Local Winners Announced at
Music Express 3rd Annual Talent Showcase!

June 11, 2004


Canada’s Premier Show Band, Music Express held their 3rd annual talent showcase competition on the evening of Tuesday June 8, 2004 at the Villanova Festival Theatre in LaSalle. The event saw a fantastic turn out of participants who performed to a very energetic audience. This talent show was targeted at local grade school and secondary school students and provided a great opportunity for them to share their musical and/or dance talents and compete for fantastic cash prizes.

“Our mission remains clear – to bring the art of music and entertainment to our community” says Group CEO & Director Nino Palazzolo. He adds, “not only will we do this through our energetic performances, but we will also accomplish this through an aggressive community outreach program targeted at young children”. “The annual Music Express Talent Showcase program has been a huge success and the response for 2004 was incredible!”

The competition was tough but the judges were able to narrow their selection down to the top 3 winners:

First Place: Jordan Collins of Maidstone who performed a jazz/swing drum solo. Jordan is a student at Essex District Secondary School and has been a percussionist for 11 years. He has also placed 1st in his school talent shows for the past 2 years. Prize - $500 donated by Ives Insurance Brokers.

Second Place: Celtic Rhythms – 5 dancers under the age of 10 - Meighen Fishleigh, Erica Chadwick, Meaghan McMahan, Natalie and Natasha Katreille. These fine dancers from Kingsville, Amherstburg and LaSalle would someday love to perform with Riverdance and also hope to teach dance in the future. Prize: - $200 donated by Music Express.

Third Place: Cory Mariuz of LaSalle who performed a Tap dance. Cory is a student at Sandwich Public School and plans to continue to dance by attending a performing arts school after high school. He was recently the assistant choreographer for Windsor Light Opera’s production of “Gypsy”. Prize - $100 donated by Windsor-Essex Catholic School Board.

We would like to extend a special thanks to the event sponsors, judges, volunteers and all of the participants for making this program a tremendous success. We would also like to congratulate all contestants and the winners for their achievements.

Music Express is a non-profit organization serving the Windsor and Essex County community. Versatile in many styles of music, Music Express offers captivating renditions of Broadway tunes, popular music, jazz, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and Motown. Most notable is its highly inspirational gospel shows, which have raised significant funds for churches throughout our community. In addition to performances at the Cleary’s Chrysler Theatre and the Villanova Festival Theatre, this dynamic show band has entertained audiences in the United States, the People’s Republic of China, Scotland, Austria, Slovakia, England and Mexico.

For information about our organization, our upcoming events or for an interview with our Director, Nino Palazzolo, please contact our Public Relations Department. You can also visit us at www.musicexpress.ca.

Thank you!

Alan Buterbaugh, Public Relations Director
Music Express
974-2363 (X120)

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