Bigger. Better.
On June 19, the third installment of the Valley's Youth Talent Showcase at Joe's Garage will feature some of the amazing youth talent Vancouver Island has to offer.
From Victoria to Campbell River, artists will come together to celebrate music and art at one of the Valley's best live venues which has been bringing emerging live Canadian and international indie music to the area for seven years.
The showcase began in 2009 when emerging youth indie-pop artist, Alexandria Maillot, moved to the area and was blown away by the eclectic mix of talents throughout the Comox valley region. Thus, the idea emerged of organizing a showcase for the youth around the area to be able to perform and express their artistic abilities. However, the word contest would not be used in the production.
"There are so many contests, and as good as they are for the youth to be involved with, I wanted to do something different," Maillot explains. "I wanted to put on a show that would be a positive experience without the intimidation of a contest."
Maillot is no stranger to the music scene. At the age of 18, Alexandria has already showcased her talents overseas in festivals in Romania and Egypt, had an original song picked up by Universal Music for Swiss artist, Stefanie Heinzmann, performed alongside Jann Arden and David Foster for a televised concert in Toronto, won the England based We Are Listening Singer/Songwriter Award and subsequently had five songs picked up for pending MTV television placements, been featured on Ourstage.com and MTV as the "Needle in the Haystack" as well as through American Airlines "In -Flight Entertainment", Six Flags national theme parks for their "New Music Hour" and on Oprah Winfrey's website under the "World's Most Smartest and Talented Kids" - not to mention playing the role of Lucie in the motion picture, Red Riding Hood, (starring alongside Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman).
Although the Youth Talent Showcase does not bear the name "contest" anywhere in its mission statement, there are still prizes at the end of the night. Each artist involved will walk away with something, whether it be studio time, photo sessions, live performance opportunities, and gift cards donated from local shops and organizations.
As well as a dozen youth performers, Emily Spiller and Helen Austin, two established artists from the local area as well as Vancouver Island Music Award (VIMA) nominees, will be special guests and mentors to the youth involved in the showcase production.
Doors open at 6 p.m. Show 7 p.m. Tickets $5 in advance at Bop City Records or $8 at the door (cash only). For more info, call Joe's Garage at (250) 702-6456 or Barb at 250-792-2155 or bmaillot@shaw.ca.