MORE THAN 100 persons have qualified to move forward to the next round of this year’s GT&T Jingle & Song competition, following completed auditions in Linden, New Amsterdam and Anna Regina; and with Georgetown in its third day of auditioning. The performances of some who had auditioned left the judges without a choice but to send them away, but some performers definitely represent the unearthing of new and exciting talent in Guyana’s music industry.

In its sixth year of promoting Guyana’s aspiring singing dons and divas, the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Co. Ltd has definitely made a difference in many persons’ lives; some today have even secured jobs in the music industry.

The auditions have seen over 300 persons attending, which has exceeded last year’s attendance by some 70%, and many more are expected to attend.
Some of the notable performances are those of popular karaoke singer Phillip ‘Barry Whyte’ Beaton, a three-timer to the competition; Adrian Brandt, Cynthia Sue-Singh, and Shellon Fraser of Essequibo.

Parental and peer support have been very visible throughout these auditions, and the artistes can expect more supporters as they progress in the competition.

Adrian Dutchin, who has been conducting pre- and post- audition interviews, indicated that a lot of the participants are optimistic about their performances, and have taken ‘the fine points’ which the judging panel has disseminated.

He noted that this year’s competition will be very keenly contested as more hidden talent will be discovered.

The competition will next move to the group round, which will be held at the National Cultural Centre on March 3rd, 4th, 12th, 13th, 18th and 19th.