Young talent shines at Rosetown’s Contemporary Showcase 2025

By David McIver

Fifty-eight music students and 61 speech arts students took part in Contemporary Showcase 2025 here on Nov. 21-22.

They came from Biggar, Plenty, Dodsland, Handel, Elrose, Kindersley, Eatonia, Kerrobert and Rosetown for the annual showcase of contemporary Canadian music and speech arts workshops.

Adjudicator Dianne Gryba of Saskatoon talks to Eliana Bakanec of the Kerrobert area (third from left) about her performance during Contemporary Showcase 2025 on Nov. 22 at the Rosetown United Church upper hall. The annual showcase of Canadian contemporary music, held in only 12 places in Canada, also drew music and speech arts students from Eatonia, Handel, Kindersley, Biggar, Dodsland, Plenty, Elrose and Rosetown. Photo by David McIver

Mya Nickel and Rebecca Nunweiler of Rosetown, along with Eliana and Mariah Bakanec of Kerrobert, were recommended for the competition for national awards.

The West Central Branch of the Saskatchewan Registered Music Teachers’ Association put it on in the Rosetown United Church upper hall.

Students performed piano, vocal, violin and cello selections, about which adjudicator Dianne Gryba of Saskatoon gave suggestions, technical tips, encouragement and even a printed joke of each student, said music teacher and west central branch member Clayton Braybrook of Kindersley.

Heather Macnab of Maple Creek conducted three speech arts workshops over the two days.

The association also had a daily pizza party, music trivia games and door prizes and gave opportunities for the students to mingle, said Braybrook.

Gryba, now president of the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association, spoke to the west central teachers about the merits and effects of the festival experience and the expansion of the syllabus, he said. Macnab gave them tools to incorporate speech arts into their regular teaching, said Braybrook.