ESTEVAN – The Estevan and District 2025 Music Festival is set to bring a diverse lineup of young local talents, who will be adjudicated by acclaimed musicians from Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The 61st festival will run from March 30 to April 8.
This year’s festival adjudicators are tenor Spencer McKnight, conductor and educator Dr. Mark Tse, cellist Leanne Zacharias, and pianists Janis Smith and Dr. Daniel Tselyakov. The event, which requires months of preparation and volunteer efforts, will offer participants an opportunity to learn from some of Canada’s top musicians.
The festival opens March 30 to April 1 with McKnight, who has been praised as one of Canada’s finest tenor voices. McKnight began singing at the age of 17. He was encouraged to pursue music by an adjudicator who heard him sing at his local music festival. His passion for music finds him frequently immersed in the music of Handel, Rossini and Britten.
McKnight has garnered much attention both in concert and in competition over the course of the last six years, including multiple awards at a national level, and the 2018 winner of the Gordon C. Wallis Opera Competition. Though early in his career, McKnight has had the opportunity to sing a wealth of oratorio repertoire, and had recent engagements with the Regina and Saskatoon Symphony Orchestras. He’s recently toured with a recital program Songs of the Great War, which featured songs from the World War I era, including the Canadian premieres of two songs by composer William Dennis Browne.
Some of McKnight’s engagements included the role of Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni in Italy summer 2019, and the North American premiere of Rebecca Dale’s Materna Requiem with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra.
Next on the festival agenda, from April 1 to 3, Tse will bring his expertise in conducting and instrumental education. As an assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Tse leads the university’s symphony orchestra and is known for his commitment to inclusivity in music. He has earned accolades at the American Prize competition, placing in multiple categories for wind ensemble conducting.
The festival continues April 4 with Zacharias, an interdisciplinary artist recognized for her innovative collaborations. She has performed in unique spaces, including the Canadian Museum of Human Rights and Winnipeg Symphony’s New Music Festival. A faculty member at Brandon University, she has also adjudicated and taught at national and international music academies.
Smith will adjudicate beginner piano on April 7 and 8. A highly regarded music educator, Smith has been teaching piano since 1982 and has played a significant role at the University of Regina’s Conservatory of Performing Arts. Her experience includes adjudicating competitions and serving on various arts organization boards.
The festival concludes with Tselyakov, a pianist recognized for his technical mastery and emotional depth. Having studied under renowned pianists in Canada and the U.S., he has performed internationally with orchestras and chamber ensembles. Tselyakov is also the co-artistic director of the Clear Lake Chamber Music Festival and teaches at Brandon University’s School of Music.
For more details on awards, check the Estevan and District Music Festival page.
