Page 53 - The Singing Contest 2019 Magazine

The Judges

As with all qualifying rounds in the contest, the results of the final round are decided by the audience and a group
of qualified judges. Throughout this season, we had a mix of returning and guest judges. It will be the same case at the
Final. Returning judges will have already seen some of what the Finalists are capable of. A new judge will never have
heard the finalists and their votes will be based entirely on the performances they witness at the Final. Therefore, to
earn the judges’ votes, the finalists must try to meet any expectations that the returning judges may have and to leave
the strongest first impression on a new judge. We think this combination is the best way to get a well-balanced result.
While the “popular” vote definitely matters, the input of people that we can count on to give unbiased, educated
opinions is invaluable... even when it simply serves to validate the overall opinion of the audience which is the case
more often than not. The judges’ contribution is vital in assuring this is more than just a popularity contest. With that
being said, we wholeheartedly thank all the judges who gave us their time throughout season 13.
Here are the judges who contributed to this season’s line-up of Finalists:

Alexia Marian is a young singer/songwriter. She made her debut in
Toronto, performing frequently at events and festivals. In 2017, she headed to
Mexico where she recorded her first album, titled Destiny, singing original songs
in English, French and Spanish. That same year, she earned an award from the
prestigious Premios Nacionales Ser in Mexico City. Alexia Marian recently returned
to Canada to promote her album and participate in the 2019 Juno Awards. It was
a pleasure to have Alexia perform for us at a couple of qualifying rounds

Allyson Arsenio-Rod is extensively trained in both classical piano
and jazz vocals. She sings in multiple venues across the city performing R&B and
Motown as well as smooth, acoustic takes of popular songs from many genres.
Allyson has also been a vocal coach for the last 6 years, including a stint last year
as the official vocal coach of Season 12. She has worked alongside many up and
coming performers & DJs in the recording studio providing vocals and produ-
cing songs. She also collaborated in studio with Mark Pellizzer, the guitarist from
Magic!, on her original songs. We were very pleased to welcome Allyson back to
the judges’ table.

Inah Canlapan began performing when she was still a kid and made a
real name for herself particularly among the Filipino community in and around
southwestern Ontario. She studied voice for more than 10 years and now works as
a vocal and performance coach herself. She performs a variety of musical genres
and also plays piano, guitar and some violin. Inah is also a graduate of McMaster
University. Last but not least, Inah was one of the Adult winners in Season 8 of our
contest.

www.TheSingingContest.com The Singing Contest 2019 51