Next week, on Monday, May 16, and Tuesday, May 17, The Next Big Thing has two nights of semi-final competitions.
The top acts from those two nights go onto the Top Ten evening on Tuesday, May 24, with the competition reaching its finale night a week later on Tuesday, May 31. All shows are at the Cape Breton University Boardmore Playhouse at 7pm.
The contest has attracted the best in young performers, both solo acts and bands, singer/songwriters, bands, fiddlers, dancers, and spoken word artists.
The judges for The Next Big Thing are singer/songwriter Andrew Doyle, dance teacher and choreographer Lucy Wintermans, and CBU Students’ Union President and stage actor Allison Haley.
Last year, The Next Big Thing awarded over $7000 in prizes, and the competition’s previous winners, Breagh MacKinnon in 2009 and Hope Scheller in 2010, have both made their presence felt regionally after being named Cape Breton’s Next Big Thing.
Organizers are presently working on a compilation CD of recordings from some of the best musicians from the past two seasons of Next Big Thing including Breagh Mackinnon, Hope Scheller, Taylor Burton, with some bonus tracks from house band, The Yarnells.
Tickets for the Semifinals, Top 10, and Grand Finale shows will be available at the door the night of the shows and in advance, starting Thursday, May 12, from the Cape Breton Fudge Company and the Mayflower Mall Administration Office.
The Next Big Thing is a presentation of: Next Big Thing Talent Company, CBU Students Union, Vibe Creative Group, MIPROFILM, 94.9 The Cape, and the Cape Breton Post.
