A Chilliwack teen is been touted as one of the most talented kids in the province according to Youth Talent Search BC.
Sixteen-year-old singer Olivia McDonnell of Chilliwack was the fourth place overall winner at the Youth Talent Search BC 2019 finals on Sunday, Nov. 24.
Olivia’s soulful rendition of ‘All I Want’ won over the judges making her the first Chilliwack resident to ever place at the competition. She placed over 20 other finalists from all over the Lower Mainland ranging in age from seven to 19 years old.
These finalists earned their spots, first through preliminary rounds which took place exclusively through YouTube video submissions over the summer and then through the live semi-final rounds held in October. The preliminary round had more than 200 submissions with approximately 60 of them moving on to the semi-finals.
The judges saw everything from singers, dancers, acrobats, yo-yo performers, musicians, full rock bands and actors.
Eighteen-year-old saxophonist Gabriel Regher from Burnaby took home the winning title with 16-year-old Coquitlam singer-songwriter Dani Black coming in second and Surrey teen Nina Bernabe coming in third. Eleven-year-old Kaitlyn Bice from Pitt Meadows claimed the Audience Favorite Award.
Prizes included representation with a top film/TV agent, guest spot performances, gift certificates for acting lessons, tickets for local productions and events, a Youth Talent Search BC trophy, scholarships for the popular summer program ‘Gotta Sing Gotta Dance’ and much more.
This year’s industry judges included TV star Travis Turner (Some Assembly Required, The Fairly OddParents live action movie, A Princess for Christmas), professional singer/actor Amy Gartner (Royal Carribean Cruise Lines, Music of the Night) and manager/agent Sarah Davis (Premiere Talent Management).
Youth Talent Search BC is a talent competition designed to give youth exposure and experience in a theatre environment.
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