MusicFest Set for Springhill
The stage is set for the inaugural Springhill MusicFest to become one of Nova Scotia's most popular new festivals.
A Nova Scotian welcome concert will open the festival at 7 p.m. on July 30. The festival will continue throughout the weekend with more than 24 hours of musical entertainment on three stages.
Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of Springhill's Anne Murray Centre, the festival is already attracting international interest with ticket sales from as far away as California and Europe.
"We're fortunate to have a well-known performer like Anne Murray headlining the first festival," said Springhill MusicFest 99 artistic director Craig Wood. "Anne and her company have also supported the festival from behind the scenes by helping to create activities like our music industry workshops."
During the course of the festival, more than 24 artists and groups will be showcased at the outdoor concert site in downtown Springhill. Headliners will be Bruce Guthro on Friday night, the Rankins on Saturday night and Anne Murray on Sunday night. Special weekend guests include: Barnacle; Blou; Cindy Church; Susan Crowe; Este Mundo; the Guitar Summit; James Keelaghan; Terry Kelly; the Kidd Brothers; MacKeel; the Nova Scotia Mass Choir; Fergus O'Byrne and Jim Payne; Garnet Rogers; Gordie Sampson; Bob Snider; Sunshine Sue; Tickle Harbour; April Verch; Katherine Wheatley; and the Wonderbolt Circus.
On Saturday and Sunday, a series of four music industry workshops will take place at the Nova Scotia Community College, near the festival site. Held in co-operation with Balmur Entertainment Ltd. and the Music Industry Association of Nova Scotia, the workshops bring together an international roster of guest panelists to speak on topics such as copyright protection, career development and songwriting and composing. The keynote address will be given by acclaimed Canadian artist manager Bruce Allen, who guided the careers of well-known Canadian performers including Bryan Adams, Bachman Turner Overdrive and Anne Murray.
The Springhill MusicFest has attracted more than 300 local and regional volunteers. They will help welcome the estimated 10,000 or more visitors to Springhill during the course of the three-day event. The festival has already fostered new tourism infrastructure development in Springhill including the creation of 400 new tenting and RV sites adjacent to the festival grounds.
Planning for the festival went into full swing five months ago with the help of a $55,000 commitment from the International Years of Music initiative, which is funded by the Canada/Nova Scotia COOPERATION Agreement on Economic Diversification. The agreement is managed by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Nova Scotia's Department of Economic Development and Tourism.
The Springhill MusicFest has also received support from Human Resources Development Canada, the Cumberland Regional Economic Development Association, the town of Springhill and the SOCAN Foundation. Major corporate sponsors include: Sobeys/Foodland; Irving Oil; Tim Hortons; EMI Music Canada; Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce; Oland Brewers; Atlas Wine Merchants; Pepsi-Cola Company; Wandlyn Inn Amherst; and Bordertown Pontiac Buick GMC Ltd. Media sponsors include CBC-TV, the Halifax Chronicle-Herald, Eastlink Community Television and the Springhill Record.
Advance ticket sales for Springhill MusicFest 99 continue until 9 p.m. on July 29. On-site ticket sales begin at 4 p.m. on July 30 and continue throughout the weekend.
For more information, contact the festival box office toll-free at 1-877-363-3363 or locally at 902-597-2192.
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