As the new school year starts up after Labour Day weekend, there will be many familiar faces no longer around from the senior grade in the Kwalikum Secondary School music program, while new talents will begin to shine.
Andy Telfer is looking forward to the inevitable change, although the head of the high school parents music committee admitted the change will be bittersweet.
“We’re sad that we lost some really excellent musicians who graduated from Grade 12 and they’ve now gone on to other things, but we now have some great young musicians coming in from the middle school,” he said.
“It will be a different mix and a different kind of music perhaps, with the combos and the bands, but life goes on and they’ll do a great job. We’ve got a great group that’s coming to the senior music program this year.”
Telfer made the comments at a special corn roast at the Qualicum Beach Farmers’ Market Saturday.
“The farmers market approached us as they did last year and asked us to give corn away by donation,” he said. “People are putting donations in the box and it all goes to support the high school music program.”
As some students sold the corn, the Senior Kwalikum Secondary School jazz combo of Kyle Gorenko on guitar, Julian Telfer-Wan on trombone, Harrison Houde on drums and bass player Clayton Twa provided the weekly market’s musical accompaniment.
This, Telfer said, was just the latest gig for the foursome.
“They did a gig at Quality Foods for their anniversary celebration this summer,” he said. They were also down at Ladysmith at a paid gig and they go to the music festivals... across B.C., Alberta and the Pacific Northwest in the States. They won half the awards available to them.”
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