Every year performers and visual artists are drawn to competition in the Virden Music and Arts Festival, held in the spring. Here are highlights from the 2023 sessions.
These winners and the donors of trophies, awards and scholarships make Virden's many festival classes exciting for entrants and for the audience as youth are challenged to hone their talents.
Enbridge Senior Scholarship of Excellence: Daelyn Fefchak – Vocal, Instrumental, Speech Arts
This award has been made available since receiving Enbridge Pipelines Inc. significant donation. It is presented to a senior student with the highest average entering two or more disciplines.
Instrumental Awards
Fort La Bosse School Division Shield- Band Elkhorn Senior Band
Reston Merchants Association Shield- Instrumental Duet --------------------------
Fred Bryant Memorial Shield- Instrumental Ensemble Oak Lake School Gr 4 Recorder
Scotiabank Trophy - Highest Mark Keira Peters
Tundra Oil & Gas Scholarship Sr Keira Peters
VMAF Scholarship Sr Kyra Harper
VMAF Scholarship Jr (violin) Annabel Neufeld
Sunrise Credit Union Senior Awards of Merit Cooper McColl
Sunrise Credit Union Senior Awards of Merit Lukas Baer
Provincial Recommendations: Keira Peters, Rebeka Penner
Dance Awards
Legion Ladies Shield- Dance Solo Paige Rampton
Tutthill Construction Shield- Dance Duo or Trio Samantha Andrew & Sarah Keown
McNeill Harasymchuk McConnell Shield - Group Dance --------------------------
Virden Dance Club Shield - Troupe Dance Hamiota 18 & Under – Lyrical Jazz
& Russell 18 & Under – Jazz
Tundra Oil & Gas Scholarship Sr Phenix Tanner
Tundra Oil & Gas Scholarship Sr Danica Bowley
VMAF Scholarship Sr Sarah Keown
VMAF Scholarship Jr Halle Irvine
VMAF Scholarship Jr Ava Hadley
VMAF Scholarship Jr Leah Vendenheuvel
Sunrise Credit Union Senior Awards of Merit Samantha Andrew
Valley Co-op Junior Awards of Merit Aurora Kliever
Vocal Awards
St Mary’s Anglican Church Shield- Vocal Sacred Solo Ella Billings
Enbridge Pipelines Shield- Vocal Duet or Trio Dylan Southam & Daelyn Fefchak
Rev. Brenda Ferguson Shield- Musical Theatre Solo Daelyn Fefchak
Virden Empire Advance Shield- School Choir Gr 1-4 Oak Lake School Choir Gr 4/5
Tutthill Construction Shield- School Choir Gr 5-12 Virden Collegiate Choir
V&S Hellman Shield- Choirs & Vocal Groups other than School --------------------------
Royal Bank of Canada Trophy – Highest Mark Daelyn Fefchak
Bernice McDonald Memorial Scholarship Sr Evan Terin
Bernice McDonald Memorial Scholarship Sr Dylan Southam
VMAF Scholarship Jr Ella Billings
Sunrise Credit Union Senior Awards of Merit Charley Dunning
Valleyview Co-op Junior Awards of Merit Stella Canart
Provincial Recommendations: Daelyn Fefchak, Dylan Southam, Kendall Charles, Charley Dunning
Penner Lumber Shield- Solo Piano Levels 1-4 Emery Strachan
Royal Purple Shield- Duet or Trio Piano Levels 1-10 ---------------------------
Virden Baptist Church Shield- Sacred Solo Piano Sr or Jr Aleksei Thiessen
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Trophy Sr - Highest Mark Rebeka Penner
Mabel Brandon Memorial Scholarship Sr Indiana Thiessen
Evelyn & Kris Sundell Memorial Scholarship Sr Mitchell Draper
Bernice McDonald Memorial Scholarship Sr Amelia Crawford
Evelyn & Kris Sundell Memorial Scholarship Jr Dixie Swanson
VMAF Scholarship Jr Conner Holden
VMAF Scholarship Jr Cooper McColl
VMAF Scholarship Jr Gregory Rozhanskiy
VMAF Scholarship Jr Grayson Paul
VMAF Scholarship Jr Kennedy Sass
Sunrise Credit Union Senior Awards of Merit Paige Rampton
Valleyview Co-op Junior Awards of Merit Bruno Gibbert
Valleyview Co-op Junior Awards of Merit Zaree Routledge
Emery Strachan, Dixie Swanson, Paige Rampton, Mitchell Draper, Rebeka Penner, Tina Neufeld
Speech Arts Awards
Andrew Agencies Shield - Choral Speaking Gr. 1-3 Mary Montgomery School Gr 3 (Lewis)
Elkhorn Chamber of Commerce Shield - Choral Speaking Gr. 4-6 Goulter School Gr 4 (Lees)
Kassie’s Jewellery Shield- Choral Speaking Gr. 7-12 ----------------------------------------------
Virden Collegiate Drama Shield – Monologue Gr 1-12 Natalie Draper
RM of Wallace-Woodworth Shield - Poetry Duet, Trio, Quartet Kennedy Auger & Lily Potter
Town of Virden Shield- Drama or Dramatization Mary Montgomery School Gr 4 (Garcia) &
Kola School Gr 5/6 (Archambault)
Sunrise Credit Union Trophy - Highest Mark Ava Hadley
SW Assiniboine Chapter of Retired Teachers Scholarship Sr Dylan Southam
SW Assiniboine Chapter of Retired Teachers Scholarship Sr Kiahna Barkley
VMAF Scholarship Sr Keira Peters
VMAF Scholarship Sr Evan Terin
SW Assiniboine Chapter of Retired Teachers Scholarship Jr Kennedy Auger
VMAF Scholarship Jr Keightly Stewart
VMAF Scholarship Jr Lily Potter
Sunrise Credit Union Senior Awards of Merit Jasmyne Andries
Sunrise Credit Union Senior Awards of Merit Jenaya Thiessen
Sunrise Credit Union Senior Awards of Merit Sarah Keown
Valleyview Co-op Junior Awards of Merit Kennidy Routledge
Valleyview Co-op Junior Awards of Merit Ruby Draper
Valleyview Co-op Junior Awards of Merit Ella Billings
Valleyview Co-op Junior Awards of Merit Ava Hunt
Valleyview Co-op Junior Awards of Merit Ella McCormick
Valleyview Co-op Junior Awards of Merit Kaley Eros
Provincial Recommendations: Dylan Southam, Kennidy Routledge, Kiahna Barkley, Jasmyne Andries
Visual Arts Awards
Arts Mosaic Scholarship Sr Grades 10-12 Hanna Wray
Arts Mosaic Scholarship Sr Grades 10-12 Ainsley Pederson
Arts Mosaic Scholarship Sr Grades 7-9 Abigail Torrance
Arts Mosaic Scholarship Sr Grades 7-9 Julia Dik
Arts Mosaic Scholarship Jr Grades 4-6 Ella Archambault
Arts Mosaic Scholarship Jr Grades 4-6 Sophie Archambault
VMAF Scholarship Jr Grades 4-6 Zacquan Johnson
Sunrise Credit Union Senior Awards of Merit Darien Dunning
Sunrise Credit Union Senior Awards of Merit Libby Verran
Valleyview Co-op Junior Awards of Merit Aurora Kliever
Valleyview Co-op Junior Awards of Merit Brynlee Boyd
Provincial Winners:
- Speech Arts Grades 10-12 Poetry & Prose: Dylan Southam 1st
More pictures can be found on Virden Music & Arts Festival Facebook.
