Four Jasperites, and the Jasper Recorder Ensemble were recognized at the Grand Concert of the Yellowhead Rotary Arts Festival last Wednesday, May 6.

The Jasper Recorder Ensemble, which is made up of 13 Jasper Elementary School students from Grade 4 to 6, were invited to perform at the concert where they also received a $75 scholarship from the Chaba Theatre for their instrumental performance.

Raymond Blanchette-Dube, Elementary school principal and ensemble leader, said the group was proud to play at the concert as it was looked upon as the “best of the best.”

For Blanchette-Dube, the recorder ensemble is a “great foundation” as it helps to “build their performance skills ... gaining confidence [and] working in an ensemble and a group.”

Perhaps proof of this foundation is 15-year-old Heidi Schaefer, who once played at the festival in the recorder ensemble but this time took home awards for Junior Piano Best Intermediate Romantic and Classical.

Schaefer’s talent was further recognized when she received a $75 scholarship from Ed Desmarais/Talisman Energy for Intermediate Grade 5-6 Piano which she said she will keep for books or maybe a new keyboard when she’s at university.

Schaefer, who has been entering the festival since she was six in a range of categories, said the awards were “kind of a surprise, but it was really a nice surprise.”

Emily Fenton, 16, received awards for the Senior Piano Best Grade 7-8 Classical and Contemporary and performed Pink and Crimson at the grand concert.

Fenton, who recently moved to Jasper with her family and has been playing piano for ten years, said “I really, really enjoy it. I like performing, so it’s nice.” 

Practising for about an hour-and-a-half a day, Fenton said she was “pretty pleased” with her performance throughout the festival.

“I had fairly good competition, which was nice and I got fairly good marks,” she sad.

Two other Jasperites, Louise Coleman and Wendy Tassone were also recognized winning Best Wall Quilt and the People’s Choice Award for Fabric Arts respectively.