Summary information
| Repository: | South Peace Regional Archives |
| Title: | Grande Prairie & District Music Festival fonds |
| Reference code: | 0491 |
| Date: | 1927-2015 (date of creation) |
| Physical description: | 41 cm textual records
49 photographs |
| Dates of creation, revision and deletion: | Processed by Karen Burgess July 2012 Added to new database April 2025 – TD |
Administrative history / Biographical sketch
The concept of the Grande Prairie Music Festival originated with the “Women’s Music Club” that was active in Grande Prairie in 1921. This organization promoted the idea of music festivals. Early organizers of festivals included Mrs. F. Barber-Smith, A.E. Galway, and L. B. Yule, Superintendent of Schools. The first joint festival with Peace River and Grande Prairie participants was held May 25-26, 1927. By 1932, Grande Prairie was holding its own annual festivals, and in 1945 the festival became non-competitive. This resulted in a decline of interest and there are no records of festivals held from 1948 to 1951. Attempts were made to revive the festival as a competition in 1952-1953, but it was not until 1959 that music teacher Martin Intscher led the community to re-establish the music festival. With the support of the Allied Arts Council and the Grande Prairie School Board, the next festival was held in 1962 and annual festivals have been held ever since. In 1962, the festival categories included elocution, public speaking, penmanship, dancing, drama, art, and crafts as well as music entries. A number of organizational innovations were attempted in order to improve the caliber of participants. To this end, Grande Prairie planned to share the festival with Dawson Creek on a rotational basis. Only one such festival, the Peace Country Arts Festival in 1964, was held in Dawson Creek. In 1965, Grande Prairie joined the Alberta Music Festival Association and through this affiliation has opened the festival to participants from the entire Peace country. The name was later changed to Grande Prairie and District Music Festival, and is still in operation.
Custodial history
The earliest of these records were housed at the Grande Prairie Public Library and were donated by Librarian, Pam Chislett, to South Peace Regional Archives in 2008 and 2009. An accrual of Festival programs and Grand Concert programs was donated by Barbara Donkin in 2009.
Scope and content
The fonds consists of a history of music festivals in Grande Prairie, district, financial statements, Festival programs, Festival Grand Concert programs, photographs taken of Festival winners, and a copy of the Alberta Music Festival Association annual report for 1985.
Notes
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title of fonds based on contents.
Access points
- Textual record (documentary form)
- Graphic material – photograph (documentary form)
- Art (subject)
- Organizations (subject)
Table of contents
0491.01, Grande Prairie & District Music Festival History, 1927-1973
0491.02, Grande Prairie & District Music Festival Programs, 1927-2015
0491.03, Newspaper Clippings, 1970-2015
0491.04, Grande Prairie & District Music Festival Grand Concerts, 1969-2015
0491.05, Grande Prairie & District Music Festival Photographs, [ca. 1985-2009]
0491.06, Alberta Music Festival Association, 1985-2009
Series descriptions
| Series 0491.01: Grande Prairie & District Music Festival History
Date: 1927-1973 (date of creation) Scope and content: The series consists of documents tracing the history of the Grande Prairie Music Festival from 1921-1968, including an article by Herbert G. Turner titled “How Culture Came to North America”, and financial statements from 1969-1973. Physical description: 0.5 cm textual records Access points: • Textual record (documentary form) Publication status: Published |
| Series 0491.02: Grande Prairie & District Music Festival Programs
Date: 1927-2015 (date of creation) Scope and content: The series consists of program booklets for each festival showing schedules for each of the classes of competition, locations, names of competitors, patrons, committee members and in some cases names of adjudicators and copies of newspaper articles. Physical description: 30 cm textual records Access points: • Textual record (documentary form) Publication status: Published |
| Series 0491.03: Newspaper Clippings
Date: 1970-2015 (date of creation) Scope and content: This series consists of photocopied newspaper clippings about the Grande Prairie & District Music Festival. Physical description: 5 cm textual records Access points: • Textual record (documentary form) Publication status: Published |
| Series 0491.04: Grande Prairie & District Music Festival Grand Concerts
Date: 1969-2015 (date of creation) Scope and content: The series consists of programs for the Grand Concert at the Grande Prairie Music Festival which list concert presenters, award winners, patrons and donors, and recommendations for provincial competitions. Some programs include names of festival committee members. Physical description: 5 cm textual records Access points: • Textual record (documentary form) Publication status: Published |
| Series 0491.05: Grande Prairie & District Music Festival Photographs
Date: [ca. 1985-2009] (date of creation) Scope and content: The series consists of photographs of announcers, winners, award recipients at the Grande Prairie Music Festival as well as attendees at the AMFA Provincial meeting held in Grande Prairie in 2006. Physical description: 49 photographs Access points: • Graphic material – photograph (documentary form) Publication status: Published |
| Series 0491.06: Alberta Music Festival Association
Date: 1985-2009 (date of creation) Scope and content: The series consists of a copy of The Alberta Music Festival Association annual report for 1985 which includes reports from member festival groups in the province, 2006 program for the association’s AGM held in Grande Prairie, and a Provincial Festival program [2009]. Grande Prairie & District Music Festival has belonged to this group since 1965. Physical description: 0.5 cm textual records Access points: • Textual record (documentary form) Publication status: Published |