The president of the Southeastern Manitoba Festival says registration numbers are holding steady for this year.

Candace Hamm says there were a couple long-time teachers who retired resulting in a slight drop in piano and vocal discipline numbers, but growth is seen in other areas such as dance and guitar.

"It's exciting to see it hold steady and it's exciting to see new people come in," notes Hamm. "When I'm looking at the list, this year I'm seeing quite a few new teachers as well as a lot of younger students coming in, so that's really exciting. Then you know the festival is going to keep going, there's interest, it's still relevant, and that's what we want."

Hamm says volunteers are a huge part of running the festival smoothly and efficiently.

"You're going to be seeing people volunteering getting people where they need to go, taking the adjudicators out for lunch, and taking money at the doors. Our adjudicator secretaries are some of our most important volunteers and they are the ones who basically run the day announcing performances and keeping track of the marks."

SEMF programs will be available at Outbach Music and the Steinbach Arts Council on February 1. The festival starts on the evening of February 20.