Music has always been a big part of Heidi Howarth’s life, but now the local hotel owner is getting more immersed in the craft.

Besides being the driving force behind the Orange Crush Talent Search for Kids for the past 19 years, Howarth and music have had quite a love affair. She had 12 years of classical voice training as a youngster and now, 30 years later, is training again.

Doris Mayoh, an 85-year-old voice teacher, is giving regular lessons to Howarth and the ‘why’ is easy. “For personal achievement,” she says.

Howarth last year accompanied a Liz Grant-led choir to China for a 10-day excursion and had the time of her life. The trip lit Howarth’s inner music spark and where it leads, she says, is not a concern. She just wants to do it.

Music is genetic, because Howarth’s mother, Elizabeth (Ma) Henning, who passed away earlier this year, was a major player in the Manitoba music scene. She owned the Downs Motor Hotel in Winnipeg and was one of the first to book country acts into her lounge.

Henning received the Hank Smith Award of Excellence in 2008 at the Canadian Country Music Awards convention in Winnipeg. She spearheaded the drive in the mid-80s to get the awards show on TV, where it is now a staple.