– Hi Kyra, It is your third summer working for Festival of the Sound. How has the Festival changed during these years? 

– Hi! I think the most evident change over the past three years would definitely be the change of venues for events which was greatly impacted by COVID-19. Rather than having the Stockey Centre completely full of people looking forward to listening to the music live it’s now through a screen. Even with the pandemic we still manage to share the importance of music throughout the community and find ways to improve daily. If anything the Festival has grown as it does yearly by welcoming more and more patrons and a wider range of events and artists.

– You have studied clarinet for more than six years and played in the senior band at the high school. What sparked your passion for music? Why have you chosen the clarinet among all the musical instruments?

– When I was three I started dancing ballet and I was always surrounded by classical music so it wasn’t long until I found a love for not only classical but all types of music as well. My grandma would play piano while I danced in her living room which led me to start piano lessons and eventually in grade four I was asked to choose an instrument. There was no specific reason I was led to the clarinet; I just grabbed a random case from the shelf and it just so happened to be the clarinet. Since then I have tried other instruments like the guitar, flute, and trumpet, but none of them felt the same as the clarinet. 

– From a young age, you have been involved in instrumental music and have been brought up in a very musical environment. As a highschool student, talk about how your peers relate to classical music.

– Classical music has been around for a very long time and since it first started so many other genres of music have been introduced. I find younger generations most go to the music that seems to be trending rather than less current songs. Especially since classical music isn’t as present in video games or TV shows, many aren’t introduced to classical music enough to become interested in it. If it weren’t for the music program at my school I wouldn’t know much about the genre either and a lot of schools can’t afford to have that program, which could be a reason why so many kids aren’t as interested in the classical arts anymore. 

– How do you think the Festival should attract a younger audience?

– Although the Festivals main focus is classical music we do have events with other genres of music which I think tend to attract a younger audience. Many people of my generation aren’t drawn to classical music which is why I think our other events such as jazz weekends or folk music with vocals or more of a beat to the music bring in a wider age demographic.