History

Dwight Hall was the venue for the first Powell River Music Festival in 1945 and after undergoing two name changes, the festival, now qathet Festival of the Performing Arts, is the oldest, continuing cultural event in the area. 

Thousands of feet have crossed the festival stages over the past decades from kindergarten performers to seniors, all of them sharing their love of performing arts with appreciative audiences. In addition, so many teachers have shared their passion with those performers and parents have encouraged and supported their youngsters. 

It recently has taken place in three venues: Evergreen Theatre at Powell River Recreation Complex, James Hall at Powell River Academy of Music and Max Cameron Theatre at Brooks Secondary School.

Former Mayor Stewart Alsgard, as a young boy, participated in piano in the first-ever festival in 1945 and as a teenager in subsequent years with his high school band. 

Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk once played piano in the festival as did renowned pianist Don Thompson.

While there was one adjudicator for all disciplines in 1945, there is now an adjudicator for each. 

A group of community volunteers organized the festival until the Knights of Pythias and Pythian Sisters took over that task.

When the Pythian organizations were not able to continue, a group of festival supporters carried on until 2003 year when the women issued a call for assistance from the community. That call was answered by the Rotary Club of Powell River.

Members took on the task of leading the organizing committee and have been assisted ever since by community volunteers who understood the workings of the festival. 

Organizing committee members include Rotarians and community volunteers for the event that features performers in piano, strings, vocal and choral, speech arts, dance as well as band and instrumental.

Not knowing much about music, Rotarians applied the Four Way Test which guides the international organization of 133,000 clubs and more than 1.3 million members around the world. Service Above Self is its motto and members undertake a multitude of community and international projects.

All regular sessions of the festival are open to the public and free of charge with donations gratefully accepted to assist with expenses. Each festival concludes with a ticketed Grand Concert that shows samples of all the disciplines. Some performers are recommended to attend the annual Performing Arts BC provincial festival which this community hosted in 1997 and 2015, Many performers in the festival have gone on to make a living performing or teaching, continuing to follow their passion for performing arts.