About the VAYA MUSIC FESTIVALS
Festival Administration and General Information
Lorne Fiedler
Telephone: 778-868-0426
Email: gm@vayafestivals.ca
Objectives of VAYA
- to support and foster performing and literary arts education through awards and scholarships
- to give participants the benefit of expert criticism from unbiased adjudicators
- to provide opportunities for participants both at the festival and in the community throughout the year
History of the Festivals
The VAYA MUSIC FESTIVALS are educational music festivals produced by the VAYA Youth Arts Society. The organization was founded in the Spring of 1999 and became a non-profit society and registered charity in 2001. It was supported by three area Kiwanis Clubs until 2018, and up to 2021, was a partner of KPU’s (Kwantlen Polytechnic University) Music Department. Over the past twenty-five years, the organization has grown to become one of the largest of its kind in British Columbia.
In addition to the VAYA Online INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL (for soloists and small ensembles), the Society produces the VAYA Online LARGE ENSEMBLE FESTIVAL and the VAYA Online SPEECH ARTS & DRAMA FESTIVAL (which includes a creative writing component).
For those residing in the Metro Vancouver area and would like to participate in an in-person festival, we offer ‘Langley Live!’, held each Spring in the City of Langley. Please visit this link for the syllabus and registration information: https://vayafestivals.ca/langley-live/
Our online festivals welcome international participants, and those who are unable to attend an in-person festival or for whom live performance is not a goal.
The Society is a member of Performing Arts BC (the provincial performing arts competition) and MusicFest Canada (the national competition for concert bands, jazz bands, orchestras, and choirs).
Many thanks to our volunteers who contribute so much to the smooth running of the festival.