Preparations are underway for an entourage from Powell River to follow the International Choral Kathaumixw Choir of the World totem pole to Hong Kong. Wah Yan College Kowloon Boys’ Choir won the award during the choral competition held in summer 2016.
The delegation will leave on Saturday, April 8. In all likelihood, it will be the last group to present a totem pole to the winning choir in this manner, according to Kathaumixw festival chair, Tom Koleszar.
“The thought is that we’ll have one big totem, like what we send now, but it will stay with the festival and be at Powell River Academy of Music,” said Koleszar. “Rather than send the big totem every time, we’d send a smaller one and not have a trip."
A newly carved, large totem will remain front and centre on stage at every festival, he added.
The seven-foot totem pole, created by Tla’amin Nation carver Craig Galligos from a red cedar, left Powell River on March 13.
Members of the contingent who will follow the totem include Galligos; Koleszar and former Kathaumixw artistic director Paul Cummings; City of Powell River councillor CaroleAnn Leishman, who holds the arts and culture portfolio for the city; School District 47 superintendent Jay Yule; Tla’amin Nation hegus Clint Williams and elder Betty Wilson; and local filmmaker and documentarian Claudia Media.
Introduced for Kathaumixw 2014, Cummings said the idea for the prize, and to send a delegation to accompany it, came from mayor Dave Formosa.
“I could see the magnitude of it,” said Cummings. “I could see it was going to be huge and that we were going to have to raise a lot of money and get partners on side. I could also see the benefits for Kathaumixw, for the City of Powell River and for Tla’amin as well.”
The journey will be Cummings’ last official duty for Kathaumixw. After his surprise resignation last October, he was replaced by Powell River Academy of Music director Walter Martella.
The first Choir of the World at Kathaumixw totem pole was awarded to St. Stanislav Youth Choir from Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The prize distinguishes Kathaumixw, one of the largest choral festivals of its kind in the world, from other festivals due to its symbolic representation of the relationship between Tla’amin Nation and Powell River. According to Williams, Tla’amin’s involvement with the festival has increased through the totem award.
“It’s amazing to see the Tla’amin culture celebrated and shared around the world,” said Williams. “Relationship building is a big part of what makes up this community and we’re excited to be part of this.”
Koleszar said he does not think the festival will lose any public relations value that comes with the unique nature of the large prize travelling to the winning choir’s city.
“They will still receive something that’s very representative of the culture here,” said Koleszar. “We want something that’s still a unique prize for this festival, something no other festival around the world has; this type of prize and cultural presence is unique to us.”
Koleszar added that without creating and shipping a new totem pole for every biennial festival, or making the trip, the value remains, but with less expense, which provides opportunities to direct funds elsewhere.
Koleszar estimated that Kathaumixw’s budget for the trip, which includes creating the totem pole and travel expenses for Galligos and Cummings, is approximately $14,000.
Leishman’s ticket is paid for by the city.
“It comes out of the mayor and council budget,” said Leishman. “It will probably be about $3,200.”
As well as being a cultural exchange, Leishman said she will also have opportunities to promote the region’s economic-development opportunities.
