Outlook and District Festival of Music

04/22/2026

Are you someone who wants to see the arts thrive in our community? We are always looking for committee members to help plan and organize. The AGM is a great way to learn more about what goes in to making the Festival a success!

04/01/2026

61 scholarships were awarded to performers at the 2026 festival finale, totalling $4050. This is made possible by the generous donations of local businesses, organizations, churches and individuals. Their support encourages participants to continue their musical and artistic endeavors, and fosters the cultural enrichment of our community.

We are very grateful to our community partners who welcome the festival into their spaces. Performances took place at 4 different venues this year-Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Outlook Elementary School, Outlook High School and LCBI.

Thank you all for your support!

03/22/2026

We welcome everyone to come to Bethlehem Lutheran Church as we celebrate the end of the festival, and showcase a selection of musicians and performers from the week. From Musical Theater to piano to strings, there is a little something for everyone to enjoy!

03/19/2026

This week has absolutely flown by, and we are on our last day of the festival! What an amazing week it has been, celebrating the arts and talented musicians and performers of Outlook and district. But we aren't quite through yet-here is what we have going on today:

9:30 a.m. High School-Grade 6-11 Band

9:30 a.m. Elementary School-Choral Speech/School Chorus performances

1:30 p.m. Chapel-LCBI Jazz Band, Flute and Saxophone Solos

Admission is by donation and programs are $5. All are welcome! Good luck to all the participants-it is going to be another great day of performances!

03/18/2026

What a great few days it has been so far at the festival! Our venue has been ringing with the wonderful sounds of piano and musical theatre/vocal performances from our talented performers. Here is what we have in store for today:

9:00 a.m. Lutheran Church: Piano Solos and Keyboard Ensembles

1:30 p.m.@ Bethlehem Lutheran Church: LCBI Chamber Choir and Concert Choir, Violin, Viola and Cello performances

6:30 p m. Chapel: Spoken Word

Admission is by donation and programs are available for purchase ($5).

03/16/2026

Good Morning friends!

We are so excited for the opening day of the 2026 festival! We have a little bit of everything on deck today, as follows:

9:00 a.m@Bethlehem Lutheran Church-Piano Solos

1:30 p.m@Bethlehem Lutheran Church-Piano Solos

6:30 p.m@Bethlehem Lutheran Church-Musical Theatre and Vocal performances

Admission is by donation and programs are available for $5.00. We look forward to a wonderful week of celebrating the arts!

03/14/2026

Festival week is almost upon us! Here are some tips and friendly reminders for participants and festival supporters:

-Participants are responsible for providing an original copy of the music/spoken work piece for the use of the adjudicator for all classes. Music must be given to the adjudicator immediately before the performance.

-Please number the first bar of each line of the score for the adjudicator. For band/ensembles, full scores are preferred, cued conductor or miniature scores are acceptable.

-For Spoken Word selections, please number every fifth line.

-There is no audio or visual recording of any description during competitions.

-Competitors are asked to be ready to perform 20 minutes prior to their scheduled times.

-Visual or verbal prompting (from parents or teachers) of participants is not allowed except for conducted performances.

-Please remain seated and refrain from conversations during competitions. Do not leave or enter the performance area during performances or adjudications. Cell phones/devices should be silenced or turned off during performances. Feel free to talk and move between performances or after adjudications.

The festival opens on Monday and we are very excited to welcome our adjudicators, participants and audience members! Please stay tuned to this page throughout the week for updates on each day's performances.

-

03/10/2026

We are pleased to welcome our adjudicators to Outlook for the 2026 festival!

Morgan Layton will be with us through the entire week, adjudicating Piano, Vocal, Spoken Word, Choral and Strings performances. Morgan hails from La Ronge, SK, where she was active in local music festivals while earning her grade 9 RCM certification in voice, piano and theory. She holds a bachelor's degree in music education from the U of S and also sang with the Greystone Singers. She is a private teacher in both voice and piano, as well as teaching band and general music to Canadian and International students of all ages.

Cole Knutson will join the festival on March 19th to cap off the week with Band and Instrumental performances. Cole is a Metis Canadian pianist and saxophonist from North Battleford. He has received numerous scholarships to study abroad and has performed around the world, including an appearance at Carnegie Hall. Cole has also been an ambassador for Creative Kids Saskatchewan, an organization that assists children who experience financial barriers to pursuing their creative endeavors.

Full adjudicator biographies, along with details of each day's performances and a list of festival supporters can be found in the program, which is available for $5.00 at Riverbend Co-op and Outlook Printers. We are looking forward to having two such accomplished individuals at our festival, and have no doubt that our local performers will benefit a great deal from their knowledge and feedback!

02/27/2026

02/25/2026

Music Festival programs are hot off the press and available for purchase ($5 each) at Outlook Printers and Riverbend Co-op!

The talented musicians, vocalists and speech artists of our communities are hard at work polishing up their performances. Grab a program and plan ahead for Festival week!

01/19/2026

It is officially the final day to get your Music festival entries in!

Once the clock strikes midnight, we will no longer be accepting entries. Today is the day to reach out if you have any questions or need help with the entry forms. Comment below or send a DM and we will be happy to help! The links to the paper forms and online entry are pinned at the top of this page.

Thank you to all who have sent in their entries already. We are looking forward for another great season of celebrating the arts in our community!

01/16/2026

Music festival entries have been steadily coming in this week....we love to see it!

There is still time get your entries in. Music and Vocal teachers should be familiar to the process, but for parents/guardians and others who are considering entering your child (or yourself😉) in the Speech Arts, let's dive in to the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association syllabus.

What is the syllabus? The syllabus lists all of the classes offered in district festivals across Saskatchewan. From prose to poetry, public speaking, sacred reading and so much more, there is something for everyone, including open age categories for adults who wish to strengthen their public speaking and performing skills.

You can scroll down the syllabus page to click on the individual disciplines. Just below the individual disciplines are test pieces from past syllabi, which can be a helpful guide to choosing an age appropriate piece to perform.

https://smfa.ca/syllabus-regulations/

Please feel free to reach out for help, either by commenting below or sending us a DM!

**Entry deadline alert**-January 19th@midnight.

Syllabus SASKATCHEWAN MUSIC FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION Syllabus Since 1912, the Syllabus has been used as the foundation of the SMFA Festival System listing thousands of classes offered in the district festivals across the province. The 2026 SMFA Syllabus contains many class options in a multitude of disc...