Jensen Mazza
Picnic Point resident Jensen Mazza, 12, came second in the 13-years category in contemporary music and musical theatre.
Mum Tanya says he is confident of blitzing the competition on grand final day on Sunday, September 11, from 6.30pm at Petersham RSL.
Singing as soon as he could talk, the McDonald College of Performing Arts student has been taking private singing lessons since he was seven-years-old and is one of the youngest finalists.
With many professional gigs under his belt, including roles in ‘Tosca’ and ‘La Boheme’ for Opera Australia, NIDA’s ‘Falsetto’ and the Sydney Theatre Company musical ‘Fun Home’, Jensen loves performing on stage more than anything else.
“He was so thrilled to make the finals and is very excited,” Tanya said.
“He can’t wait to show the judges what he can do and dreams of being a professional entertainer when he grows up.”
Beverly Hills resident Charlette Ginu, 19, is a finalist in the Senior Singer of the Year category after coming first place in the Vocal Performance (18 years and over) category.
She will be singing ‘Mr Paganini’ by Ella Fitzgerald and ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ by Barbra Streisand and said winning the final would be a proud moment for herself and family.
“What sets me apart from others is that I can challenge myself and sing a variety of songs, from jazz and musical theatre, to Indian classical and I feel like being versatile in all styles is definitely an important trait,” she said.
“Trying to improve ourselves to become better artists and learning from our failures is what makes us true winners.”
Tickets: sydneyeisteddfod.com.au.