What is the Cantando Festival?

A non-competitive festival designed for North American school wind ensembles, concert bands, orchestras, jazz bands, and choirs utilizing some basic tenets necessary to promote quality music education. These basic tenets include:

• Promoting REPERTOIRE OF THE HIGHEST ARTISTIC NATURE both in the selections expected for performance as well as repertoire performed by guest ensembles
• EVALUATIONS AND CLINICS are all designed to cultivate growth and a love of serious music-making utilizing a realistic, yet musical approach to assist with improved musical performance
• UTILIZING THE BEST TEACHER/PERFORMERS people that understand both kids and music and the critical combination of inspiration, knowledge, and artistic growth are the only ones that work for this festival
• EXPOSING STUDENTS TO PERFORMANCES BY SERIOUS ENSEMBLES we’ve included both university and professional groups of the highest level and specified the repertoire we want performed. Both standard repertoire of significant worth and new and substantial pieces will be performed including quality works for professional soloists
• SUFFICIENT TIME FOR PERFORMANCE AND CLINICS this varies at each festival. Edmonton and Whistler provide 50-minute clinics for concert bands and choirs, 30-minute clinics for jazz ensembles in Edmonton and 50 minute clinics in Whistler. Instrumental clinics for both students and directors are provided at both festivals. Mass choirs perform at both festivals as well. All festivals provide ample performance times for all ensembles.

What Makes Cantando Special?
The Cantando Festival employs only adjudicators and clinicians of the highest stature, those that have achieved success in their fields and those that continue to have a major impact upon music education. The opportunity to work with these artists in an educational setting for long periods of time is a major facet of the festival.
A list of current adjudicators is found within each festival as well as a list of past adjudicators. We are proud to have utilized the talents of musicians and educators from throughout North America and beyond. We take their recommendations about the festival to heart and each year proves to be an improvement over the past.
Our evening concerts feature a number of outstanding ensembles. Check out this tab under each festival to learn what is happening – this tab typically gets updated in the fall of each year.
The Edmonton Cantando Festival is now celebrating its 3rd decade in in the Winspear Centre for Music. We have some great things planned for this special event and know that your students will leave the festival inspired and motivated to continued improving their musical skills.
Updates regarding all aspects of the festival will be added on an ongoing basis. Once registration opens, check the “Schedule” tab to determine a time that works best for you.
To register for the few remaining times available, click the “Register” tab and scroll through the various options – be sure to check the “Fees” tab as well so you are aware of all costs. The “Package” tab will be updated in the late fall and gives very specific information about all aspects of the festival. It is very important to read this carefully so you can plan all aspects of your trip to Edmonton. The “Guest Performance” tab will be updated throughout the fall but will include bios of adjudicators selected for the festival. The “Guest Performances” tab includes information on the evening concerts including guest ensembles and soloists and, in some cases, the specific program they will be performing.
Concert Band & Orchestra performances are scheduled in the Winspear Centre for Music from Sunday through to Tuesday. Each day starts at 8 am and continues to 5:30 pm. Level 1-3 groups should register for the 20-minute performance slots and level 4 – 6 should register for the 30-minute performance slots. Groups should plan to warm up 20 minutes prior to their registered time. 50-minute adjudication workshops occur one day after your Winspear performance (i.e.. from Monday through Wednesday) at locations on the south side of Edmonton in the Old Strathcona area.
Jazz band performances occur on Monday through to Wednesday and are scheduled in one-hour blocks with warm up and performance scheduled for 30 minutes followed by a 30-minute workshop. These performances occur in the Yardbird Suite in the Old Strathcona area and close to concert band workshop and instrumental clinic venues.
Concert Choirs are scheduled to perform in All Saint’s Anglican Cathedral from Monday through Wednesday. Performances occur in 20-minute segments in the morning only with adjudication workshops in the afternoon only.
Vocal jazz performances occur on Tuesday and Wednesday, they are scheduled in one-hour blocks with warm up and performance scheduled for 30 minutes followed by a 30-minute workshop. These performances occur in the Freemasons Hall in downtown Edmonton
Evening performances are limited to 1st come, 1st serve and in order to serve as many students as possible, some venues will have 2 start times for concerts. More specific information on these concerts can be found in the “Guest Performances” tab.
Full Event Schedule Info:
http://www.cantando.org/edmonton/schedule.html