The limelight is only one step away for one Prince George singer. Eight performers are circling that shaft of prominent light, but only one will get to bask in its glow at the B.C. Northern Exhibition.
The annual Limelight Quest singing competition has climbed up its ladder of preliminary entertainment. Audience voting determined earlier this month that the finalists should be Chris Potts, Olivia Kozoris, Aine Hogan, Isabelle Houghton, Fizza Rashid, Kiziah Arias, Eva Gobbi and Alexa Macabitas. They prevailed in the semifinal rounds held at the Cowboy Ranch. Tonight, they go for the gold... er, lime.
"I was amazed by both the number of new faces and voices that showed up this year and also the high standard of talent. Many of these are inexperienced performers, but you can see their confidence rise with each successful performance," said Limelight Quest founder and producer Dawn Boudreau.
She praised the Cowboy Ranch for adjusting their hours and staff resources to accommodate the competition's needs. Their stage was well appointed for the sing-off rounds. Now it's time to move to the grand finale stage at the BCNE.
Each competitor will get one last chance to power through their chosen song and impress the high-profile fall fair audience.
They will also put on a bit of a show together. Boudreau, a singer-songwriter and recording artist from Prince George now living in the Lower Mainland, composed a song called Sing (Limelight Quest Theme) and it's a living document that also serves as a fun challenge for those on the shortlist.
"We are in daily rehearsals of the opening group number this week," said Boudreau. "The finalists collaboratively write two verses to our theme song. They will perform this together to help get their performing jitters out of the way on the big night."
The jitters are warranted. In addition to performing live in front of the public, some of whom are judging their efforts, there are lucrative prize packages up for grabs. Those who place in the top four will each receive a combination of cash, trophy, and a prize-proportional set of professional development tools (photo shoots, vocal lessons, recording sessions, etc.).
After that, it's up to each of them to sing their best and await the judging decision. It is designed to be yet another growth opportunity built into the Limelight Quest process. This competitive concert happens tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Kin 3.
The audience is the judge, with a weighted voting system that balances out the performance evaluations so popularity is less of a factor than singing talent, by the time the votes are tallied.
"Dan Johnson, our second place winner from 2015, will entertain the audience while we do the math," said Boudreau.
Last year's final four were Sean Robinson in first, Caitriona Hogan in second, Selina Bomberger in third and Arilynne Barks in fourth.
Past winners since commencement in 2011 include Vanessa Wittstruck, David Baycroft, Chazz Amos, Sheena Muir and Jessey Decosta, many of whom have gone on to substantial places in the local music scene. Some of the second place winners, too, have established themselves as quality performers like Jaymie Walker, Dallas Cote, and the aforementioned Johnson.
On Sunday on the BCNE Mainstage, the top winners of this year's Limelight Quest competition will get to strut their stuff without the pressure of competition. A winners' showcase happens at 10 a.m. at the performance space facing the food court.
