ARTS: 2025/26

20 June 2026Edna Widenmaier, Director of Arts

Although a number of summer camps took advantage of our terrific facilities last year, the buzz of students returning to the arts studios and performance venues in September is always exhilarating. Easels are carried to outside spaces to take advantage of the luminescent environment, voices are warming up for auditions, and instruments are taken out of storage. 

Musical Theatre students auditioned for leads in the spring musical Cinderella: The Broadway Version. Musicians warmly welcomed our new Head of Music, Dr. Michael Keddy, as they began the year’s rehearsal cycle—their first performances at the Thanksgiving Cabaret, Remembrance Day Service, and the Concert for a Winter’s Eve. 

In our various art studios, painters, photographers, sculptors, potters, graphic artists, and woodworkers anticipated our November opening of Overtures: Space—the first major show of the gallery in the Centre for Arts in 2025/26. 

The energetic Grade 8 class was put through their paces for their November production of Beetlejuice Jr. by our new dance instructor, Ms. Megan Rea. At the Provincial Public Speaking Competition in November, Brentwood teams earned several second-place wins and one first-place finish.  

The second term began with a public concert in the Killy Theatre by the Victoria Baroque Ensemble, an opportunity for our students to attend a classical concert by a world-class group of musicians playing on original 16th- and 17th-century instruments. 

The weather may be frosty, but within the studios and rehearsal spaces, students were plying their various crafts, both for the joy of self-expression and success in external competitions. Down in the Robotics Lab in the Centre for Arts, teams were hunkered down coding and building their various robots for local and Island competitions.

Musical Theatre rehearsals were in full swing. This year’s production was tremendously supported by our Costume Design team—busy stitching glorious ball gowns—and members of the Maintenance staff building and painting the complex sets. At the end of January, after two months of diligent preparation, 31 students competed in the Vancouver Model UN Conference against 1,500 delegates. Honours abounded, including Best Delegate, with Brentwood winning about 10 per cent of the awards available. 

Ten teams from our Debate Program travelled to Glenlyon Norfolk School in Victoria for the Island Regionals, resulting in six teams going on to the Provincials at the end of February.  

The on-site Coast Salish Carving Project with Beau Wagner in an outdoor tent at the south end of the campus has engaged so many of our students in our Visual Arts Program. The two welcome figures encompass the story of “Salmon Boy” as their design theme, which has led to student groups being instructed in carving smaller salmon plaques. They have spent time with Beau learning the cultural significance of Western Red Cedar and its healing properties—in addition to other elements of Coast Salish art and tradition.  

As the early spring flowers began to brighten up the campus, students returned with renewed spirit. Part of the annual Brentwood International Regatta at the end of April, several of our music ensembles entertained the crowds from their new stage area at the main entrance to the Centre for Innovation and Learning—while in the Centre for Arts and Humanities Gallery, the final multi-disciplined show opened its doors to showcase Resonance. Hundreds of works in all mediums were appreciably viewed by parents and visitors. For our Grade 12s, it was tinged with sadness, as this would be their final opportunity to share their work with their peers and parents in this venue.  

A number of our dancers worked tirelessly outside of regularly scheduled dance classes to compete in the Phoenix Competitions against 11 dance schools in Nanaimo, with excellent results. They barely got off the bus on campus following this victory and were already back in rehearsals for the April 30 and May 1 public and school showcase Encore on the George Killy Theatre stage—a summative event for the entire Brentwood Dance Program. Over the two performance nights, audiences were thrilled by our community of dancers who are not only exceptionally talented but deeply passionate about their art.  

Our music ensembles also came in with some incredible competitive results at their festivals. At the West Coast Jazz Festival, a qualifier for the national MusicFest, our groups achieved outstanding placements:  Beginner Rock – Silver; Intermediate Rock – Gold’ Advanced Rock – Gold. As well, each group was awarded an invitation to MusicFest Canada 2027.  

On May 2, student musicians from the Brentwood College School Wind Ensemble joined forces with the Greater Victoria Concert Band at Island Bandfest 2026. Hosted at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney, BC, this annual community celebration filled Bodine Hall with six hours of back-to-back performances from five concert bands and two jazz bands. The collaborative event brought together over 200 amateur instrumentalists to showcase regional talent, drawing local music lovers to support grassroots arts programming. Our Brentwood students were warmly welcomed into the band and performed exceptionally well alongside the regular members of the group. It is hoped that this will be an annual event.  

All of the music ensembles along with soloists performed at our annual Concert for a Summer’s Eve in the Killy on May 28 and 29. This showcase celebrated the depth and diversity of our musicians. All proceeds went to the Monday Morning Music Society, a music therapy program for people with disabilities in the Cowichan Valley.  

Final news flash: Our Model UN teams have just been invited to the Worlds in New York this coming February 2027!  

While you are on campus, walk through our galleries and studios to share how students are using their imagination and technical skills to address important themes of our time. Our holistic Arts Program is diverse, inclusive, and allows students to forge their values, discern their path, and be strengthened by the creative intelligence they have nurtured while here.