Bonavista was humming with energy this past weekend as crowds descended on the town for MusicNL Week 2016.
Sold out a week in advance, Sunday’s MusicNL Awards Gala featured notable performances from such acts as Waterfront Fire, Cabbages & Kings, Rum Ragged, Long Distance Runners and Repartee. Sandy Morris, MusicNL Lifetime Achievement recipient, and Louis McDonald, Unsung Hero recipient, made a moving tribute to the Man of a Thousand Songs with Hynes’ Killer Cab.
College of the North Atlantic (CNA) was well represented in the outstanding company of nominees and winners this year. Sound Recording & Production (SRP) student Jordan Coaker won the Rising Star of the Year award with his band Waterfront Fire; two Music: Performance, Business & Technology alumni, Brandon Hopkins and Josh Noble, won Alternative Recording of the Year and also took home Music Video of the Year with their band Cabbages & Kings (in a co-win with the band Repartee); while Graphic Design alum Tara Thompson won for Graphic Artist of the Year.
Kellie Loder, Music: Performance, Business & Technology (MPBT) student whose credits include both MusicNL and JUNO nominations, was one of six featured artists for the event’s Songwriters Circle – the notable highlight of the event each year. For her performance, Loder showcased a song she wrote that day for Ron Hynes while rehearsing Atlantic Blue, a Hynes fan favourite. The Songwriters’ Circle, hosted by Chris Kirby, also consisted of talents Meg Warren, Robbie Brett, Mick Davis, Chris Picco and Sherry Ryan. The Songwriters’ Circle was dedicated to Ron Hynes, Newfoundland and Labrador’s troubadour, who passed away nearly a year ago and left a gaping hole in the heart of Atlantic Canada’s music landscape.
CNA was also there behind the scenes, with SRP students Ben Dunphy and Jenna Cotter and MPBT student Jacob Cherwick working on the stage for the awards show.
In partnership with MusicNL, CNA hosted an industry brunch to honour and celebrate the musicians, artists and music industry professionals attending the conference.
“To see our students and graduates at the industry brunch, and to also see how proud and supportive they were of each other was something that stood out for me,” noted Brenda Tobin, CNA’s Dean of Academics, Applied Arts & Tourism. “Our students and graduates were so much a part of MusicNL's celebration of music; they were there performing, volunteering, learning, sharing, and working – not to mention being nominated for, and presented with, a wide range of awards. We are so proud of all their accomplishments and it's such a great feeling to know that they are excelling in their individual areas as well as contributing in so many ways to the music industry of the province.”
For more information about CNA’s Music: Performance, Business & Technology and Sound Recording & Production programs, visit cna.nl.ca.
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Media Contact:
Roger Hulan
Communications Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-7938
roger.hulan@cna.nl.ca