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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, August 21, 2015 | 22 Artscene Local preteen touring with MiniPop Kids and starting to record original music by Abigail Cukier Special to the Beaver "Connected to your Community" `Rising Star' Raina Harten headed to CNE competition singing lesson, but plans to do so this fall. At age 10, Raina was chosen as a member of MiniPop Kids. Music compilation album company, K-Tel International held an audition in Toronto to form the newest edition of the group, which features young performers aged 10-14 from across Canada. When Oakville's Raina Harten was nine she entered a contest to sing at Canada's Largest Ribfest and she has been performing ever since. Raina got her chance to sing at Burlington's Ribfest and was approached to appear at other events, including the Downtown Oakville Jazz Festival and Oakville's Christmas tree lighting ceremony. The 12-year-old is also touring as part of MiniPop Kids and starting to record original music. Raina will be competing in the age 12 and under category at the 29th Rising Star Talent Competition at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), which opens today (Friday). Performers in many genres between the ages of six and 21 can submit applications to compete at the event and the top candidates are invited to perform at the CNE. Contestants will be judged on their ability, audience appeal, stage presence and the quality of their performance. Raina also participated last year and made it to the top 10. "She is pretty shy, but when it comes to the performing arts, it's something she really enjoys and she just shines,"' says Raina's mom, Freedom Lee. Raina, who will enter Grade 7 at Oodenawi Public School this fall, is also a competitive dancer and performs in musical theatre. She will soon appear in a production of Footloose for Oakville's Innovative Arts. She has never even taken a She is pretty shy, but when it comes to the performing arts, it's something she really enjoys and she just shines. Raina Harten's mom Freedom Lee Raina sang Adele's Rumour Has It and was chosen from more than 1,000 preteens to be part of the group, which creates an album based on today's pop hits and performs all over the country. "When you get on stage and see the audience and you can make them happy. It's the best feeling. It's a lot of fun," says Raina, who loves all types of music and artists, including legend Ella Fitzgerald. "I want to keep on singing and performing. I don't really want to stop doing it." Oakville singer/performer Raina Harten will be competing at the 29th Rising Star Talent Competition at Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), which opens today (Friday). The 12-year-old is starting to record original music, is touring as part of MiniPop Kids and performed at Youth Day Toronto in July (seen at right). | submitted photo Tempus funds new choral projects with $104K grant by John Bkila Oakville Beaver Staff S P E C I A L B A L L E T C L A S S Oakville's Tempus Choral Society is funding several new choral projects thanks to a recentlyawarded Trillium Foundation grant. The 100-voice, community choir, conducted by Tempus director Brian Turnbull, received a $104,000 grant over 36 months for the 2014-15 year. "We're extremely grateful for the Trillium Foundation grant that has made these initiatives possible," said Turnbull. "These are significant new choral training and performance opportunities for our community. I'm tremendously excited that we can greenlight these projects to enhance Oakville's already vibrant music culture." One of the projects funded by the grant will be a 50-voice choir for children aged seven to 14. Registration and vocal placement will take place at Knox Presbyterian Church, 89 Dunn St., from 4-5 p.m. on Aug. 27 and Sept. 3. The registration, music and uniforms for the choir will be provided free to its members, with its first performance scheduled at the Tempus Choral Society's 2015 Christmas concerts. For more information on the children's choir, parents are asked to contact Turnbull at 905466-2168 or visit www. tempuschoralsociety. com. The Trillium grant will also fund choral workshops over three years for elementary and high students at paired schools. Brian Turnbull A new vocal jazz ensemble will be launched, which will be backed by an instrumental combination. The group will perform at selected Tempus Choral Society shows and develop an independent performance schedule. Auditions for the ensemble are taking place this month and can be booked by contacting Turnbull. Another initiative funded by the Trillium grant will be a Choral Celebration series at the Oakville Convention Centre. The first of three annual fall concerts kicks off Nov. 18 and will feature the Tempus Choral Society in concert with selected Ontario choirs. Students at Balletomane got a chance to learn ballet techniques and form, last Saturday (Aug. 15), from National Ballet of Canada first soloist Tina Pereira. Approximately 20 students aged 13-17 took part in the special ballet class. Above, Pereira, left, works with the students including, from left, Rebecca St. Jame and Lindsey DeLong. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or www.facebook.com/HaltonPhotog)