Seeking young voices to be ‘Discovered’

Central Coast Council is calling for young Coasties aged 7 to 24 to step up to the microphone, showcase their talents and enhance their skills in the singing program Discovered.

Council Director Connected Communities, Julie Vaughan, said the inclusive program provided coaching and support for aspiring young singers and singer/songwriters.

“While it is a competition, Discovered is also a professional development program. We try to create a nurturing environment, where a lot of the young people make friends, and there’s supportive feedback from professionals,” Ms Vaughan said.

“Council’s drive is to give young people singing vocation pathways by connecting them to local networks and industry professionals, as well as their fellow Coasties.

“Each young person who enters will learn about potential career pathways for singers while connecting to a wider Coastal community.”

“Basically we have a series of heats, young people enter and they get the opportunity to get feedback from the panel.”

Mayor Jane Smith said Discovered worked within the community to connect with young people while fostering creative arts and to provide learning pathways.

“We are integrating art and performance into public life, while supporting businesses and local leaders to mentor young people in skill development. It’s all part of Council’s Community Strategic Plan,” Mayor Smith said.

Since starting eight years ago, Discovered has been hugely successful with past participants going on to either compete in national competitions such as The Voice or Australia’s Got Talent, or work in the music industry.

Past competitors include Fletcher Pilon, who subsequently mesmerised audiences on Australia’s Got Talent and now performs with his band, as well as Kelly Griffith and Chelsea Berman. Discovered’s first year brought Karise Eden to prominence, who went on to win The Voice in 2012.

Registrations are now open and participants can sign-up to perform or attend a workshop at thehuberina.com.

The first heat is on 12 July, then 8 August and 13 September. Singers can enter in one of two categories: Kids (7-12 years), Open (13-24 years). Semi-finals will be on 11 October and 8 November, before the grand final on 13 December.

A series of professional development workshops runs alongside the heats in July, August and September, while a Professional Development Masterclass is in the October school holidays.

The Discovered program is supported by Central Coast music industry personalities and entities including Gina Jeffreys, Rod McCormack, Macron Music and Musicians Making A Difference (MMAD).

ENDS