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New vocal arts festival more about education than competition by John Bkila Oakville Beaver Staff 47 | Thursday, November 19, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com A new vocal arts festival will be centred on celebrating "the joy of singing," rather than competition, according to its president Linda Fletcher. The Oakville Vocal Arts Festival (OVAF) kicked off Wednesday (Nov. 18) and runs until Saturday , Nov. 28 -- with more than 90 young singers already entered. "There has not been a music festival in Oakville for almost 50 years -- my mom was president of the Halton music festival at least 50 years ago," said Fletcher, who founded OVAF along with Marnie Kersten (artistic director) and Natalie Spurrell (festival coordinator). "Between 50-75 per cent of the singers in other local festivals -- Burlington, Peel and Milton -- are from Oakville. So, a group of singing teachers in the area decided it was time to have a music festival in Oakville." Linda Fletcher All the teachers involved in the inaugural OVAF are members of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association, Hamilton/Halton branch. Fletcher is an active member of the Oakville music community, having worked as a teacher, composer, singer, adjudicator, clinician, accompanist and music director. In 2006, she was the recipient of the Pauline McGibbon Lifetime Achievement in the Arts award, presented at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. Fletcher said she and OVAF Marnie Kersten organizers wanted to have a festival that was less about competition and more about education. "Our key words are encourage, educate and inspire," she said. "(And) the students and parents have been so supportive and excited about our new noncompetitive festival. We want all the students to support and encourage each other." The OVAF is put on in partnership with the Oakville Arts Council and the Ontario Music Festivals Association (OMFA). It will have three adjudicators: Irene Ilic (for voice), Marie Natalie Spurrell Baron (music theatre) and Tyler Seidenberg (singer/songwriter). "The (OMFA) was very encouraging in helping us to start a new music festival in Oakville," said Fletcher. Each session during the festival will end with workshops for the students to work with the adjudicator. It will also feature classes in music theatre, classical voice, folksongs, sacred solos, Canadian composer and family ensembles, and singer/songwriter classes designed for budding young composers. OVAF will be held at the Central Baptist Church, 340 Rebecca St., from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., each day. On Saturday, Nov. 28, also at 6:30 p.m., there will be performances by singer/ songwriter and family ensembles, selected student duets and by Spurrell Studio Choir, which will be made up of many of the students performing in the festival earlier in the week, according to Fletcher. Because it was the inaugural year, organizers said they wanted to start off small, but plan to open up the festival to more local teachers for their students to participate in next year. A website for the festival is currently under development at www. oakvillevocalartsfestival.ca. General $8.50 | Children & Seniors $6.50 | All seats Tues $5.00 NEW ThiS WEEK: MOCKiNGJAY PART 2, ThE SECRET iN ThEiR EYES, GRANDMA. ThE GOOD DiNOSAUR STARTS WEDNESDAY! Sat: 11:30, 1:30 ShOWTiMES fOR NOvEMbER 20 - 26 A Christmas Story (PG) FREE with Food oR toy donation The Good Dinosaur (G) Grandma (14A) FRi - Sat: 3:15, 7:00 wEd - thu: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:15 Sun: 3:15 Mon - tuE: 3:15, 7:00 Sat: 11:45, 2:00 Home Alone (PG) FREE with Food oR toy donation Creative hub of brain one of last parts affected by disease continued from p.46 ficial to someone living with Alzheimer's even long after they've been diagnosed. "The brain was designed to be extremely creative," she explained. "The creative hub of the brain is one of the very last parts that is affected by this disease, which is the reason people can continue to be creative long into the onset of (it)." She goes on to say people living with the Alzheimer's often forget words and have challenges expressing themselves verbally, but "the amazing thing... is that art bypasses the need for words." "One connects with the art on a very emotional level.... The actual act of doing the art has a very meditative and relaxing quality, and offers the person with Alzheimer's a space to create and express in a very different way than society often dictates," said Hewis. The art therapist noted she has worked with a number of couples whose lives have been affected by the disease and said art can create some "very beautiful and touching moments." "It's beautiful to see a family member create art in the midst of living with it, and be able to see their loved ones able to watch them through this process," Hewis added. Oakville Galleries plans to host four workshops at its Gairloch Gardens location (1306 Lakeshore Rd. E.), and has already started booking seminars at local retirement homes and community centres. Currently, workshops are scheduled to run at Oakville Galleries on Mondays from 1-3 p.m. on Nov. 23, Dec. 14 and Jan. 18, 2016. Anyone interested in participating in the program can call 905-8444402 or email education@ oakvillegalleries.com. The end goal, according to Underhill, is to have an exhibition of the participants' works featured at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre sometime in February 2016. As for Shone and Hutchison, they immediately said they would be enrolling in the art program again, when asked. "We hope the word gets out... it really is a great program," Shone added. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (PG) FRi - tuE: 12:45, 3:40, 6:45, 8:45, 9:40 wEd - thu: 12:45, 3:40, 6:45, 9:40 The Peanuts Movie (G) Remember (14A) FRi: 1:00, 5:00 FRi: 1:15, 3:30, 6:30, 8:30 Sat: 12:30, 2:30, 4:30, 6:30, 8:30 Mon - tuE: 1:15, 3:30, 6:30, 8:30 Sun: 12:30, 2:30, 4:30, 6:30 thu: 1:15, 3:30, 6:30, 8:30 wEd: 1:15, 3:30, 6:30 Sat: 5:00 Sun-thu: 1:00, 5:00 FRi: 1:20, 4:30, 7:20, 9:45 Sat - Sun: 4:30, 7:20, 9:45 wEd: 1:20, 4:30, 9:45 Mon - tuE: 1:20, 4:30, 7:20, 9:45 thu: 1:20, 4:30, 7:20, 9:45 The Secret in Their Eyes (14A) Spectre (PG) Sun: 1:00 FRi - thu: 1:10, 4:10, 7:10, 10:10 The Winter's Tale (G) wEd: 7:00 171 Speers Road, Oakville (at Kerr St.) | 905-338-6397 (MEWS) www.film.ca presents ... Saturday, Nov. 28 2:00 & 7:30 pm Tickets $20.00 ClearView Christian Reformed Church 2300 Sheridan Garden Dr., Oakville special guest artist ... Marta Greda-Kicek Operatic Soprano www.circleofharmony.ca Available online at: at Partial proceeds to be donated to an Oakville charity.