A plethora of music and entertainment is taking place in Red Deer this week as the 48th annual Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts is currently underway.

The Festival, which began April 26th, will run through until Friday.

“We have events running in 14 different venues throughout the City,” said Bob Nelson, president of the Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts committee. “We have piano to wind instruments, brass bands to musical theatre and vocals.”

The Performing Arts Festival has been an annual event in Red Deer since 1964.

The Red Deer Festival has grown to be one of Alberta’s largest competitive classical music festivals of its kind with over 1,100 entries and more than 6,000 participants.

The Festival showcases performers from age five to 25-years-old.

“We have had family groups perform where the parents are in the group as well,” said Nelson. “We really have a smattering of everything.”

The Festival gives amateur participants a chance to perform in front of professional adjudicators.

“The adjudicators are really great and they really give a lot of positive yet constructive feedback to the performer,” said Nelson.

Both participants and teachers benefit from this positive learning experience, he added. Also being a competition, awards are given to performers, individuals and groups who display exceptional talent and can be recommended to perform at the provincial and national festivals. Red Deer has sent several people each year.

In addition, the organizers with the Red Deer Festival will be holding a showcase on May 7.

This event will take place at Living Stones Church and begins at 2 p.m.

The showcase will include 12 to 14 performances that took place at the Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts.

“These performances are chosen by the adjudicators and teachers during the Festival,” said Nelson. “It’s the best cross section of the Festival. It’s the best amateur performance in Central Alberta.”

Any of the events during the Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts are open to the public to attend. Tickets to the events are sold at the venues.

For more information about the Festival, including a schedule of events, check out www.reddeerkiwanisfestival.org.

efawcett@reddeerexpress.com