Westben Arts Festival Theatre - Donna Bennett - soprano, pianist/composer

Donna Bennett & Brian Finley
Westben Arts Festival Theatre

I will continue with THE INSIDE SCOOP, with Scoop from the Westben Arts Festival Theatre. Here I have the privilege of interviewing Donna Bennett Marketing Director, soprano, pianist/composer.

My next question to Ms. Bennett was did she encourage the youth of today to attend performances? Ms. Bennett replies … “Education is important to Westben both for the Youth and Life Long Learners. We have 3 choruses – the Adult Festival Chorus and Youth and Teen chorus, where they learn technique of singing and performing, languages, styles of music, ear training etc. We bring professional artists into the schools and school children to the Barn. At times we have concerts geared for kids. All professional concerts only cost $5 for children 18 and under.”

Westben is located in the vibrant community of Campbellford. Previously Donna stated that the community was strong, talented and energetic. She tells us that … “Westben has great community support through schools, businesses and volunteers – tourism and arts and culture groups.” "Brimming with enthusiasm, Donna and Brian led the young organization in building a new concert hall to reflect the co-founders’ multi-faceted artistic vision. This new facility must be acoustically suited for classical music, accessible for audiences, in both comfort and style, and harmonious with the surrounding farmland."...

The Westben Arts Festival Theatre is extremely accomplished and clearly passionate and dedicated to these Arts! I was able to ask Ms. Bennett why she thought the Westben Arts Festival Theatre is an important part of our society today and what role do you see as its importance? … The reply … “My goal is to introduce and share music with my community. Arts can change lives and open doors to new feelings and thoughts. I just want to make a difference in people’s lives.” I asked Donna where did they draw the performances/performers from and what would the process be to be accepted at Westben to perform. … The reply … “Brian receives numerous emails and CD’s from artists across the country, us and Europe. He does a lot of research and also has a talent for bringing artists together for new projects.”
(To Be Continued)