The finals of Goencho Avaz, the All Goa Konkani solo and
duet singing competition, was organised by Herald Group and Ulhas Jewellers,
supported by Government of Goa Directorate of Art and Culture at Ravindra
Bhavan in Margao on Sunday, August 14, 2016. The auditorium, which was packed
to the rafters, was the venue for the third edition of the annual musical
event, which saw a Konkani-music-loving audience give the performers on stage a
standing ovation. This was a repetition of the events that unfolded at Kala
Academy, Panjim last week.
Performers took to the stage to bring to life hit Konkani songs
from the ‘70s and ‘80s. As the night came to an end, a few of the participants
from different regions of Goa, stood out more than their competitors. These
included the likes of Elaine Pinto and Pierson D’Costa who took first place,
Cameron Fernandes and Shenaya Pereira who took second place and Anson Gomes and
Wilma Dias who took third place in the duet category. In similar vein, in the
solo category, Avina Furtado walked away with top honours, in a close fought
contest that saw her take first place, while her fellow contestants Carey
Fernandes and Peviolla Dias took second and third place, respectively.
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On having won the solo category, an emotional Avina said, “It
feels awesome to have won. All my hard work and dedication paid off. People had
a lot of expectations from me and I’m happy that I could live up to them.
Herald has done a great job, as this is a very good platform for youngsters to
come up and showcase their talent. It is indeed a great joy to have won this
competition. I have always believed that one must keep on trying until they
succeed; I am happy that my hard work has paid off after three years of
efforts. I thank the Almighty and my parents for always supporting me. And of
course, my friends and well wishers for their inspirational and motivational
words that actually helped me gain confidence.”
In similar vein, Duet Category winner Elaine said, “Winning the
title of Goencho Avaz is a dream come true for me. I needed a platform to
showcase my talent and Goencho Avaz is an amazing one. This feeling is out of
this world. I am really very happy to win this title. It was a great
experience, competing with so many talented people. I especially want to thank
Pierson, as it was our collective effort.” Her partner, Pierson, went on to
add, “I’m really excited, as it was my dream to be Goencho Avaz, and it has
finally come true. I thank the Lord and all the people who have supported me,
especially the Goencho Avaz group, and my partner, Elaine. I would also like to
thank Fr Blair because he is the first person to have taught me how to sing
when I was seven years old. It is because of him that I reached the third
edition of Goencho Avaaz. I would also like to thank my family members and
friends for supporting me.”
As the competition brings this year’s edition to a close, the
next batch of singers eagerly awaits the 2017 edition, with an aim to out-do
this year’s contestants, as has become customary with aspirants every year.
2017 can’t come soon enough.
