While strings dominated the winners’ list of TransLink’s So You Think You Can Busk? competition, transit riders can expect a unique and different style each time they step off a SkyTrain.
The 11 highly coveted busking licences for downtown SkyTrains stations were handed out to 11 new groups Tuesday, among them a bassoon and guitar duo, a traditional Chinese er-hu player, and a Latin American and Mexican folk artist.
According to TransLink’s Drew Snider, while there will be plenty of guitarists serenading transit users this summer, each act has its own unique style.
“They were all unique in their own way,” said Snider of the winners announced Tuesday. “We’ve got some really interesting acts.”
Auditions held Monday drew dozens of performers and while some were clear “slam dunks,” Snider said the judges struggled to select their final few artists from the overflowing pool of talent.
“It was tough,” Snider said of whittling down the list of winners. “I shouldn’t be surprised (at the response) because we have so many different styles and cultures in this city. It just really means that when you put out a call like this, you never know what you’ll get.”
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Among the winners, Snider highlighted acts such as guitarist and singer Katie Yurychuk (“kind of a Jewel/Adele type . . . great vocal range”), er-hu player Joanne Wang (“That’s going to be something that will make people pause and take notice”), and brothers Benjamin and Graham Dawson (“They did covers but they didn’t try to imitate the originals – they did it their way”).
TransLink issues about 40 busking licences for different locations throughout the Lower Mainland but the 11 licences handed out this week are for downtown locations. The winners announced Tuesday will also have the chance to rotate between the different high-profile transit stages, ensuring each artist has a chance to perform to rush-hour and high-traffic crowds.
But for those who didn’t quite capture the judge’s attention this year, Snider encouraged them to continue perform and return in 2013.
“Don’t get discouraged. Keep working on it and come back and show us what you got again in a year,” he said.
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So You Think You Can Busk? winners:
Katie Yurychuk – Guitar and vocals
Joanne Wang – Er-hu player
Dustin Hauschild – Guitar and vocals
David Morin – Guitar and vocals
Luis Rodriguez – Guitar
Anton Sitnikov – Guitar
Mike Sullivan – Guitar
Benjamin and Graham Dawson – Guitar and vocals
Camille Fournier and Angela Sartoretto – Harp and vocals
Tom Paleczka – Guitar and vocals
Liam Watson and Matt Canute – Bassoon and guitar
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