The National Convention Voice Competition finals were held in Halifax, Nova Scotia July 4th.

Saige Carlson was representing all of BC at this competition organized by the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations. 

She was asked to submit her reflections on the trip east and the competition.

 

It’s hard to know where to start. I feel that this competition was the one of the best performing experiences I’ve had since I started singing, and also the most important opportunity.

The semi-finals took place on Thursday, July 4th. There had been a draw on Tuesday night to determine what order we would be performing in, and I was second in the lineup, singing at 10:00 in the morning. My time rolled around, and I sang for the judges and a small audience in a room at the Halifax World Trade and Convention Centre. When I say that this was an amazing performing experience, I mean that everything seemed to line up when I performed. I felt good about my singing, but more than that, I felt the emotion in the music and the text and let it take me to that “zone”, a level of mental concentration and focus on the music that we singers are always striving for. I think that, in the half hour that I sang for, I grew as a singer.

After my performance, we stayed all day and watched every singer after me. There were some amazing voices and some great performances. Later, the judges announced who would be moving on to the finals, and I was not on the list. Believe it or not, the more I think about it, the happier I am that I didn’t make it into the finals. I should probably tell you that this competition was judged by three very successful and well-known singers: Richard Margison, Mary-Lou Fallis, and Isabel Bayrakdarian. Competitors who didn’t sing in the finals got to do a master class with one of the judges. I was put into a master class with Isabel Bayrakdarian, who happens to have already been one of my favorite singers to listen to, so you can imagine how excited I was that I would get to work with her! She had some awesome tricks to help me with my singing, and in the long run, I think that everything worked out for the best.

On this amazing trip to Halifax, I had the opportunity to perform for three prestigious judges, listen to other singers, and become a better singer myself. It was worth every bit of work and every bit of stress, and thank you to everyone who has supported me!

Saige Carlson