Dainfern College pupil, Nicole du Plessis (10), recently became the first South African to compete at the prestigious Sanremo Junior 2016 World Finals soloist singing competition on 4 May.
Du Plessis was one of 20 singers selected from all over the world and competed directly with 11 other singers in her age category, which was the 10- to 12-year-old group.
The finalists from more than 1 000 entries from around the world were selected by a jury.
Although being a stand-alone competition, Sanremo Junior now is in its eighth year and runs concurrently with the World Festival of Creativity in Schools which has, for the past 18 years, been held in Sanremo, Italy.
Proceedings started with an official press conference where the contestants were introduced to the officials and media, followed by two rehearsals with the Sanremo Symphony Orchestra, an official Italian government-sponsored orchestra.
Du Plessis received a standing ovation from the orchestra during her rehearsal.
The big night was on 4 May when all 20 singers performed in the famous Ariston Theatre.
Her mom Sonette said, “The performances were of an exceedingly high quality and one was awestruck by the talent on display.”
Du Plessis performed Dark Waltz by Hayley Westenra and received a special mention for her performance from the panel of adjudicators, which included several well-known Italian musicians.
Although she did not win in her category, the young singer thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
