NCF boosts support for Richard Stoute contest to keep icon’s legacy alive

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) is ensuring that the legacy of Barbadian culture and entertainment icon, the late Richard Stoute, will live on, by strengthening their long-standing support of the annual Richard Stoute Contest, now in its 48th year.

The state-run NCF is providing production and management oversight, led by Music Officer Aisha Butcher, Event Planning assistant Shannon Sealy and Technical Officer Jamal Cobham.

This year has seen increased registration in both the Teen Talent and Over-21 categories of the competition and participants have been attending weekly workshops to aid in their growth and development as performing artists.

“The main objective of these workshops is to provide access to coaches and resource persons across several disciplines and experiences,” shared Butcher. “Beginner to intermediate vocalists are assisted with consistent and guided practice while gaining exposure to vocal training and performance coaching.”

More than 40 people are benefitting from the workshop training.

“First-timers and returning contestants have both built noteworthy confidence with some going from a whisper to commanding the stage in a short space of time,” Butcher shared proudly, adding that technical improvements were also observed. “Others who found it hard to pitch notes are now staying in key.”

This training and the first two preliminaries have resulted in 15 excited teens reaching the semi-finalists They will take the stage after the Over-21 contestants have had their chance to shine in preliminary three on Sunday, October 6 and the fourth preliminary on Sunday, October 13.

The 15 contestants to compete for a spot in the Richard Stoute Teen Talent Contest on Sunday, October 20 are Chelisa Depeiza, Chelsea Ellis, Damario Foster, Jaliah Thompson, Jasmine Walkes, Joshua Osbourne, Kadarius Allen, Kayla Alleyne, Kenaz Walker, Kymani Devonish, Kyrique Alleyne, Roneisha Alleyne, Sabrina Phagoo, Tyrell Ifill and Zz Cumberbatch.

NCF CEO, Carol Roberts is pleased with the talent emerging from the competition thus far, and has committed the NCF to ensuring the best experience possible for contestants of all ages, parents, patrons and other stakeholders.

“We at the Foundation will continue to play our part in preserving Richard’s legacy and creating yet another avenue for talented Bajans to thrive, and thus we are supporting in every way possible as we have done for several years, albeit in a much more public way,” she said.

(PR/BT)