Rawson, Cowan continue festival dominance at Rosetown music event

By Ian MacKay

Madison Rawson won the speech arts prize for a fifth consecutive time and Kensie Cowan captured her fourth straight instrumental award during the music festival last week.

Cowan, performing on flute and piano, and Rawson, performing Magic, a poem she wrote, took home two of the four Anniversary trophies awarded to the most promising performers at the Rosetown and District Music Festival.

Kensie Cowan (L), for instrumental, Madison Rawson, for speech arts, and Giovanni Rinaldi, for piano received Anniversary trophies as the most promising performers of the Rosetown and District Music Festival at the awards concert on Thursday night. Iain St. John, who couldn’t attend the concert, was named the most promising vocal performer. ROSETOWN AND DISTRICT MUSIC FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION

Garren Cordes recites The Sock Monster during the music festival awards concert last Thursday at the Alliance Church. Cordes received an adjudicator’s choice festival award. Photo by Ian MacKay

Elliot Mourre performs Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis during the Rosetown and District Music Festival awards concert last Thursday evening at the Alliance Church. Mourre received a Prosperity Credit Union Scholarship. Photo by Ian MacKay

Isabelle Sparks sings Thank You Jesus for the Blood during the Rosetown and District Music Festival awards concert at the Alliance Church last Thursday evening. Sparks earned the Rosetown Lions Club scholarship and the Gertrude Harvey award for outstanding achievement. Photo by Ian MacKay

Iain St. John won the vocal Anniversary award and Giovanni Rinaldi captured the piano prize in the event staged annually by the district music teachers association.

Cowan also received the Wallis Memorial/Rosetown Music Festival prize and the Graham E. Staples award, while Rawson also earned the Cheryl Pearce and Sacred Reading honours.

Kiersten de Coninck Smith, Isabelle Sparks and Mya Nickel shared the Glen and Kay Thrasher Memorial Scholarship for combining musical performance with volunteer work. Seven students applied, festival president Claire Seibold said later.

Sparks also received the Rosetown Lions Club scholarship and the Gertrude Harvey award for outstanding achievement.

Kaylee Cowan took home the Rosetown Accounting and RBC scholarships for piano work, and the Shanidar Funeral Services and Rosetown Kinsmen Club awards for her achievements on flute.

Elliot Mourre earned a Prosperity Credit Union award.

Neda Robertson won the Rosetown Canadian Legion award and, with brother Naim, the Senecal Family Scholarship.

Ella Kadler earned the Rosetown Medical Group vocal award.

Rebecca Nunweiler received the Youngplants and Brenda Hamilton awards, and Andrea Nunweiler captured a music festival prize for performing a work by a Saskatchewan composer.

Harrison Wiebe won Prosperity Credit Union and music festival prizes but could not perform.

Mya Nickel received the Julia Graham/Music Festival Scholarship.

Kiersten de Coninck Smith received the Eleanor (Granny) de Coninck Smith Memorial Scholarship, performing Zimmer’s Up and Down in a duet with mother Chantel de Coninck Smith.

Carson Forsyth won the SafeScene award for speech arts by a Walter Aseltine School student.

More than 60 students from the school took part in speech arts, compared to about eight last year, thanks to instruction and encouragement from Brenda Ormsby of Eston, Seibold said.

Walter Aseltine choirs earned the Rosetown Kinsmen Club award and the W. M. Scott Shield.

Alexander Schmidt won the Knights of Columbus award.

Roquet Sedgwick earned the Mabel and Bill Trayhorne Memorial Prize.

Sage Aylward captured the adjudicator’s choice festival prize.

Felix Ledding and Hugh Cressman won the Gloria Nickell Award for piano duet.

Alicia Cressman received the Emily Reed Joy of Music Award.

Laura Omeke captured the Rosetown Community Theatre and Royal Purple Elks Lodge awards for speech arts.

Marcus Batallones won the Charles Birss Memorial Award.

Aubrey Keith took home the Shirley Helgason Memorial Prize as a young performer showing promise.

Gabrielle Decker won the Allison Hamilton Laughren Memorial Scholarship.

Rowan Klassen earned the Catholic Women’s League award.

Macie Kadler captured the Rosetown Natural Health award.

Elisha Ragragio took home the Rosetown Mainline Chrysler prize.

Garren Cordes received an adjudicator’s choice festival award.

Meredith Wiens won the Rosetown Mainline Motor Products prize for senior sonata or sonatina.

Janie Wiebe earned the Edna Hay Memorial Award.

Ivy Wiebe, who could not attend, won the Beta Sigma Phi award for 13-and-under solo.

Lilah Loewen received the Catholic Women’s League award for sacred piano solo.

Rhett Klassen captured a Prosperity Credit Union award for a performer nine years old or younger.

Loewen, Nickel, Ragragio, St. John, Rawson, Sparks, Janie Wiebe, Macie Kadler, Neda Robertson and the Cowan sisters all received recommendations to compete in the provincial music festival in Saskatoon in June.