Musicians nervous, but excited

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This article was published 11/02/2025 (408 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At just 10 years old, Autumn Talbot is a three-time performer as a solo flautist at the annual Brandon Festival of the Arts, now underway in the Wheat City.

The festival began on Sunday and runs until March 11. Over the course of about four and a half weeks, almost 800 competitors are judged on their dance, music and speech skills.

“I was a little nervous, and a little excited,” Autumn said after playing the flute in front of a judge and audience Monday afternoon at Richmond Park Mennonite Brethren Church at 1525 26th St.

It’s a musical talent that she may have inherited from her mom, Joy Zhao, who played the flute professionally while growing up in China.

“I thought the flute sounded really beautiful, and I love playing it,” Zhao said, “I had professional lessons back then, and accomplished all the levels so I wanted to introduce it to my daughter.”

Flute lessons started at home, said Zhao, but there came a time when she wanted Autumn to have her own teacher, and chose Nancy Hennen, who is a part-time instructor at Brandon University’s School of Music.

Hennen — on piano, accompanied Autumn during Monday’s adjudicated performance of “First Star I See Tonight,” by Canadian composer Nancy Telfer.

“This is a wonderful experience for the musicians,” said Hennen, adding, “it gives them an opportunity to perform in front of other people, rather than how it is to practise at your home, where maybe your only audience is your cat, or your little brother.”

During the festival, there will be more than 80 scholarships, and additional awards and trophies that will be handed out by the 11 judges.

All have credentials that include professional performing, teaching, and collaborations with festivals and performance companies across the country and around the world, including London, England, New York, Brandon University, and the University of Manitoba.

Adjudicator Richard Gillis is brass chair at the University of Manitoba, artistic director of the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, which he co-founded, and is an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre.

Gillis said he understands the nerves that come with performing in front of an audience while being judged, adding that’s why when he provides feedback that’s meant to “channel enthusiasm, not dampen enthusiasm.”

And while Gillis is hesitant to share the criteria he uses to judge each performance, he insisted, it’s much more than just looking at the techniques of a musician.

“Music is never technical,” said Gillis. “That’s what practice is for. Think of it like a story. We don’t go to hear words; we go to hear stories and how those words are put together. So, if it’s a great story, that’ll hold you, if it’s presented in an interesting way.

“Same with music — if you’re focused on perfection, that’s wrong because it just gets us uptight and is never good enough,” he said.

As Gillis took Autumn through her adjudication process, he illustrated how she could carry notes longer using his own trumpet as an example and then encouraged her to do the same.

“He was telling me about breath work, timing and my fingers, and then extending the sound to make it more exciting, like waves,” said Autumn.

The Talbot family shared the 85 per cent score that Autumn was given for her solo performance compared to her last year’s mark of 97 per cent.

While disappointed, Autumn’s dad Chris said, this is the time of his daughter’s life when they need to be open to “all kinds of input.”

“Everyone has a different perspective, and we value his (Gillis’s),” Chris said. “He’s got the education, experience and intelligence when it comes to music, and the mark that Autumn received is how he saw her performance.

“But it was still nerve-wracking to watch,” Chris said as he laughed.

Monday’s competition was dedicated to two classifications of instruments — brass and woodwind. Brass includes the trumpet, trombone and French horn. Under the woodwind group are the flute, oboe, bassoon and clarinet.

Jesse Barr is in his second year at Brandon University, taking his bachelor of music performance in classical clarinet. But this is the first time he has entered the festival.

“I do have a few nerves, but this is something I love doing, and I’ve been playing for eight years now, so the nerves make it better, right?” said Barr.

“Besides, I really like hearing what people have to say, and this will help me develop my musicality and musicianship,” he said.

Other classes of competition include, strings, dance, piano, speech arts, vocal and choral that will be held at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium, Lorne Watson Recital Hall, St. Matthew’s Cathedral and First Presbyterian Church.

The festival’s encore concert is scheduled for March 23 at 7 p.m. at the Lorne Watson Recital Hall.

For more information about becoming a volunteer for the festival, send an email to brandonfestivalofthearts@gmail.com or call or text 204-721-9020.

The festival program is listed at https://brandonfestivalofthearts.ca/festival/

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