The Nature Island Foundation for Shiloh Productions (NIFSP) will be hosting the first ever Gospel Song Contest (GSC) in Dominica which, according to the Foundation, will be utilized as a catalyst to spread the spiritual word and to lay the platform for more things Gospel.
Through this activity, the Foundation hopes to draw young people into the service of the Kingdom of God, while giving them a means to be entertained rather than choosing the secular route.
At the same time, the foundation says it is seeking to develop and produce Gospel music in Dominica to provide an opportunity for people who wish to see that genre of music take hold in Dominica.
According to CEO of the Nature Island Foundation for Shiloh Productions, Ken Robinson, the audio recordings for the contest will be free of cost to the artistes and entry to the competition will be totally free.
He said artists will also have the freedom to choose a different studio to record their music in their bid to vie for one of the top three positions in the contest which will share a total amount of $4500 in prize money.
“We believe that Dominica needs that input at this time due to what we believe is a decline in the behavior and character of the society in general,” he told DNO.
He added that the root of NIFSP’s formation lies in the need to bring talented young Dominicans to the stage to sing and perform original gospel in order to widen the gospel music singing base in Dominica.
“By doing this, they can benefit financially from their involvement in gospel music. The idea is to get the whole country singing gospel music and provide a new form of empowerment, employment, and earning, to a whole new segment of artistes and performers,” Robinson explained.
The Gospel Song Contest, which the organizers say could become an annual event, is the first project being undertaken by the NIFSP to lay the foundation for more gospel projects like concerts and festivals.
The contest will be split into four parts: three primary shows and a final show which will be held on November 19 and 26 and December 03 and 17.
“We are hoping to set a high standard of entertainment for the public which will involve video presentations mixed into the live shows to augment the product which the public will experience,” Robinson revealed.
Only original songs which have not been performed on any platform will be allowed and contestants will be required to sign a waiver to protect the credibility of NIFSP and give the other competitors a fair chance. The rules and regulations will prevail at all times.
Robinson stated, “It is expected that we will get about 30 people to enter the contest and if more contestants emerge the number of people in each segment of the eliminations will be adjusted accordingly.”
Nine participants will be sent to the final round as three will be advanced from each preliminary round to the final.
“The contest will be staged at a suitable venue according to how big the event turns out to be, so all venues are under consideration as plans develop. However, the headquarters for all shows and events will be housed at the Nature Island Studio suite at 76 King George V Street, Upstairs Robinsons Bakery, in Roseau.”
All interested individuals can contact the NIFSP to register. Just send us a message at email: [email protected]. A registration form will be returned to the applicant to fill out for inclusion in the competition.
Ken Robinson is a hard worker. He has introduced many record-breaking initiatives across Dominica’s technological landscape. including in television, music recording, singing competitions etc. Why, I even entered my Honourable reggae tribute to Bob Marley at the CSA center on merry ground back in the 1080s. It would be great if you could talk him about his ealy pursuits in bringing television reception to Dominica. He is a quiet an unassuming man in the likes of Chris Seraphin a magazine entrepreneur and music aficionado and Parry Bellot, always innovating with the times. http://sundominica.com/articles/celebrating-the-life-of-chris-seraphine-4183/
I know you were looking for that favourite Dominican expression ‘world beating’ but then you thought better leave that to government. But you could not resist ‘record-breaking’. Enlighten us, exactly which record was broken. Some of us are still content to live in our small bubble courtesy of that CM and full of world beating phenomenons. Good Luck for the ‘future’.
Unfortunately, the minute I heard the name Parry Bellot, I knew where all you standing.