A goal of the Regina Music Festival is to find stable financing to ensure the ongoing success of the festival. The Regina Music Festival costs $95,000.00 a year to operate. At present funding is provided by entry fees that cover approximately 35% of the costs to run the festival. Each year we seek the balance from individual and corporate donations, advertising revenue, donations at the door during the festival and other fundraisers. We are currently seeking ongoing sponsorship to ensure the future of our festival.
Discipline Sponsorships are used specifically to cover the administrative costs of that portion of the festival. On average, an adjudicator costs $775 a day, which includes professional fees, travel, hotel and meals. The Regina Music Festival hires 10 adjudicators to adjudicate the music disciplines of Voice, Musical Theatre, Piano, Brass and Woodwinds, Strings, and Choir. Some adjudicators such as the choral adjudicator may be hired to work 2 days but others such as the Piano or String adjudicators work at the festival for a whole week.
Sponsorship Opportunities:
More than 110 years young …tens of thousands of musical alumni…
Festival 2022 – Putting Regina Music Festival Back on Stage!
The annual spring festival of arts and music has been offering performance opportunities to tens of thousands of young Regina and area musicians for more than 100 years! In fact, many former festival contestants have gone on to perform professionally in bands, orchestras, with operas, in Canada, on Broadway and all around the world. The Regina Music Festival offers a unique opportunity for musicians (voice, musical theatre, piano, strings, organ, brass, woodwinds, percussion, and choirs) to perform in front of highly skilled professional musicians drawn from all across Canada. The Regina Music Festival plays a significant role in encouraging and in supporting the development of musical skill and talent in Regina’s youth.
In recent years, there have been over a 1,000 entries annually to the festival, with participants ranging from preschoolers to grandparents. COVID changed the world for all of us – including the Regina Music Festival. In 2020 the festival had to be cancelled altogether. In 2021 all of the Regina Music Festival was virtual. (Yes, the show must go on!)
The music festival is open to everyone, not just talented youth who go on to careers in music. But we are also proud to say that Regina has more than its fair share of internationally acclaimed musicians who are alumni of our festival competitions.
Just like the Lowe family, Erica Raum is active and highly sought after as a professional violinist. Vocalists such as Heather Newhouse and Gordon Bintner have international recognition in opera. And Rob Ursan, well known composer, is back here in Regina training the next generation after his career in opera and musical theatre!
The festival board loves to promote its alumni while we continue to focus on our youthful competitors who gain so much from our annual festival. Emily Fuessel, a competitor in the 2018 festival, took the time to thank the Regina Music Festival for re-energizing her love of music! Please read her comments at the end of this article. The annual Regina Music Festival does change lives.
Your sponsorship is critical
Although critical in the development of Regina’s performing artists, the Regina Music Festival struggles constantly to cover the costs associated with running the festival. Our festival costs approximately $95,000/year to operate. This includes the costs associated with advertising, hiring adjudicators, paying for their travel and accommodations, renting space for the competitions, renting instruments and equipment for performances, printing programs, as well as costs associated with fundraising. Only about 35% of the festival funds come from the entry fees paid by participants. In fact, entry fees are kept as low as possible to ensure the festival is accessible to all young people. The balance of the required funds comes from fundraisers, program sales, advertising, grants, sponsorships and donations.
Because grants in recent years have tended to diminish for arts organizations, sponsorships as well as donations have begun to play a critical role in continuing the Regina Music Festival. Audiences at the Regina Music Festival each year come from all walks of life and age groups. Sponsors receive multiple opportunities for name recognition and engagement opportunities with our audiences. With 700 young musicians each year bringing in parents, grandparents and friends as well as the general public to hear their performances, listen to the adjudication and eagerly await announcements of scholarships, there is ample exposure over the festival’s three (3) week period.
The Festival Sponsor: You and/or your company will be featured as the major supporter of Festival 2022, providing core support to the ongoing work of Festival 2022 throughout the year. Your sponsorship will provide your organization with:
- Festival 2022 naming rights i.e. “Regina Music Festival, sponsored by YOUR NAME” on all print, advertising, online, social media and poster/billboard materials throughout the year.
- Signage at all entrances to Festival events.
- Opportunity to speak at opening of Celebration of Excellence concert (featuring the best performers of the festival).
- Opportunity to have a festival winner perform at a company event
- Recognition in event related media including TV, radio and print materials
- Recognition in all event promotions.
- Company name and logo on Regina Music Festival website
- Recognition and promotion on Regina Music Festival social media channels.
- Verbal recognition in MC script at each session of the Festival
- Advertising in our digital program.
Discipline Sponsor ($2,500) As a sponsor of one of our disciplines (voice, piano, strings, etc), your company will receive the following benefits:
- Featured as the sole sponsor of your chosen discipline in all print material and in signage featured at the performance site.
- Advertising of your chosen discipline’s section of our digital program
- Recognition in all event promotions.
- Company name and logo on Regina Music Festival website
- Recognition and promotion on Regina Music Festival social media channels
- Verbal recognition in MC script at each session of the discipline’s competition
Sustainer ($1,000 and up) As a Sustaining Donor, you will receive the following benefits:
- Recognition in all event promotions.
- Recognition on Regina Music Festival website
- Recognition on Regina Music Festival social media channels
- Signage at entrances of Festival 2022 venues acknowledging your support of operations
Friends of the Music Festival ($500-$999) As a Friend of the Festival, you will receive the following benefits:
- Name on the Regina Music festival website and (with your permission) a Thank You in social media
- Referenced on Friends of the Music Festival page in Festival 2022’s digital program.
- Personal invitation to Festival’s special competitions and fundraising concerts
Supports of the Music Festival ($1 – $499) As a Friend of the Festival, you will receive the following benefits:
- Name on the Regina Music festival website and (with your permission) a Thank You in social media
- Referenced on Friends of the Music Festival page in Festival 2022’s digital program.
- Personal invitation to Festival’s special competitions and fundraising concerts
Ways to Help Put Regina Music Festival back on stage:
- Donate through our website
- eTranfer your donation to treasurer@reginamusicfestival.com
- Donate at the door during Festival 2022
Please note: envelops will be available at the door and in the Festival Office. If you wish to donate $25.00 or more, a tax receipt will be issued.
For more information, please contact: President@ReginaMusicFestival.com
Closing comments: Emily Fuessel, a scholarship winner in 2018, graciously allows us to use excerpts from her letter to the Regina Music Festival:
“I am incredibly grateful for receiving the Clare Newman Intermediate Vocal Scholarship …. It was an honour to be chosen to receive this award. Receiving this scholarship has inspired me to continue studying music. I will take what I have learned through my many years as a music student and apply it to my daily life in the future. I have been considering a career in music or science. If I do not choose to continue studying music in post-secondary education, I hope to … continue to share my love of music with others.”
The annual Regina Music Festival really does change lives.