Linguavision, an annual singing competition for Carleton language learners, is set to return to Carleton University, offering students the opportunity to perform and win cash prizes.

 

Launched in 2015, the contest offers free admission and gives contestants — including individuals and groups up to six — a chance to perform on stage with a song of their own choice in the language they are learning.

 

This year's event will be held on Wednesday, April 3, from 7 to 10 p.m., at the Kailash Mital Theatre in Southam Hall.

 

According to the webpage, the event aims to bring together talented performers, the audience and the "Super Judges" team, who will evaluate contestants on language skills and musical performance.

 

According to the event website, "this competition is about creating an opportunity for you to take your language learning outside the classroom, to dig deeper into the language you're studying... and to uncover the music the people who use it have created."

 

Iris Pilloud, a Women's and Gender Studies student at Carleton who's studying second-year Korean, said she will perform in Linguavision for the first time in the Korean language category.

 

"There are two things I really love, and that's performance and language learning," said Pilloud. "Linguavision is just a really good mix of both of them."

 

Despite Pilloud’s nervousness ahead of her first time performing in a competition, she described how she does “lots and lots of karaoke” to help her prepare for the singing content.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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"My teacher is going to be there, so I want to do well for her, as well. Making my teacher proud is something that's a little nerve-wracking. But I think it'll be good anyway," Pilloud continued.

 

For Linguavision 2024, Pilloud said she hopes to "make someone's day" and "to bring something a little more solemn, a little more slow-paced" by performing the Korean song "Downpour" by I.O.I.

 

"The idea to kind of delve into the language that you're learning a bit more and being able to do it in kind of a fun way for others I think is a really exciting thing," said Pilloud.

 

Mike Barker, the event organizer, hopes the students "will take away a memorable experience from their involvement in the contest."

 

"I love when students who are confident musicians or do some complicated choreography," said Barker in an email. "But I also love it when students challenge themselves to step out of their comfort zones and step out into the spotlight."

 

Barker described how he envision Linguavision evolving in the future as "making the event more of a variety show incorporating theatre, poetry, and more."

 

"It might also be fun to make it more of an iterative event starting in the fall... and working up to a spring performance," Barker adds.

 

The contest has a limit of 24 total entries, with caps on each language based on enrolment. Previous winners who received more than $150 in the previous year will not be eligible to register during the first week of registration to ensure fairness.

 

Participants must be current Carleton students and must sing in the language they are or have been studying at Carleton, not their native language.

 

There will be two separate categories for prizes: Open (songs already exist in the chosen language) and Original (self-written). The first-place winner in each category receives $200 and the second-place contestant receives $150. Two "Honourable Mentions" in the contest receive $50 each.

 

Performers will also have a chance to win additional prizes based on audience participation. The Audience Choice Award ($100) will be given to the contestant with the most votes.

 

For more information, check out their Linguavision 2024 webpage:

https://carleton.ca/slals/linguavision