The Barrie Kiwanis Music Festival a project of Barrie Music Festival Association

History

An idea is worth nothing if it has no champion, but it is priceless when fortunate enough to have three.  And so it was in 1978, with the support of Susan Ricketts and June Melenbacher, that Joyce Langford's idea and lifelong dream of a music festival in Barrie began to take shape. It was due to the efforts of these three women that the first music festival was held in Barrie, laying the groundwork for what has now become the Barrie Kiwanis Music Festival.

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things that are brought together.  So true was the realization of Joyce Langford's dream. Born not on impulse but through careful thought and nurtured by the small yet priceless efforts of many, the inaugural Festival took place in 1979. Originally held for students of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association (ORMTA), thirty-three participants took part in this single day event, then known as the Barrie Music Scholarship Competitions.

As with all great ideas, through the process of time and continuing efforts of many, the seed began to grow, and unknown to Joyce at the time, the Festival would surpass even her greatest expectations. By 1983, only four short years into its existence, the Festival had grown to include 200 participants performing over a three-day period. In 1984 the First Annual Barrie Music Festival took place.  The festival continued to grow, so much so that by 1985 it was too large for the busy music teachers of ORMTA to handle.  The Barrie Music Festival Association was formed in that year, and was entrusted with overseeing the coordination and production of the Festival. In 1987 Joyce Langford retired as Director of the Festival, passing on the torch into the capable hands of The Kiwanis Club "Golden K" to manage festival affairs. The Barrie Kiwanis Music Festival had arrived.

As the Festival continued to grow year after year, it became too large even for the Golden 'K', and the responsibility for managing and running the Festival was ceded to the Board of the Barrie Music Festival Association.  The four founding organisations [Kiwanis Club of Kempenfelt Bay, Barrie Kiwanis Club, Kiwanis Club "Golden K" and O.R.M.T.A.-Barrie Branch] are the driving forces to this day.

It is a testament to the success that this Festival has enjoyed over the years that it now celebrates its 26th Anniversary. From its humble beginnings as the Barrie Music Scholarship Competitions, the Barrie Kiwanis Music Festival has grown to become the fifth largest annual music festival in the province, lasting three weeks and hosting over four thousand dedicated and talented musicians in seven disciplines.

The Festival's mission remains clearly defined, recognizing the diversities and importance of music and culture within our community.    As with the essence of music itself, the Barrie Kiwanis Music Festival has taken on a life of its own.  The Festival is and will remain committed to "Connecting People with the Mind, Body and Spirit of Music".

The tireless efforts of the three women with a dream will always be remembered, and our future is secure with the small but priceless efforts of many who share the same dream and love of music.