The Canadian Lakehead Exhibition in Thunder Bay has put on a Northern Ontario Youth Talent Search since 2003, which acts as a competition that feeds into the larger Canada-wide competition.
Local teen Brittany Hayes won the CLE event last year, and this year 18-year-old Annelise Hawrylak is in the running to follow suit.
For this youth talent competition, Canada is split into 13 zones (including three in Ontario). Thunder Bay is the qualifier for this region and this year Hawrylak, along with Trevor Barker and Kenneth Kellar, all went to participate in the preliminary rounds.
Hawrylak made the top 10 and now is looking forward to this weekend, when she will perform at the CLE Family Fair to compete for the top spot out of the 10 finalists in hopes of moving on to the national level in Saskatoon, Sask.
The song she’ll be performing is from the musical “Little Women” and is entitled “Astonishing.” She chose this song for its complexity and impressive factor, and hopes it will help take her to the top.
After their performances in the preliminary rounds, Hawrylak and Barker both were scouted by a small theatre company in Thunder Bay and given scholarships to attend a musical theatre workshop which culminated in a performance of “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
In the end, Hawrylak landed one of the lead roles as the narrator while Barker played the Pharaoh of Egypt.
But all of these accomplishments don’t mean the end is in sight for Hawrylak. She sees this as only the beginning and hopes to be a vocal performer for as long as she possibly can.
The Fort High grad recently completed her second year towards a Vocal Performance degree at Brandon University, and looks forward to returning in the fall for her final year.
Afterwards, she has her sights set on the Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, where she hopes to complete a three-year program in Musical Theatre.
Hawrylak has been competing in local festivals since she was six and describes her vocal experience as “empowering because everyone listens and it is a great way to communicate.”
Music always has been a major part of her life, and she continues to stun the crowds and move forward in her career.
If there’s anyone who can sing, dance, or play an instrument and wishes to compete (or just go out, have fun, and meet new people), the CLE’s Northern Ontario Youth Talent Search is open to performers up to age 21.
While this year’s competition is closed to new performers, next year will be just as great a time as any. The Youth Talent Search is a great opportunity for youths to get out there and really show everybody what it is they can do.
For more information on this competition, visit www.cle.on.ca and click on the Youth Talent Search tab.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
