“Music is the most powerful of investments, giving us the best return”. And for the past seven decades, the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat is proud to have invested in the well-known, well-respected Rotary Music Festival (RMF).

Delynne Lorentzen was our guest speaker on 2 November. She is the Executive Director of the Rotary Music Festival held annually over a two week period in Medicine Hat.

Delynne made a strong case of the need for support, from all quarters, for investment in the presence of music in the lives of children and young people… in fact in the lives of all, throughout the life cycle.

She referred to several studies – most of them longitudinal - that have demonstrated and illustrated links between music training and brain development, cognitive development, academic achievement, social abilities and emotional health. Delynne mentioned studies that show how intervention with music has been shown to help people with academic and/or emotional difficulties. We were encouraged to read articles on some of these studies. Here is the link to the list provided by Delynne:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X_QKxxvBg_T7J-qZ2BCAdA77dKPnIG5jjWaKqeTfWLA/edit?usp=sharing

Delynne shared stories of the powerful impact that participation in the RMF has had on the lives of ex-participants… and the long-term ripple effect of participation. An apt quote from Tennyson’s poem “The Splendour Falls”: “Our echoes roll from soul to soul, and grow for ever and for ever”.

Delynne also brought in the very real (even though unscientific) magic of music.

Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.

Shifting gears to statistics:

In 2026, there were nearly 700 Solo Entries in the disciplines of Speech, Vocal, Violin, Cello, Guitar, Musical Theatre, Brass, Woodwind, and Piano.

In Group Entries, over 1200 children participated – including 11 bands and 15 choirs, along with orchestras, musical theatre groups, and choral speech groups. They reached an audience of well over 2000!

Of special note is that three alumni of the RMF were welcomed back as adjudicators in 2026: Brendon Catalano, Hunter Semrau, and Soren Lorentzen. As Delynne said, this was a wonderful ‘full circle’ situation.

Diana Monet was the winner of the 2026 Rose Bowl. Here’s a link to her performance:

https://youtu.be/7_urhmRv-QM?si=ww2B3eT_jRSR1hyI 

ABOVE IMAGE: Miriam and Diana Monet, sisters, 2025 and 2026 Rose Bowl winners (piano).

In 2027, the RMF will use several venues: St John’s for Choral classes, St Barnabus for Guitar, Vocal, Strings, Piano, Brass and Woodwind, the Monarch Theatre, and the MH Public Library, the latter two for the first time.

Treat yourself to the amazing talents of RMF participants! Attend as many performances as possible in 2027! The festival starts on Sunday 8 March and ends on Sunday 21 March. Keep an eye on the Facebook page of the RMF.

To the RMF Society Board, Delynne, Jacqueline and the many volunteers, all of whom invest so many hours in the planning and management of each festival, we salute you and send you very best wishes for the upcoming 2027 festival. As said by Delynne, what you do has meaning, purpose, and results. See you there!