NEWS RELEASE
KIWANIS FESTIVAL STRATFORD
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Stratford’s Kiwanis Festival of the Performing Arts is delighted to announce a new partnership with acclaimed composer Christopher Norton, his writing partner Wendy Edwards Beardall-Norton, and Christopher's publishing company 80 Days Publishing.
Christopher Norton is the composer of many of the most popular selections in the Royal Conservatory of Music piano syllabus. His many publications include the world famous Microjazz series as well as Connections for Piano, a series of 11 books offering over 200 graded compositions.
Originally from New Zealand, he also happens to live in Stratford and has recently become a Canadian citizen. With such an incredible resource living in our community, KFPA is delighted to be partnering with the Nortons and 80 Days Publishing on a number of initiatives:
• Selecting one Norton Micromusical, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as our 2025 Featured Musical. After the enormous success of last year’s Anne of Green Gables, KFPA is delighted to be working with the Nortons to expand their Micromusical version of this perennial Shakespeare favourite into a 60-minute musical suitable for singers of all ages. With a creative team including Diana Leblanc as Director, Jamie Syer as Music Director, Barbara Dunn-Prosser as Choral/Vocal Teacher, and Scott Beaudin as Vocal Coach, non-professional singers of all ages are asked to register by December 15th (Early Bird Discount). with final registration by February 3rd. For details visit www.kiwanisfestivalstratford.com/events
• Introducing Micromusicals to Canadian schools. Micromusicals are a collection of 30 musicals based on popular classroom teaching topics, including mythological themes, Dickens, Shakespeare, Animal Farm and World War 2! The Micromusicals are available through 80 Days Publishing First launched in the UK in 2012 and still being performed by many schools, each Micromusical is about 30 minutes in length and can be learned, rehearsed and performed in as little as 2 days:
"The Micromusicals have enriched our curriculum and have enabled the topics taught in class to come alive. Through the Micromusicals, the children have gained a deeper and broader understanding of the curriculum and have developed a bank of rich language, which has supported their writing outcomes. Micromusicals have provided an excellent opportunity to teach music through all areas of the curriculum and we have been able to use music as a platform to learn history, science, geography and literature. They have been good value for money and a valuable resource."
Bronwen Chalmers - Head Teacher at Davies Lane Primary School, east London, UK
• Using Christopher Norton songs from the Micromusicals as recommended test pieces for school choral classes. These anthologies are called Songs from the Micromusicals, arranged according to grade levels 1 to 5, for low and high voice and are available through 80 Days Publishing.
• In 2025 Christopher Norton will adjudicate the categories of Piano-Other (i.e. all styles of piano playing other than classical) and Composition. The latter category includes a workshop for those who enter Composition but for 2025, this workshop will be available to all Festival participants at no additional charge, and at a modest fee for the general public. Details at www.kiwanisfestivalstratford.com/events
KFPA is holding a General Information Session on Saturday Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. at Lazaridis Hall in the Tom Patterson Theatre to introduce Christopher and Wendy Norton and to provide more details on the initiative above. KFPA will also provide updates on changes to the festival syllabus including:
- Simplifying the process to be recommended for the Ontario Music Festivals Association Provincial Competition
- New performance categories
- More flexible rules for school entries
The session will conclude with a sing-along sample of the music from the Micromusicals and specifically the 2025 Featured Musical A Midsummer Night’s Dream. There will be ample time for Q&A, and a workstation will be set up to assist entrants with the registration process.
Teachers and families are encouraged to attend and bring your questions! Let’s learn from one another!
http://www.kiwanisfestivalstratford.com
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