Family, friends, and fans of Holland College’s School of Performing Arts can watch the Music Performance students’ showcase concert online free of charge this Friday from 4 to 6 p.m.

The Music Performance showcases became a biannual highlight for music lovers on Prince Edward Island and around the world over the past few years, said Liam Corcoran, who is the program manager for the School of Performing Arts.

“Usually, we would have a couple of hundred people watching our show online, and another two to three hundred in the Florence Simmons Performance Hall. We are hoping that people who would have come to see our students live will join us online this year,” he said.

The last Music Performance showcase took place in December of 2019, and instructors and students alike are excited about being back on stage, Corcoran said.

“Pandemic restrictions prohibited us from holding a spring or fall showcase in 2020, so we are all very excited about Friday evening’s concert,” he said.

The showcase will take place in the Florence Simmons Performance Hall, with sponsorship from Lone Oak Brewing and Upstreet Brewing. Since the audience is limited to 50 or fewer, Corcoran has turned the event into an industry showcase to give the students exposure to entertainment professionals.

“The industry leaders we’ve invited include venue owners, bookers, promoters, touring artists, sound engineers, arts administrators, filmmakers, and other individuals in the business. Our students are excited about performing in front of a professional audience,” he said.

The students will perform selections in a variety of genres, including R&B, Pop, Jazz, Latin, and Improv. All the Music Performance students will participate in the concert. For many first-year students, it will be their first professional performance. This performance will be the last SoPA performance for the second-year students, many of whom are planning to continue their education elsewhere through one of the Music Performance programs degree pathways.

To watch the concert, go to the Holland College YouTube channel.

For more information about the Music Performance program, visit hollandcollege.com, email recruitment@hollandcollege.com, or call 1-800-446-5265.

In this picture: (L-R) Students Julia Robichaud, Lucia Dostal, and Ryan Van Winkle rehearse for the upcoming Music Performance showcase.