Top three open for headliner, Torey Lanez, at GBC Fest

The Student Association (SA) of George Brown College (GBC) hosted GBC Got Talent on Nov. 22 at the St. James campus and was packed with acts!

The Dialog is funded by the SA.

Contestants sang, read poetry, and even juggled, resulting in a truly diverse demonstration of student talent.

Noa Golan, a marketing business student, won first prize by awing the crowd with her powerful yet soothing voice. 

Golan was determined to win as she has been singing her entire life.

“I put an ad on craigslist for a guitarist and a drummer, two days ago. I was hoping everything would come together, and it did!” said Golan.

Charlotte Lytle, a video design and production student won third place with her songwriting, but there was more to the method than just words for her. 

While writing, she was more focused on the chord progressions, vocal harmonies and melodies.

“A sweet chord change really puts me back in my seat,” said Lytle.

Writing songs, according to Lytle, opens her “to new ideas and experiences” that consequently “bleed” back into her work making films and creating scripts. 

The judges seemed keen on choosing a master vocalist, since the top three contestants were selected knowing they would open for Torey Lanez at GBC Fest the following day.

Asher Rolle, second place, performed with lyrical dexterity and execution, whose performance went toe-to-toe with fellow contestant Ahmet Adan’s, a poet himself.

“It helps, just letting people know you’re vulnerable, showing that you’re not perfect and speaking your mind—other people relate to you,” Adan spoke on how performing helps in everyday life.

In short, the top three were matched by a strikingly on par competition. 

By the end of the show, it could have been anybody’s game.

Performing in front of an audience can be “nerve wracking,” as Golan puts it. 

Students seem to be finding methods of applying this skill to their career paths.

“I feel if you have that experience on stage you’re able to get over the fear of meeting new people and just express yourself,” said Larissa Obediente, social service worker student.

Another noteworthy performance was that of Farjad Agha and his juggling extravaganza! 

Agha is a social service worker student too, and was one of few to do an act unlike the majority of students.

“Any experience I have performing or being anxious would help me to be better as a counsellor or a social worker,” said Agha.

Richard Shukurov (alias: Richard Hunting), is a songwriter/guitarist who is surprisingly also in the social service worker program, prepared for the event during his weekly shows working at Peerconnect.

“I think I could dive into music therapy, it’s a thing that helps people to deal with stress and anxiety,” Shukurov pointed out.

As one might notice, performing arts can have a significant value when applied to other professions—especially in the field of social work.