Objectives of VAYA
- TO PRODUCE PERFORMING AND LITERARY ARTS FESTIVALS WITH COMPETITIVE AND NON-COMPETITIVE CATEGORIES
- TO SUPPORT AND FOSTER PERFORMING AND LITERARY ARTS EDUCATION THROUGH SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES
- TO HELP PARTICIPANTS ACQUIRE SELF-CONFIDENCE BY PERFORMING BEFORE AN AUDIENCE
- TO PROVIDE PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARTICIPANTS
VAYA Board of Directors
Heilwig Von Koenigsloew, President
Richard Haack, Vice President
Lori Norum, Treasurer
Laura Miller, Secretary
Marlene Best, Director
Clara Lim, Director
Christine Purvis, Director
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! FESTIVAL held each Spring in the City of Langley.
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.