Annie Gaudreau-Roy first winner of the Musika Contest

MONTRÉAL, QC, October 16, 2017 - The Musika contest, an initiative of the evenko foundation for emerging talent, crowned Annie Gaudreau-Roy as the winner of its very first edition during a historic evening hosted by Anne-Marie Withenshaw yesterday at the L'Astral concert venue. 

The 12 finalists - who were selected among 50 participants via a popular vote, which attracted close to 50,000 votes, each performed a song of their own, before joining forces for a group performance of Jean-Jacques Goldman's "J'irai au bout de mes rêves". 

It was Annie who ultimately won over the jury comprised of André Ménard (Co-founder of L'Équipe Spectra), Nick Farkas (Vice-President of Concerts and Events at evenko) and Heather Kitchen (Executive Producer at Banff Centre). The 20-year-old singer whose strong jazz tones reminded everyone of the great Ella Fitzgerald was awarded the grand prize valued at $25,000: a two-week residency at the prestigious Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the opportunity to perform on stage at an evenko or L'Équipe Spectra festival, as well as the production of a three-song promotional album.

"I want to thank the organization of the contest and the whole team who were very patient, generous and understanding throughout the adventure," says Gaudreau-Roy. "I feel very privileged to be the winner and most importantly, I look forward to performing at the Jazz Festival and benefiting from training at the Banff Centre. It's always nice to be rewarded for your efforts and I'm fully appreciating the little cloud in which I'm living right now!" Annie has been singing since the tender age of four. She currently studies vocal jazz at the Université de Montréal.

During the jury deliberations, Musika ambassador Gabriella performed singing a few of her songs, including the brilliant "Street Fight", while showcasing her majestic ease at playing the violin and guitar.

As finalists of the Musika contest, Mélina Laplante, Karen Pinette-Fontaine, Lauma, Yo-An Emond, Jayana Auger, Violette Lapierre, Van Hoan Le, Mia El-Sayegh, Katryna-Florence Marcogliese, Frédérick Tremblay abd Karolan Boily allreceived a two-year subscription to the audio mastering software LANDR PRO. 

Launched to celebrate the second anniversary of the evenko foundation, Musika's objective was to give an opportunity to emerging musicians and singers aged 18 to 25 to display their talent. 

Watch her performance during the finale here. For information about the evenko foundation, visit www.fondationevenko.ca  

About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: Founded in 1933, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is a learning organization built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and creative development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become the global organization leading in arts, culture, and creativity across dozens of disciplines. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to inspire everyone who attends our campus – artists, leaders, and thinkers – to unleash their creative potential and realize their unique contribution to society through cross-disciplinary learning opportunities, world-class performances, and public outreach. banffcentre.ca

About the evenko foundation for emerging talent: Launched in May 2015, the evenko foundation for emerging talent aims to support youth between the ages of 5 to 25 to engage in the performing arts to stimulate their creativity, improve their self-esteem and their desire to learn and grow. The evenko foundation also aims to encourage emerging talent through programs, donations and fundraising activities directly addressed to youth on evenko concert territories.

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Marie-Noël Phaneuf
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