The stage is finally set for the Finals of Goencho Avaz, the All Goa Konkani solo and duet singing competition organised by the Herald Group at the Kala Academy on July 28, 2015 and the Mega Finals at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on August 2, 2015. With crowds from all over the state longing to hear the voices of these contestants, it was unfair to host the finale in just one venue. For the finals, 22 solo acts and six duets will take the stage. Coming from different regions of Goa, the participants were ready to give it their best at this annual competition. They will be performing first in Panjim, and then repeating the same song in Margao. For those who heard about the great opportunity Goencho Avaz finalists were offered after the competition’s first edition, they simply had to take a shot at it. Waiting patiently for almost a year, first-time contestants showed mixed emotions of joy, nervousness and confidence when they took the stage for their auditions. Ciloni D’Costa from Navelim is a Class 12 student from Mount Mary Higher Secondary School, Chinchinim. With Ethan Mascarenhas on the guitar, she performed her song for the auditions, “It was a great experience; I was a little nervous but enjoyed the audition. I heard about the competition last year, when the first season was announced but I felt I was not prepared to give my best,” says Ciloni who will be singing, ‘Mog Mhozo Korta’ by Delfina. A big fan of Lorna and Taylor Swift, Ciloni is hoping to win the title this year. One new trend followed for these auditions was that of most of the singers preferring to sing songs that were rarely heard by the young generation. Keeping Lorna’s songs aside, there was a large celebration of Konkani songs presented by budding singers. Ana Fey Goes WE SHARE A BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP: JOHN ON AKSHAY from Quepem is completing her second year in Masters in History at Goa University. She will be singing ‘Bomboichi Birmoti’, a song originally sung by Rita Rose. “I love singing Konkani songs and I used to play the violin too. It was an awesome experience as it was the first time I could sing for all of Goa. As the next round will be the finals, it is even more exciting. I am just waiting for the rehearsals to start,” says Ana Fay who travels everyday from Quepem to Dona Paula for her studies. The duo of cousins, Anslem Fernandes from Colva and Frenzie Vito Rodrigues from Benaulim became competitors for the second season of Goencho Avaz. A second year student of BSc at Chowgule College, Anslem participated for the competition for the first time and was surprised when he was selected for his solo performance. “I was actually supposed to participate in a duet with a friend, Ashwariya and everyone in college too, had high expectations. I also gave a solo performance and got selected for it instead of the duet,” says Anslem. Besides playing the organ, he sings in the church choir and is also a part of the Evangel Choir. “I will be singing, ‘Gozali’ by Alfred Rose at the finals. I participated in the Voice of Goa in 2014 and reached the semi final stage but at Goencho Avaz, I was more confident and had Frenzie with me. We both got selected for the finals, which is great news. There was strong good competition at the auditions as well with the competition being between nearly 160 singers.” Anslem loves listening to ballads by Adele and Celine Dion, and Remo Fernandes is his all time favourite Goan artist. Classy Cardozo is confident when she gets on stage as she has been performing with two piece and three piece bands. A teacher by profession, Classy from Canacona will be singing ‘Paka Paka’. “I was part of a band and I used to sing in the church including the Ambelim Retreat Centre,” she says.
