Up-and-coming country musician Kaleigh Jo Kirk is set to compete in the Stampede Talent Search preliminaries on July 10.
The Cochrane singer/songwriter will be performing an original song titled One More Day. She will be singing alongside the orchestra the Jackson 6.
“I’m really excited, last year I didn’t get the chance to do Talent Search because I was on a trip,” Kirk said.
Kirk said she’s been participating in the competition since she was nine years old. In 2014, Kirk placed third runner-up for the talent show and won the Don Welden Memorial Award.
Though the competition has become more intense as she’s grown older, Kirk appreciates the opportunity to watch other talented individuals.
“It’s a good environment during the auditions, everyone cheers on everyone… It’s always really cool in the backroom they have for us – we jam together or we’ll sing and we always cheer everyone on,” Kirk explained.
During the preliminaries, a panel will judge contestants’ performances based on technical execution, creativity, stage presence, and overall impression. The judges for the senior portion of the competition are professionals from the arts community and change during the preliminaries, semi-finals and the final show.
“Although it is more intense, it’s just kind of a fun opportunity,” Kirk said.
This is one of the larger competitions that Kirk competes in with her musical talents. In 2015, she was the ATB Homegrown Talent Stage Grand Winner at the Big Valley Jamboree - as a result, she will be the closing act during the semi-finals for the competition this year on July 29 and 30.
Kirk will also be performing at various events such as Stampede breakfasts, other venues performances, and corporate and private functions during Stampede as a contestant with the Stampede Talent Search.
Doors will open for the preliminaries at 6:00 p.m. on July 10 at the Boyce Theatre in Stampede Park. The show will start at 6:30 p.m.
