The annual Music Festival saw over 400 entries of talented young musicians perform for adjudicators, and the two-week event wrapped up on Apr. 14 with the presentation of the final awards show.
The festival began with a choral portion on Apr. 1 & 2, then moved on to the vocal, strings, piano, musical theatre, and band performances on Apr. 6-14. Each performer worked with adjudicators to hone and perfect their technique, performance, and confidence, with the hopes of winning one of the many awards and scholarships.
Brooke Zarubin, long-time participant in the Music Festival, took home five awards and scholarships this year.Brooke Zarubin, recipient of several scholarships and awards, was pleased to have taken part in this year’s festival once again. Zarubin has been performing for nearly ten years and was recognized several times this year for her prowess in both vocals and piano.
To her, music is a meaningful connection she gets to make with those who support her and watch her perform.
“I just think it's a blessing. I'm going to tear up talking about it. . . I was blessed with the gift of music and I love sharing that with other people,” said Zarubin. “Like the scholarships are nice, but for me, it's about sharing my music with other people.”
This is not Zarubin’s first festival; she’s been participating since she was very young, and she’s greatly enjoyed the experience she’s had.
“I think it's a really good experience. I've met a lot of really close friends here,” said Zarubin. “I can thank the Music Festival for some of the relationships I've built and it's nice to be able to support each other, you know. Some of these people, they're some of my best friends, but I only see them at music festivals.”
