W. Kelowna pianist top achiever at Kiwanis Festival
West Kelowna’s Evelyn Krieger, 22, was one of the high achievers at the 2019 Kelowna Kiwanis Festival.
She received top honours in the senior piano category, a $200 scholarship, a nomination to the provincial competition, and a performance spot in the festival’s gala concert, Friday at 7 p.m. at the Rotary Centre for the Arts.
Krieger is receiving one of nearly 60 cash scholarships, totaling almost $7,000 to be presented at the concert gala.
The 30 top festival participants who will represent Kelowna at provincials also received assistance with entry fees, bringing the total amount that the 2019 Kelowna Kiwanis Festival invested in local talent to more than $10,000.
This is Krieger’s second appearance at Kiwanis Festival, and she’s performed at similar festivals at least seven other times.
She’s especially honoured to receive the $200 Jaromey Ryane Memorial Scholarship for most evocative performance of a dance movement or piece.
“I always try to express all the emotions of the piece onto the keys and to the audience,” she said. “For me, every piece has a storyline and colour that I want to convey.”
The scholarship is donated by Clive Titmuss and Susan Adams of Kelowna’s Early Music Studio in memory of Clive’s beloved Ottawa music teacher Jaromey Ryane.
Krieger has been playing piano since she can remember, plunking away after watching her two older siblings practise.
Her Kelowna piano teacher, Joseph Berarducci, says the Kiwanis Festival provides an important venue for nurturing, challenging and developing individuals engaged in artistic expression.
“Each participant is looking forward to comments from competent adjudicators, sufficient time to be heard and evaluated, and an inspiring venue to perform in. Kelowna’s Kiwanis Festival delivers those opportunities,” he said.
The 2019 festival featured competitions in dance, music and voice from March 3 until April 26, and saw more than 3,000 performers cross its stages.
Tickets for the gala concert are available through the Rotary Centre’s box office.