Despite the ongoing difficulties with COVID 19, the NS Branch has been bravely marching on with a number of projects! Some of our usual activities have had to be scaled back while other events have moved online or taken a different form.
Throughout the year, all branch meetings have been conducted online but there have been several opportunities to get together in person. Our Walking group, once restrictions allowed, has been meeting regularly on Monday mornings. Also, in early 2021 we started organizing online Socials, (Sunday February 7th and Sunday March 7th) and in the fall we moved these to outdoor gatherings held on Sunday, September 26 and Sunday October 3.
Our 50th Anniversary team has been busily conducting interviews and collecting tidbits, (photos, programs, memorabilia), arranging our archives for a smooth historical timeline of events. All of this to be published later as a Digital Scrapbook.
The Annual Award recital, a yearly recital to honour those students and their teachers who have excelled in conservatory examinations, was held online for the second year. Students submitted pre- recorded videos of their performances and students were presented with their awards at the “live” online event.
During the fall of 2020 and into the beginning of 2021, a group of teachers met regularly with intention of establishing a special Mini Festival for the spring of ’21. When that was not possible due to COVID restrictions, we continued to plan the same event for the spring of ’22. Enter OMICRON! We had to put the project on hold, but we very much hope to produce the long-delayed 50th Anniversary NS Music festival in March of ’23.
Looking ahead to 2022, plans are in place to resume post General Meeting workshops in 2022. We are presently planning a series of workshops on a range of disabilities as well as having a representative of a local 1st Nation come to speak on music and reconciliation.