Vocalist Katie Franchetto performs Bluebird by Rudolph Schirmer on Monday at St. Barnabas Church during the Rotary Music Festival.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
The Medicine Hat Rotary Music Festival for 2025 opened Sunday afternoon on a high note, with the finest young vocalists the region can gather.
As a member of the Medicine Hat College Girls Choir, vocalist Katie Franchetto says that even when she’s not singing, she is probably still singing. So far, she’s sung three pieces for the festival, and has two more to go, though these will be in the Musical Theatre class.
“This is my first year doing musical theatre, and I have musical theatre experience, just not with Rotary. So I’m very excited, very nervous. They’re both quite difficult pieces, so I’m gonna try my best,” said Franchetto.
As far as the pieces she’s already performed, she feels she’s done well, and is proud of her work, especially on facets she admits she usually struggles with, such as her dynamics.
“My first piece was really early in the morning, so we had to warm up at 6 a.m. and wake up very early, and then I sang, and then I went to school, did a math test, came right back here for my last class of the day,” said Franchetto. Her pieces included “Wade in the Water,” an African folk song, and “Bluebird” by Rudolph Schirmer.
The two pieces are vastly different, said Franchetto, in order to help demonstrate her range.
“I really like Bluebird because it tips into my high register and helps me flutter up there, because I am a soprano,” said Franchetto. “And Wade in the Water, I like because it’s very soulful. I do sometimes like using my chest voice and dipping into my lower register, but not usually, so that was what that one was to help push me out of my comfort zone.”
She says her adjudicator was “just the best,” and was grateful for the pointers, which she feels will help her when the time comes for her to take on her Musical Theatre performances later in the week.
Vocal performances continue at St. Barnabas Church today, as well as Speech performances at the Black Box Theatre in the MHC Cultural Centre. Both categories will run from 9 a.m. to noon, and then 1-4 p.m.
