Murrays festival roots run deep

Bob Murray doesn't remember much about the time he competed in the first ever New Glasgow Music Festival, held 70 years ago. He does, however, recall the name of the composition he played on his violin.
"I played a piece called Long, Long Ago," says Murray, who was just eight years old when he competed. Chuckling, he says: "It's kind of ironic now."
Murray continued to compete in the New Glasgow Music Festival until he was in his early 20s. He saw plenty of success even winning the CNR Trophy, later renamed the Rose Bowl, in 1950.
"I enjoyed the challenge; enjoyed the positive adjudications," Murray says.
"I always wanted to do my best."
To this day, he continues to support the music festival, as well as the Pictou County arts scene. Murray, who now lives in Antigonish, is a member of the Pictou County Orchestra, and a member of the New Glasgow Music Festival committee.
He says the annual music festival is a "tremendous opportunity" for young people in the community, as it teaches them the value of working hard to achieve success.
"The New Glasgow Music Festival has been great in encouraging and supporting young people in the community, many of whom have gone on to do great things in music."
Plenty has changed since Murray first competed in the New Glasgow festival. Of course, the number of participants has increased dramatically, but even more noticeable, says Murray, is how the level of talent has evolved.
He says: "The abilities and calibre of the young people now is amazing compared to the early years of the festival."
Murray, whose aunt taught him to play violin when he was a boy, says he has always had a passion for both listening to and playing music. If he could give any piece of advice to the young people competing in this year's festival, it would be to ensure they are passionate about music, first and foremost. While having a drive to win, a drive to succeed, is important, they have to love to play, he says.
"These young people have a great deal of talent. (Although) they are not all going to end up doing music professionally, that doesn't mean music can't be a part of their life," he says.

A positive approach is key
Those tasked to the complicated and laborious process of selecting adjudicators for the New Glasgow Music Festival begin their search a year in advance, says Marg Durning.
Durning says they are looking for adjudicators who are fair but sensitive to the fact that children need to be encouraged if they are going to continue to grow and flourish as musicians. "We want someone who is constructive and encourages the children to do the best they can; we don't want someone who will discourage the children in any way," Durning says.
Some adjudicators are asked to return to the New Glasgow festival. For instance, this will be Marilyn Harrison's second time serving as an adjudicator for the festival; this year, she is judging junior piano.
"There's a method for determining whether an adjudicator is someone we would like to have back in a few years," she says.
She admits, "A few times, we have someone who we won't approach again."
She says this tends to be someone who was seen as discouraging towards the children.
"Their approach probably wasn't helpful for the children," she explains.