The Kalispell Area Music Teachers Association will hold its 14th annual  Vocal Festival Saturday.

The festival begins at 9:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Kalispell. The public is welcome to attend free of charge.

At the festival, music students will perform solos and receive positive comments and constructive criticism from the adjudicator, Gina Lapka.

Lapka, the executive director of the Montana Lyric Opera, is also an acclaimed soprano soloist and sought-after adjudicator and clinician.  She has won awards for vocal excellence and artistic interpretation from the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the University of Montana.

She has performed in numerous operatic roles and symphony concerts throughout the United States and Europe. Lapka has a private voice studio in Missoula and holds master’s degrees in vocal performance and musical theater from the University of Montana.  

Approximately 45 students are expected to participate in this festival.  Local voice teachers who have students participating are Cathy Helder, Suzanne Rohrbach, Nicole Sanford and Marcia Siblerud.

The Kalispell Area Music Teachers Association, begun in 1977, is an organization of music educators throughout the Flathead Valley who meet regularly in order to provide mutual professional support for one another and to promote music through their various programs and activities. The association provides a variety of activities for students including recitals, the annual Scholarship Alumni Concert, the Fall Vocal Festival, the Spring Music Festival, Montana State Music Teachers Association Student Advancement Programs, and educational and music camp scholarships.

The Kalispell association is an affiliate chapter of Montana State Music Teachers Association and Music Teachers National Association.