Welcome to the
Saskatchewan Music Festival Association

The History of the Saskatchewan Music Festival

The Saskatchewan Music Festival Association (SMFA) is one of the province’s oldest organizations and has profoundly influenced all music in Saskatchewan.

We have an enviable system that exists in this country, thanks to Governor General Earl Grey.

In addition to football, he had the arts on his mind. Following a concert which was part of the inauguration ceremonies of Alberta, he proposed that a Canada-wide festival should be established for drama and music.

Later, he sent letters to the Lieutenant-Governors of each province and asked for their support. Alberta and Saskatchewan were the only two provinces to respond.

For decades, the SMFA has contributed greatly to the cultural life of our province by providing performance platforms in communities all across Saskatchewan.

Cultural Impact

Since 1908, the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association (SMFA) has grown with our province, always in step, always in tune.

Our mandate requires us to work closely with the many people who come together to keep the festival movement alive and well in Saskatchewan, including:

• music and spoken word students;
• teachers;
• parents and extended family;
• volunteers;
• donors/supporters, and
• audience members.

Communities across the province embrace the festival concept because it provides:

• educational growth, as well as entertainment that brings the community together
• the ability for communities to acknowledge and support the success and endeavours of their young people
• positive multi-generational interaction
• encouragement for students to set goals and showcase their abilities, while receiving constructive adjudication from professional musicians
• develops confidence and discipline

SMFA works closely with the other similar music organizations across Saskatchewan to ensure that the programs we develop are relevant.

Accessibility to programs and recognizing changing demographic circumstances within the province is a high priority. The broad-based volunteer component of SMFA allows the organization to operate at the grass roots level, thereby closely monitoring these changes and adapting to them.

The need for a culturally aware society is of increasing importance, given the pressures exerted upon us by the rapid electronic environment in which we live.

Our organization is committed to cultivating that awareness by providing information, education, opportunity and a clear vision of the role we play in this task.