LydiaQuerengesser, 13, has a been a songbird since she was a child.
But, three years ago, her Coquitlam vocal coach - soprano Maria Cristina Fantini - suggested she switch genres from contemporary to classical.
It was a move that forever changedQuerengesser.
"It was the perfect music for my voice type," the Pitt Meadows resident said. "I remember thinking, 'This is it!'"
Last year,Querengesser also took Fantini's advice and signed up to compete in the Coquitlam District Music Festival (CDMF), which is held annually in Port Coquitlam in February and March.
It was the first time she had taken part in the competition that sees hundreds of young musicians and actors from around Metro Vancouver vie for a chance to win a spot at the provincials.
Querengesser performed three songs- including Mozart's Ridente la calma - and came out tops in all her categories: classical junior solo, sacred solo and junior art song.
At next week's Performing Arts of BC fest,Querengesser will be the regional representative in classical junior solo.
"I'm really excited to go," the articulate girl said. "It's a step in the right direction because it gives me time to perform and it lets me show off my gift."
She added, "I'm really excited to meet everybody in my category. There are not a lot of 13-year-olds singing the style that I am."
Between Sunday and May 30, hundreds of promising young musicians, dancers and actors who have been picked as representatives in one of this year's 34 local or regional festivals around B.C. will descend on the Fraser Valley community to be adjudicated at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre and various downtown churches.
Co-hosted by the Chilliwack Lions Club, the festival is expected to be a major tourism boon, generating some $400,000 in economic spin-offs for hotels, restaurants and other businesses.
Laurie Hirschman, an organizing committee member, said many dreams will be born at the festival, with some contestants selected to advance to the nationals.
"This is the future of the arts," she said."These are the kids who, even if they don't win, it often inspires them to go on to do even better in their chosen endeavours."
For Port Coquitlam's Olivia Leon, who is also instructed by Fantini at Blue River Music Studio, she is confident with her repertoire.
At CDMF, the Grade 11 Terry Fox secondary student placed first in the jazz category with her rendition of My Foolish Heart; second in both the musical theatre comedy and pop sections, with the tunes Gimme Gimme (Thoroughly Modern Millie) and Give Your Heart a Break (Demi Lovato); and third in musical theatre ballad with Unusual Way (Nine).
A student of Coquitlam's Lindbjerg Academy who plans to pursue musical theatre in Canada after graduating, Leon is the CDMF rep in the intermediate musical theatre division. She will reprise Gimme Gimme and sing Someone Like You (Jekyll and Hyde).
"It's my first time at the provincials and they are a big thing. I'm very excited to be going," Leon said.
The opening gala for the Performing Arts BC festival is on Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre (9201 Corbould St.). Tickets are $15 or $50 for a family. Visit www.bcprovincials.com.
- with files from Jennifer Feinberg of the Chilliwack Progress
The CDMF provincial reps:
PIANO
Junior: Fraser Jang-Milligan (Vancouver)
Intermediate: Christy Yip (Richmond)
Senior: Lillian Tseng (Port Moody)
National: Kelly Kim (Maple Ridge)
MUSICAL THEATRE
Junior: Sam Ellington (Port Moody)
Intermediate: Olivia Leon (Port Coquitlam)
Senior: Tiana Jung (Port Moody)
CLASSICAL VOICE
Junior: Lydia Querengesser (Pitt Meadows)
Intermediate:Hannah Gee (Burnaby)
SPEECH
Intermediate: Timothy Sayson (Richmond)
- provided by CDMF president Harold Peters
