Submitted –
November 25, 2015
1st Fraser Valley Music Awards Seeks Sponsors, Volunteers Now…Music Submissions in February
A new major music event is coming to the Fraser Valley. Thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC) successfully landed by Abbotsford’s 101.7 CIVL Radio, the first-ever Fraser Valley Music Awards will be held in Abbotsford in July of 2016.
FVMA Coordinator James Kasper (who founded the Vancouver Island Music Awards in 2002) says the event’s mandate will be to celebrate local arts and culture and provide resources and support for local musicians.
“The music scene is not going to be the same next year, so we need to acknowledge it this year. The aim of this event is to inject new life into local arts and culture. There is an abundance of great music in the Fraser Valley, and we want to bring attention to it and bring all facets of the scene together on one night to network and celebrate.”
Musicians in the Fraser Valley will be asked to provide their music to the FVMA Jury when the Submission Period begins February 1st. In the meantime, CIVL Radio is recruiting volunteers and seeking out sponsors to attach their name to this exciting new initiative.
“We think the talent exists in the Valley at a level whereby the next Arcade Fire or Feist can be from east of the bridge,” explains CIVL Station Manager Aaron Levy. “Our goal is to provide a jumping off point from which they can achieve that level of success.”
Over the past few years, CIVL Radio has organized similar events, including a Battle of the Bands whose winners have gone on to the Peak Performance Project (Derrival) and The Fox Seeds competition (John Welsh). Western Jaguar won the 2015 Battle. A 2016 Battle of the Bands will be one of the major events leading up to the 2016 Fraser Valley Music Awards. An FVMA compilation album will also be released in the months prior to the main event in July.
The FVMA mandate is to:
* Honour the talent and hard work of Fraser Valley musicians
* Celebrating local arts & culture
* Showcase Independent artists to the general public
* Provide an opportunity for all members of the regional music industry to network
* Present a memorable and exciting event to music fans and the music community
* Offer an avenue of exploring music for fans of alternative and community media
Those interested in getting involved in the first-ever Fraser Valley Music Awards – sponsors or volunteers – are encouraged to email fvma@civl.ca
or call (604) 851-6330.
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Media: For Immediate Release. Interviews with aforementioned spokespersons are welcomed and encouraged. Attachments: Images: (1) 2014 Battle of the Bands Poster. (2) FVMA Poster.
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James Kasper
Coordinator, Fraser Valley Music Awards
101.7 CIVL Radio
Ph: (604) 504-7441 Ext.6330
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– Goethe.
“If you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams and endeavor to live the life which you have imagined, you will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
– Henry David Thoreau.