Powell River might be known a lot for its outdoor activities but it’s also known around the world for its music.
Numerous music festivals dot the summer calendar but the highlight could be the annual PRISMA Festival & Academy that is wrapping up with a final concert Saturday.
The Pacific Region International Summer Music Association, or PRISMA hosts the event every year in Powell River.
It’s an event that attracts world-renowned musicians and international music students from top universities, drawing over 5,000 concertgoers to daily musical events.
“This stage will be filled tonight with 86 students from all over the world on a very high level. They want to be here to play these huge orchestra works,” said Arthur Arnold, PRISMA founder and artistic director.
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Dutch-born Arnold is a world-renowned conductor who has conducted orchestras in the world’s most famous concert halls.
But the stress made it less gratifying so he settled in Powell River 13 years ago and started PRISMA.
“How is Powell River so lucky to get a guy like you?” he was asked.
“Well, who’s lucky here? I think I’m the lucky one. So I was in Moscow, I never lived in Moscow but I was always in and out for many, many years, very stressful life,” he told CHEK News Friday after a rehearsal for one of the final concerts.
“Somehow my life got a lot calmer and here I can put more energy into this beautiful program and it pays back, I’m the lucky one here.”
The students come from around the world to learn from him and put on amazing concerts over two weeks.
“I don’t even call them students, they are amazing musicians,” said Arnold.
“And Powell River is known around the world because of the music,” said Powell River Mayor Ron Woznow. “All the young students who want to become the best violinists in the world, or whatever, they come here to learn.”
“We are an isolated community, we understand it’s a challenge to get here and for anybody putting on an event it’s always something they have to think about but I think PRISMA has been quite successful in bringing in people form outside of our community to enjoy them,” said Qathet Regional District Chair Clay Brander.
“We especially get a lot of people from the Courtenay, Comox area because of BC Ferries being a presenting sponsor offering special packages.”
Arnold says PRISMA contributes roughly $1.6 million to the local economy every year.
“There is so much interest in music in Powell River and it’s unheard of, we live in such a small community and there is this incredible support so rooted in this society for this program,” added Arnold.
The local Tla’amin First Nation also has singers that sing and drum in front of the orchestras.
“That’s huge, it’s just something you have to see in order to understand what that meant you know and how that feels,” said Cyndi Pallen, Tla’amin First Nation member and PRISMA board director.
“And it meant so much when they approached us to be a part of it.”
PRISMA wraps up with a final beach concert Saturday but then on its heels is another major music event, Kathamixw, a biennial gathering of choirs from around the world.
“Choirs from Taiwan, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Slovenia, Philippine and also Toronto Children’s Choir,” said artistic director Walter Martella.
There will be 21 different groups and roughly 750 choir members coming to Powell River.
“We book up the hotels in advance and many of them stay with local families,” said Martella.
“The International Choral q̓at̓ᶿaymɩxʷ is a 5 day choral festival filled with concerts, common song singing, choral & vocal solo competitions, conductor’s seminars and social events. The festival is a place where all can learn from each other and from world renowned choral personalities,” according to its website.
Martella has been involved since the beginning.
“I’ve been involved since 1984 when it started,” Martella said. “We’ve been doing it every two years and originally it was an idea to bring people to town. This is our 20th annual event, after missing one year for COVID.”
There are 14 different concerts from Tuesday to Saturday.
“Every style of music. For instance, opening night has the Oh Fortuna from Carmina Burana and we close with Bohemian Rhapsody with choreographed dance. On Thursday night we’re having Choral Showcase night,” said Martella.
“I have a band coming and we’re doing some Cold Play songs, Billy Joel, Jacob Collier, then Friday morning is the cultural and folk competition where people come dressed in outfits from where they’re from and they do the music from their regions and countries, it’s really amazing.”
They’re currently transforming the hockey arena for the opening gala Tuesday evening, where one side will be filled with choral singers and the other side filled with over 1,000 concertgoers.
