Rotary celebrated the best of the best young performers on Saturday evening at their annual Honours Concert.
Directed by Heather Gordon Murphy and hosted by Suzie Moscovich, the audience saw a wide variety of acts and heard everything from classical to jazz to song selections from modern musicals.
First to take to the stage was the Timberline Senior Jazz Band. They played The Big Dance and Spain.
Students Grade 10-12 play on the band, practicing twice a week before school. They have won numerous provincial awards and recommendations to MusicFest Canada.
Next on stage was Hollis Matheson singing Se Florindo E Fedele by Alessandro Scarlatti.
Matheson is in Grade 12 at Carihi and has been taking singing lessons with Amy Lelliott since Grade 4. She was the recipient of the 2017 Virginia Gradsack vocal scholarship.
Ashley Hogg and Grace Beselt of the RainCoast School of Musical Theatre took to the stage next performing Moses Poses from Singin’ in the Rain.
Connor Hogg, also of RainCoast, followed performing Me from Beauty and the Beast.
Connor is in Grade 12 at Timberline and has student voice for seven years. He has been in productions with RainCoast, Rivercity Players and Timberline Musical Theatre. He is attending Capilano University in the fall to pursue a Bachelor of Performing Arts.
Timandra Draper followed Connor with Rach 3, Contemporary Ballet choreographed by Geraldine Potter.
Draper is 13 and studies at home. This year she is the Intermediate Provincial Ballet representative for the BC Provincial Performing Arts Festival. She had been dancing everything from Highland to contemporary since she was 6 years old, but her favourite is ballet.
Performers from Solstice Studio took to the stage next. A soloist did a contemporary dance routine followed by a performance by the acroteam.
After the intermission Urban Dance Connection’s Classical Division Senior Team took to the stage performing Break the Silence choreographed by Chrissy Kennedy.
Rebekah Draper sang Danza Danza Fantiulla Gentile by Francesco Durante next.
Rebekah is 11 years old. This year she is attending a provincial championship as the Classical Voice representative.
Follow Rebekah Towa Stewart played La Campanella by Liszr.
Stewart is 16 and has won numerous awards and scholarships including the Ruth Scott Chopin Competition, Virginia Graczak Piano Competition and a bronze medal at an international competition in Vancouver last year. He will be representing the North Island at the provincial championship in Victoria next month.
Stepping back into musical theatre, Connor Hogg and Jenna Beauregard of RainCoast performed Posh from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Shea Bridgen danced to Momma’s Place, choreographed by Chrissy Kennedy, next followed by the Kathy Mascia School of Dance’s performance Swish Swish, choreographed by Kirsty Mascia.
At the end of the evening the audience chose Solstice Studio as the best group performance and Towa Stewart as the best solo performance.
