As part of an annual tradition, music students who are participating in MusiCamp Alberta will present a series of free concerts at Red Deer College this summer.

Audience members will enjoy diverse music performed by youth and professional musicians participating in MusiCamp, Alberta’s largest and longest running summer music program.

MusiCamp is a summer workshop for students in junior high and high schools, with a focus on performance and preparation to help encourage students to become life-long lovers of music. 

Faculty and guest recitals will run each evening, Monday through Friday, from July 29th to August 9th. Feature concerts will take place August 3rd, August 10th and August 17th. 

Camp Director Stephen Fong said these free public events are a great way to showcase the hard work and excitement camp attendees put into their music. 

“This is a camp that brings together students and music faculty from all across the province of Alberta,” he explained. “It’s a great opportunity for kids who love music to come together, perform together and explore their love of music together.”

MusiCamp started 62 years ago in Camrose, and has since been moved to the new host city of Red Deer. 

By day, the students work through a variety of workshops, including large ensemble practices and smaller group work that is more focused and detailed. Fong said the students also engage in recreation activities led by the supervisors and that both educators and students have a lot of fun through their weeks together. 

“My two favourite days are the first one where the campers arrive and everyone's excited to be here - there’s an incredible energy in the college corridors as everyone gets their instruments out for the first time and they start playing together,” Fong said. 

“The other really interesting day is near the end where everyone is saying their goodbyes and you realize how they’ve made some really deep connections with each other and with the music. It’s a really special time to see how far they’ve come in even a week.”

The evening recitals are approximately 45 minutes in length and will showcase a wide variety of musical styles.  No tickets are required for any of the concerts.

A full schedule of events can be viewed at musicampalberta.com.