The musical talents of Estevan’s youth will be showcased during the Estevan and District Music Festival, which starts on Sunday, March 7 with vocal competitions at St. Paul’s United Church.

Musical theatre performances in the evenings of March 7 and 8 will be included in the vocal class. Musical theatre is always popular with the public, said Music Festival spokesperson Anita Kuntz.

Junior piano for children ages 10-and-under begins on March 10 at St. Paul’s. Senior piano for children 11-and-over begins on March 14 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Brass, percussion and woodwind band categories will start on March 17.

Speech arts will be the final competition. They start on March 22 at the Estevan Alliance Church. They’ll wrap up on the 23rd.

“One of the things about the music festival is it showcases how many different students are in the arts in our area,” said Kuntz.

About 600 entries were submitted this year, said Kuntz. The total is about 30 per cent lower than last year. Kuntz said organizers want to have the festival finished before the Easter break, which meant an early start and a decrease in registrations.

“Every discipline is down a little bit with the exception of senior piano,” said Kuntz.

The number of scholarships and trophies remains the same, Kuntz said. They have a one-time award for this year, the Merle Wadsworth Memorial Award, which is named after a former music festival entrant from Arcola. It will be presented to a vocal competitor.

The annual festival awards night will be held on Tuesday, March 30 at the Estevan Comprehensive School, beginning at 7 p.m. Several performers from each discipline will entertain the audience. Awards and scholarships will be handed out.