Antonia Whelan of Harbour Grace has walked away with the first major award at the 42nd Kiwanis Club of Carbonear Music Festival.
The 16-year-old resident of Harbour Grace was presented with the Junior Rose Bowl during the first of three grand concerts Tuesday night (March 27) at the Conception Bay Regional Community Centre.
The trophy goes to the competitor deemed to have turned in the best overall performance in the junior concert group.
Whelan competed in the piano category, and dazzled those in attendance Tuesday night with a piece by Frederic Chopin called Waltz in Ab Major.
The runners-up were Amy Gillingham of Carbonear (vocal) and Mackenzie Collins of Bay Roberts (instrumental).
Tonight's (March 28) grand concert will see Rose Bowls presented for the best choral and instrumental group performances, while the highlight of Thursday's (March 29) concert will be the awarding of the senior Rose Bowl. This award goes to the senior competitor who turns in the best overall performance among those entered in the piano, vocal and instrumental categories.
The concerts start at 7:30 p.m., and also include a variety of performances by other festival competitors.
Whelan, meanwhile, is a Grade 10 student at Carbonear Collegiate, and is the daughter of Eddie and Marliese Whelan. She has been playing piano since the age of three. Her piano teacher is Tim Steeves of St. John's.
Along with taking home the Junior Rose Bowl, Whelan also received a $300 cash prize, while the runners-up received $75 each.
For complete coverage of the festival, including stories, photos and a full list of award winners, see the April 3 print edition of The Compass.
