Eight students from the Primary and Secondary sections of the CCB were finalists in the Soloist Competition of Latin American Vocal Music 2021, organised by the Belgrano Day School in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The awards ceremony was held on November 19 via streaming, with the participation of 20 finalist students from different schools, which like the CCB, are members of Round Square.
This competition was held in 5 categories: 7 to 8 years old, 9 to 10 years old, 11 to 12 years old, 13 to 14 years old and 15 to 18 years old.
In the first category of 7 to 8 years old, Sara Triana Giraldo from 3rd grade won first place. In the 9 to 10 years old category, Emanuel Ferro Gaviria from 4th grade won third place, while in the 11 to 12 years old category, María José Ramírez Soto from 5th grade won second place.
In the 13 to 14 year old category, Luciana Arango Salazar (8th grade) took second place while Mariana Barona Velásquez (8th grade) took first place. In the last category, 15 to 18 years, Lucas Hernández Garrido (11th) would enter the podium in third place, while Juliana Pombo Jiménez (11th) and María Loaiza Gómez (11th) were tied for second place. It is important to highlight the valuable participation of Isabella Gallego Muñoz (9th) in the 13 to 14 years old category and Sara Vallejo Valenzuela (11th) in the 15 to 18 years old category.
Watch their auditions!
The judges of the Belgrano Day School Competition in Buenos Aires were impressed with the quality of our artists.
“I would like to acknowledge the Colegio Colombo Británico for the outstanding work done by their music teachers in the preparation and recording of their students, it is truly remarkable the quality of the artists they presented, congratulations from the bottom of my heart and thank you for participating,” commented Alejandro Di Nardo, judge of the competition at the virtual award ceremony.
Music runs through their veins
For our little ones, this recognition brings them a lot of emotion.
“I feel proud, excited and enthusiastic because it has shown me that I can win, but if I lose, at least I will try. There are things I can improve and move forward with my musical career. Bambuco is a beautiful, soothing music, not like what you hear on the radio”, said Emanuel Ferro Gaviria, who participated in the Soloist Competition singing the bambuco “Querencia”.
For her part, Sara Triana Giraldo was happy because her achievement shows that she is learning a lot about singing.
“This makes me want to continue singing and I really like the song I presented because it is about Colombia. I sang “La Piragüa” and it also felt great to represent the School in a competition,” said Sara.
For María José Ramírez Soto, being a finalist is a demonstration that effort yields good results.
“This has been another step towards my goal of becoming a professional singer when I grow up. I feel very proud and very happy,” said Sara, who performed “Amapola” by Juan Luis Guerra.
The process
Participating in this competition was possible thanks to the relationship that the CCB has built up with the Round Square organisation, who shared the contest with us. The preparation process to compete was led by music teachers Arbey Castro and Luis Felipe Gutiérrez, who accompanied the selected students in detail, made their musical arrangements and chose the best setting for the videos with which they participated, making sure they had a uniform background and style when sending them to the judges.
“We want the students to showcase themselves, we want to empower them to fly. We have to look for different related activities so that they don’t just have knowledge in music, but have the experience of being on a stage,” said Arbey Castro, music teacher.
“The process was very enriching for all the students, to be able to present their talent in an international competition motivated them a lot. To be able to share with other people from other countries is the most enriching thing for them. Being on the stage to sing was more than a competition, it was something enriching for everyone. We are very proud of the talent that there is in CCB and we hope that this is the first of many,” commented Luis Felipe Gutiérrrez, music teacher.
A pleasant surprise
Many of the CCB participants in the 13 to 18 age categories said that the challenge of singing for this competition was intense. There were moments when they even doubted their talents. However, the results have confirmed their talent and renewed their desire to keep rehearsing.
“I honestly didn’t expect it. It was a challenge because the song I chose was by Juan Luis Guerra, which is something I don’t normally sing. Being a finalist showed me that I can go further with my singing and also because the contest has been international”, said María Loaiza Gómez (11th).
“I didn’t expect to be a finalist”, confessed Mariana Barona Velásquez (8th), “I was very nervous, doubting whether I was going to make it or not. But after recording the video I realised that this was an experience and that I had to enjoy it, and when I won it was a surprise! This pushed me to keep going and to give more in any performance no matter how small it is.
“There were several moments when I doubted myself because I didn’t know if I was going to win. But I feel excited. Because being a finalist in a contest like this is something big. Of course, what matters most to me is having a good time, having fun and having experience in things like this,” said Luciana Arango Salazar (8th grade).
Congratulations to all the students, families and teachers involved for this excellent result and display of talent! You fill us with CCB Pride with your voices!
