MusicFest Canada is a competition festival

Festival

A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....

, established as the Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 Stage Band

Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...

 Festival (CSBF) in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, in 1972, by Robert Richmond (founding president), Gary Wadsworth, and Paul Miner. A major force in the development of the stage band (an institutionally-based jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 'big band') in Canadian high schools and universities, the CSBF added vocal and concert band components in 1981 and 1986, respectively. MusicFest Canada, introduced as of 1987, embraced the CSBF and what had come to be identified by 1986 as the Canadian Vocal Festival and Canadian Concert Band Festival.

Bands and choirs are adjudicated by noted Canadian and US professionals in the jazz, band, and choral fields. Classifications are either by age (Jazz and Choral) or by an established level set by test piece (Concert Bands and Orchestras). Winning ensembles are ranked according to gold, silver, and bronze; awards and scholarships are also presented.to individual musicians.

National finals

National finals have been held in the spring (usually May) in several Canadian cities. Regional competitions are held during the preceding three months. In 1991, nearly 400,000 musicians participated in the preliminary events; some 8000 (in more than 350 stage and concert bands, jazz combos, and choral groups

Choir

A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...

) 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

Canadian Brass

The Canadian Brass is a brass quintet founded by Dr. Charles Daellenbach and Gene Watts in 1970. In addition to maintaining a heavy international touring schedule, the Canadian Brass have recorded over 80 CDs and DVDs...

, the Humber College Faculty Band, Maynard Ferguson

Maynard Ferguson

Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...

, and Woody Herman

Woody Herman

Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...

 big bands, the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir

Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir

The Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir is a choir from Montreal, Quebec, Canada that sings primarily Gospel music.- Musical career :The choir was founded and directed by Trevor W. Payne in 1982 and gave its first performance at the St. James United Church in Montreal. The first members primarily...

, Oscar Peterson

Oscar Peterson

Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...

, Quazz, UZEB

Uzeb

UZEB was a Canadian jazz fusion band from Montreal, Quebec, who were active from 1976 to 1992. The members were Alain Caron , Michel Cusson , and Paul Brochu . UZEB had a blend of skilled playing and modern synthesized timbres, along with an emphasis on original compositions...

, and others. The festival's closing concert of winning ensembles has been documented by TV specials produced for TVOntario

TVOntario

TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...

, CBC Television

CBC Television

CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...

 and in 1976, 1977 and annually beginning in 1980, CTV

CTV television network

CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...

.

Volunteering

Each year, dedicated individuals put their time, skill and enthusiasm into MusicFest Canada and help to make MusicFest Canada the largest festival of its kind in North America. Some make their volunteerism a yearly ritual!

There are a wide variety of ways in which volunteers can participate - information services, sound and recording technicians, on-site production and hospitality services assistance, communications centre operators, front of house services for our ticketed events and workshops, to name a few.

As a volunteer you have an opportunity to meet new people, expand your skills and have a lot of fun. In addition, this kind of volunteer service can really make your resume shine regardless of the position you work and your next career move. MusicFest Canada volunteers work hard and their behind the scenes efforts ensure that all questions and concerns are answered, performances are on schedule and everyone involved has a great experience. Although it's hard work, it's also a great chance to meet others who share a mutual love for music.

http://www.musicfest.ca/volunteer_join_e.shtml

Host cities

• Toronto
  Toronto
  Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
  
   (1973-7, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003)
• Winnipeg
  Winnipeg
  Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
  
   (1978, 1990)
• Vancouver
  Vancouver
  Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
  
   (1979, at Expo 86, 1991, 1998, 2005, 2007, and 2011)
• Ottawa
  Ottawa
  Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
  
   (1980, 1987, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012)
• Edmonton
  Edmonton
  Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
  
   (1981, 1993)
• Hamilton
  Hamilton, Ontario
  Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
  
   (1982)
• Calgary
  Calgary
  Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
  
   (1983, 1988, 1995, 2002)
• Quebec City
  Quebec City
  Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
  
   (1985)
• Montreal
  Montreal
  Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
  
   (2004)
• Markham
  Markham, Ontario
  Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
  
  (2009)

Presidents

• Robert Richmond (1972-1984)
• John Nikel (1984-1986)
• Allen S. Michalek (1986-1996)
• Tom Glenn (1996-2005)
• Mark Wicken (2005-now)

Executive Director

Jim Howard was appointed national co-ordinator in 1984 and executive director in 1985.

Chairmen

• Neil Yorke-Slader, Instrumental Jazz Division
• John Chalmers, Choral/Vocal Jazz Division
• Bryan Stovell, Concert Band Division
• Wayne Toews, Orchestra/String Festival