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Karaoke crooners off to Finland after Canadian championship wins in Calgary

What's normally an activity for your local bar on any given night turned into a competition with international implications over the long weekend.

Calgary's Sean Britton and Hamilton's Christine Costa take top spots at Karaoke World Championships Canada

Anis Heydari · CBC News ·
Marc Peters from Mississauga, also the men's champion in Ontario this year, belts out a tune at the championships in Calgary. 'Team Ontario' was made up of at least 50% people from Hamilton who sing at a bar named Tracie’s Place. (Anis Heydari/CBC)

What's normally an activity for your local bar on any given night turned into a competition with international implications over the long weekend.

Calgary played host to the Karaoke World Championships Canada.

Singers from across the country followed words on a screen to try and win the right to be called the best in the nation.

Another karaoke competitor hits the stage at the Karaoke World Championships Canada. It's the third year it's been held in Calgary. There were 56 solo competitors and 15 duet teams. (Anis Heydari/CBC)

Sharon Quinn, the competition's national director, says karaoke attracts some very talented vocalists, and that people don't give it a fair shake. 

"I'd love to enlighten some people. Generally speaking anyone who comes with us to one of these regional level competitions, it's infectious," she said, adding competitors from the national championship qualify as some of the most talented amateur singers in the country.

"We change their minds pretty quickly. So it's not really something you can put in words, you have to experience it."

Sharon Quinn, the national director of Karaoke World Championships Canada, is a veterinarian during regular business hours. (Anis Heydari/CBC)

Belting it out in front of more than a 100 strangers at the Deerfoot Casino is a new experience for Ontario's Kate Dion.

"Singing on a stage is foreign compared to singing in bars and stuff like that," said the Hamilton native. "It's wonderful."

Organizers estimated more than 150 people came out for the national championships. (Anis Heydari/CBC)

Mike Smorden didn't travel quite as far, but the local social worker loves competing on the karaoke circuit.

"They're accepting no matter what you sound like so it's just a great time," he said.

Calgary's Sean Britton was crowned the men's champion while Christine Costa from Hamilton, Ont., won both the women's title and the duet championship with Dustin Jodway. 

From left: Sean Britton from Calgary stands with Christine Costa and Dustin Jodway from Hamilton, Ont. They were the big winners in this year's Karaoke World Championships Canada. (Karaoke World Championships Canada )

They get a free trip to Finland in December for the Karaoke World Championships. The world champion wins a $10,000 US prize and will be invited to come back to perform next year.

This isn't the first time a Calgarian has represented Canada. April Yue took the national championship in Calgary last year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anis Heydari

Senior Reporter

Anis Heydari is a senior business reporter at CBC News. Prior to that, he was on the founding team of CBC Radio's "The Cost of Living" and has also reported for NPR's "The Indicator from Planet Money." He's lived and worked in Edmonton, Edinburgh, southwestern Ontario and Toronto, and is currently based in Calgary. Email him at anis@cbc.ca.

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