Press release—March 13, 2008

Young Asian Canadian Singing Competition

(This English translation is provided for your convenience only; please see the official press release on the Chinese version of this page.)

The Canadian Multicultural Council–Asians in Ontario, in cooperation with the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario, is launching a series of competitions in its search for a Young Asian Canadian superstar.

In celebration of the Asian Heritage Month, the Young Asian Canadian Singing Competition will culminate in a Final competition on May 17, 2008 at the P.C. Ho Theatre at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto.

To qualify, a contestant must be of Asian Heritage and between the ages of 14 to 25 years old. The objective is to encourage participation among the young Asian Canadian in the celebration of the Asian Heritage Month.

The Canadian Multicultural Council–Asians in Ontario is grateful for the support by the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario as our Title Sponsor of this Asian Heritage Month celebration event.

“The Heart and Stroke of Foundation of Ontario is extremely proud to be the title sponsor of the Asian Heritage Month. The Young Asian Canadian Singing Competition is a marvelous blend of fun, culture, and celebration of good health and well-being,” says Rocco Rossi, Chief Executive Officer, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.

To ensure participation from Asian communities, 12 contestants representing the winners from the internal competitions of the various participating Asian Communities in the Greater Toronto Area will be seeded in the final series of competitions. The participating communities are: Afghan, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Filipino, Indians, Japanese, Koreans, Laotian, Malaysians, Pakistani, Tibetans, and Vietnamese.

The Chinese Community Audition will take place on March 30, 2008 at the hinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, while the Chinese Community Competition will take place on April 20, 2008 at Splendid China Tower. The competitor who wins 1st Place in the Chinese Community Competition will receive a valuable prize and advance directly to the Pre-Final.

1st Place: $300 cash, plus one valuable merchandise courtesy of HDTV & Electronics
2nd Place: $200 cash, plus one wireless microphone courtesy of HDTV & Electronics
3rd Place: $100 cash, plus one wireless microphone courtesy of HDTV & Electronics

To give a chance to those who cannot make it in the preliminary community selections, an open competition will be held on April 23, 2008. The Open Competition will consist of 20 singers selected from an audition open to all Asian Canadian youths, plus the 2nd place winners in the community selections. The top 8 will qualify to the Final Series of Competitions. The open audition will be held on April 12.

The final competition will consist of a Pre-Final on April 30, 2008 and the Final on May 17, 2008. The Pre-Finals will be a competition among the winners of the 12 participating communities joined by the top 8 selected during the Open competition.

Only the top 8 from the Pre-Final will advance to the Final competition on May 17, 2008.

The Young Asian Canadian Singing Competition champion will receive a cash prize of $1,000 plus a trip to anywhere in Asia. The second prize is $500 and a trip to Paris. The 3rd prize is $250 and a trip to Las Vegas.

The Chinese Community Audition, the Open Audition and Competition, the Pre-Final, and the Final will be held at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, located at 5183 Sheppard Avenue East, Scarborough, Ontario; the Chinese Community Competition will be held at Splendid China Tower; while other community competitions will be held at other venues.

The organizers would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support:

The Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario
Splendid China Tower
HDTV & Electronics
Media sponsors:
- The Toronto Sun
- Sing Tao Daily
- OMNI TV
- Canadian City Post
- A1 Radio

Deadlines for registration are: