45454| O akville B eaver | T hursday,A ugust 16,2018 insidehalton.com Oakville residents marking the end of sum- mer with a trip to the Ca- nadian National Exhibi- tion have a chance to sup- port four of their own in the process. Local teens Bella Grace Lecomte, Va- nessa Richardson, Paige Kapinski and Emma West have been selected to com- pete in the Toronto fair's Rising Star Talent Compe- tition - where they will be vying for cash prizes of up to $1,000. The CNE, which runs from Aug. 17 to Sept. 3, hasfrom Aug. 17 to Sept. 3, hasf been running the youth talent competition for more than three decades. Entrants apply to partici- pate with an audition vid- eo. This year, 48 out of 150 entries will compete in the junior division, for ages six to 12, and 72 out of 236 applicants will compete in the youth division, for per- formers 13 to 21. formers 13 to 21. f Competition takes place from Aug. 17 to Sept. 2 on the International Stage in the Enercare Cen- tre, between 6:30 and 8 p.m. each day. Successful performers will move on to the next round, per- forming up to three timesforming up to three timesf by the end of the contest. "Contestants ... are judged on their natural ability, audience appeal, stage presence and the quality of their perfor- mance," explained CNE publicist Kathryn Cooper. Although the cash priz- es are most likely on the competitors' minds, most say their main focus is to connect with others through their performanc- es. "My goal as a perform- er is to tell stories through music," said Lecomte, a 16- year-old student at Apple- by College. "I carefully se- lect songs that have mean- ing to me and have a good message, and I hope to in- spire and capture the au- dience's attention with my voice, and spread positivi- ty." Name: Bella Grace Le- comte Age: 16 Neighbourhood: Glen Abbey School: Appleby College Performance: Singing classical crossover piece The Impossible Dream Why did you choose this song? The lyrics are about doing what others believe is impossible, and fighting for your rightsfighting for your rightsf without question. I feel like this song really hits home with who I aspire to be and the goals I want to achieve. The song talks about reaching an un- reachable star and pre- vailing victorious through the most chal- lenging obstacles, and I find it very inspiring.find it very inspiring.f What are your goals as a performer? To tell stories through music. I carefully select songs that have meaning to me and have a good message, and I hope to inspire and cap- ture the audience's atten- tion with my voice and spread positivity. Onstage at CNE: Aug. 21 Name: Vanessa Rich- ardson Age: 16 Neighbourhood: The Preserve School: St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Second- ary School Performance: Singing Stop, by Sam Brown Why did you choose this song? Because of its bluesy sound, and also be- cause of the authentic emo- tion that is present in the song. I love when artists dis- play true feelings in their songs. What are your goals as a performer? To make people feel the music and have an overall good time. Being a professional sing- er would be a dream come true. I want to be a positive role model and inspira- tion to my fans. I am cur- rently working on original music and hope to release some songs soon. Onstage at CNE: Aug. 24 Name: Paige Kapinski Age: 15 Neighbourhood: West- mount School: Etobicoke School of the Arts Performance: Bring Me to Life, by Evanes- cence Why did you choose this song? Because it's about connecting with someone on a very deep and intimate level, like being un- derstood completely for the first time, and somethingfirst time, and somethingf just clicks and you realize it. What are your goals as a performer? To reach out and connect with people, sharing stories through songs and lyrics that are im- portant to me and people my age, writing and collab- orating, and I especially en- joy performing for fundrais- ers. I intend to continue to educate myself in the arts and am excited about hav- ing a career in the arts. Onstage at CNE: Aug. 26 Name: Emma West Age: 15 Neighbourhood: West Oak Trails School: Thomas A. Blakelock High School Performance: Until the End, contemporary dance choreographed by Rebecca Zizek Why did you choose this routine? The song invokes a sense of strength and power. The choreographer wanted to tap into (my) dramatic ability, and this song was the way to draw a re- sponse from everyone in the audience. What are your goals as a performer? Continue to dance competitively with the goal of pursuing a ca- reer in the dance industry ... to capture the audience through performances. Onstage at CNE: Aug. 21 FOUR LOCAL TEENS TO PERFORM ONSTAGE AT THE CNE SAIRA PEESKER speesker@metroland.com THINGS TO DO CONTESTANTS IN THE RISING STAR TALENT COMPETITION CAN WIN UP TO $1,000 Bella Grace Lecomte CNE/Supplied Paige Kapinski CNE/Supplied Vanessa Richardson CNE/Supplied Emma West CNE/Supplied