitoba, and was pleased to have conducted the Intermediate Provincial Honour Choir several years ago. She was also privileged to conduct the adult chamber choir Prairie Singers for many years.
Loretta has studied voice with Henriette Schellenberg of Winnipeg, and enjoys teaching voice privately and singing in choirs herself, including the Mennonite Festival Chorus which regularly performs together with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Loretta has been privileged to act as president of the Manitoba Choral Association, and continues to support and celebrate the Manitoba artistic community as a board member of Associated Manitoba Arts Festivals, through her work with the Central Manitoba Choral Association, and as president of her local festival committee. She and her husband Al perform with a Celtic/folk quartet called On the Edge and she still loves to sing with her four sisters, as she has been doing since her earliest days.
Adjudicators
November 18, 2019
We are excited to start yet another year as the Winkler Festival of the Arts. Please join us in welcoming this year's adjudicators to our community.
This year's adjudicators are as follows:
Vocal/Choral - Loretta Thorleifson
Piano - Everett Hopfner
More information will be posted soon!
Addendum
January 1st, 2019
Hi all,
We just wanted to highlight some of the new items listed in this year's addendum.
Adult Duet Class - This year we have introduced a non-competitive adult duet class for the piano discipline.
Please note that there is only ONE ENTRY DEADLINE THIS YEAR!!
Piano & Vocal entry form deadline is January 22nd, 2020.