Rotary Festival Rose Bowl competition returns Friday

By James Tubb on March 15, 2024.

NEWS PHOTO ANNA SMITH Flutist Tanya Archary plays her solo for the 2024 Rotary Music Festival. This marks her first performance during an in-person festival.

As the 2024 Medicine Hat Rotary Music Festival draws to a close, all eyes move towards Friday evening for this year’s Rose Bowl.

This year marks the 69th year of the Rotary Club’s sponsorship of the festival, with the Rose Bowl beginning at 7 p.m at College Theatre.

The Rose Bowl is a chance for the best of the best to compete against each other, said Executive Director Delynne Lorentzen.

“So every discipline has one recommendation for the Rose Bowl. So the adjudicator will listen to all of the performances, and then they will select the overall best performer and that person gets a spot at the Rose Bowl,” said Lorentzen.

The best overall performer receives the Rose Bowl Trophy, and, of course, a $1,000 scholarship.

“It’s kind of a fun concert because you’re getting a glimpse of every single discipline that’s in the festival, and you’re getting a really good performance from everyone too,” said Lorentzen. “It’s a wonderful thing to come to because it’s free admission and you get to see what the kids in the community in the arts are doing, something of a glimpse of the music scene amongst the kids in Medicine Hat.”

The winners of the competition will be kept secret until Sunday’s Stars of the Festival Concert, which will take place at St. Barnabas.