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Young singer, dancer, actor has a busy summer ahead by Dominik Kurek Oakville Beaver Staff Artscene 15 | Wednesday, May 29, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com "Connected to your Community" Young Oakville singer, dancer, actor Isabella Lecomte has a busy summer ahead, following several months of performance accomplishments. The 11-year-old will be performing in the two-day run of Hamilton City Ballet's Coppelia on Friday and Saturday (May 31-June 1). Then, two weeks later, she will be representing the Burlington Rotary Music Festival at a provincial voice competition at the Kiwanis Music Festival after earning her spot at the local contest. Later this summer, she will also perform at Honey Jam, an all-female showcase in Toronto. She earned her spot for the showcase after coming in second place in the Juvenile category of the Long and McQuade Singing Contest. The youth followed in the footsteps of her older siblings Olivia and Sebastian and began taking dance lessons before the age of three, learning ballet, jazz and tap. She has also taken up acting and recently per- formed the young role of Anne Shirley in Oakville's Stage It Performing Arts Studio's production of Anne of Green Gables. But, Lecomte's real passion is singing, something she discovered at the age of seven, when she began taking vocal lessons. "I love singing. I don't know what I would do if I wasn't singing," Lecomte said. "I really want to be a Broadway singer. I want to be able to sing a lot of different types of music. I want to increase my level of classical, pop and Broadway, musical theatre. I like all of them." Last summer, the Grade 6 Hamilton Academy of Performing Arts student won the junior division of The Rising Stars Competition at the CNE with her vocals. This past April, she came second in the Long and McQuade contest, which earned her a paid trip to Portugal and a week vacation in Muskoka, plus a song recording for the competition's finalists CD, for which she will work with former Canadian Idol judge Zack Werner. Oakville's Isabella Lecomte has a busy schedule ahead as she is appearing in a number of performances this summer, the first of which is this Friday at Hamilton City Ballet's performance of Coppelia. photo by Eric Riehl ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) Also that same month, she swept the Greater Hamilton Music Festival, earning first place spots in the junior and overall categories in music theatre, pop and classical, bringing home six medals. She loves showtunes and classical opera music, but most of all, she loves to be on the stage. "Once I'm on stage, it's a feeling I just can't describe," she said. "It feels so great." Her dream is to perform on Broadway, but for now she's singing in her community. Last summer she performed a 30-minute set at the black box theatre of the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre and hopes to do so again during this year's Culture Days celebrations. She's also keeping up with dance and acting, saying having those two skills helps her with her stage presence when she sings. This summer, she will do a two-week intensive program at the School of Atelier Ballet. In 2011, the youngster did a summer intensive program at the National Ballet School, where here two older siblings were attending. Country musician Paul Brandt at The Meeting House Canadian country music star Paul Brandt will be appearing at The Meeting House along his cross-country Just As I Am tour. The Oakville performance is on Friday (May 31) at 7 p.m. All net proceeds from the tour are going directly to support community projects in the cities Brandt is playing at, as well as development projects in Haiti through his Build It Forward Foundation. Additionally, the country star has launched the I Am Haiti Bound contest, which will provide a fan with the opportunity to join the musician on a community development trip to Haiti sometime this year. All audience members attending his concerts along his Just As I Am tour will have a chance to enter the contest. "The Build It Forward Foundation is committed to supporting initiatives here in Canada as well as offering support around the world to those who need it most," said Brandt, in a news release. "My volunteer experiences abroad have been some of the most profound moments of my life, and I wanted to share the opportunity with a fan to help make a difference." Brandt has had a successful music career, and one of a few Canadian country singers to reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Canadian country musician Paul Brandt will perform in concert at The Meeting House on Friday as part of his Just As I Am tour. Submitted photo Download our App Like us on offering CANADA 518 POSTRIDGE DRIVE · 905.257.7427 · colouraddiction.com The Calgary, Alberta-born musician has had 13 Juno Award nominations, winning the country male vocalist of the year award in 1997, 1998 and 1999, the best country male artist award in 2000 and 2001, the country recording of the year in 2008, and the male vocalist of the year award in 1998. He also received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award at the 2008 Junos. The Meeting House is located at 2700 Bristol Cir. Tickets cost $36.10. For tickets, visit www.paulbrandt.com.