Georgina Lazzarotto Memorial Award

Georgina Lazzarotto was born at Rhydyfelin, South Wales in 1940.  She grew up in the small village in Pontypridd, Wales, where she sang in church and school choirs.

In 1964 Georgina came to Canada answering an advertisement for nurses in Saskatchewan. In the early 1970s she worked in remote northern First Nations villages, developing a wonderful relationship with the Cree people.

In 1973 Georgina married an RCMP, later moving with husband Lorne to Regina and raising two sons.  She developed a further love of music directing church choirs in Regina as well as Williams Lake when they moved there in 1986.  She directed choirs for a total of 35 years.

In Williams Lake she took voice lessons, obtained her licentiate in voice and became a vocal teacher from 1990 – 2012.  Georgina served on the Board of the Cariboo Music Festival for 15 years coordinating all vocal entries.  She continued her nursing career at Cariboo Memorial Hospital and later taught home support courses for a resident care program.

In a professional recording studio in Vancouver, Georgina performed a dozen of her favorite songs with accompaniment of a classical pianist. The CD produced was given as a memento of Georgina’s love for music and a beautiful gift for family and friends.

After moving to Salmon Arm, Georgina became the Venue Director on the Board of the Shuswap Music Festival Society, where she served for 5 years until her passing in 2018.

The Shuswap Music Festival Society awards 2 scholarships in memory of Georgina for excellence in vocal performance in a foreign language.