Page 57 - The Singing Contest 2019 Magazine

The Judges

Mike McDonnell is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist,
who has forged his way as one of Canada’s most respected and in- demand
musicians. Mike has toured globally in venues ranging from soft seaters to
concert halls alike. His versatility, energy and creativity has seen him play
with a wide range of acts like The Ruby Spirit, The Red Horse Rebellion, Katie
Francis, Jumple and many more. His ability to perform and deliver a captiv-
ating live show has seen him share the stage with world renowned acts like
Weezer, Blink 182, Crystal Castles, Fallout Boy, and Jesus and the Mary Chain
and, of course, with the Finalists of The Singing Contest. Having played bass
guitar in bands since the age of 15, Mike recently began work on a solo pro-
ject called Good Luck Shop. The first single, FAR has already been released and
is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and all the other online platforms.
The video for FAR is great, too and we were inspired to play it at several of
the Qualifying Rounds.

The following judges will be joining us at the Grand Finale:

Valter Barberini has almost 30 years experience in the music industry.
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, he traded in his toys for musical instruments at a
very young age. Always fascinated by music, he began composing at age 14,
inspired by his idols The Beatles. Formally educated in advertising and market-
ing, he worked in graphic design and video editing as well as performing in
many bands around São Paulo on guitar, bass, keyboards and vocals.
Also a lover of electronic music, he is skilled in midi programing and work-
ing with digital audio workstations. In 2012, Valter was the author and music-
al director of the first theatrical presentation for Brazilians in Canada, “Se essa
rua fosse minha” which played 4 shows at the University of Toronto.
He spent many years at the helm of one of the most popular and revered
publications for the Brazilian community in Canada, O Jornal da Gente. He
also produces and edits various pieces for television broadcast.
Currently, he is focused on recording and producing jingles for radio. He
and his wife Marisa Oliveira also perform regularly around town.
Valter sat on the judges’ panel at every round this season except for the last
semifinal. We are really happy he is able to join us at the Final, too.

Sign up for SEASON 14

Through our app -The Singing Contest or
on our facebook page -TheSingingContest
or call 416-453-5646 It's Free!

www.TheSingingContest.com The Singing Contest 2019 55