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Barter finalist in Variety’s Got Talent contest

Lakecity songwriter/performer Oren Barter is one of 11 finalists in the Variety’s Got Talent contest finals coming up this Friday at the River Rock Casino in Vancouver.
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The lakecity’s Oren Barter

Lakecity songwriter/performer Oren Barter is one of 11 finalists in the Variety’s Got Talent contest finals coming up this Friday at the River Rock Casino in Vancouver.

“The calibre of talent we have is amazing,” says Bill Vigars, one of the contest’s volunteer co-ordinators.

He says Barter and the 10 other finalists were chosen from among 254 entries from around the province. He says they originally planned to select 10 finalists but ended up with 11 after reviewing all the entries. Eligible candidates had to be between the ages of 13 and 29 and have amateur status in the music industry.

He says Barter will be flown to Vancouver this Friday, courtesy of Air Canada’s Kid’s Horizons Program to compete in the finals at the River Rock Casino Resort.

The winner Friday will appear on the Saturday evening of Variety Club’s 2011 Show of Hearts Telethon taking place Feb. 12-13 at the Red Robinson Show Theatre in Coquitlam and televised on Global BC. The winner will also win a gig at one of the Great Canadian Casino’s B.C. properties.

Vigars says they tried to select finalists from different parts of the province.

Barter, 22, who is in the process of moving back to Williams Lake from Kamloops this week, is representing Cariboo/Chilcotin/Northern B.C.

The other contestants are Kate Morgan, 17, of Kamloops; Raiel (stage name), 19, of Maple Ridge; Alisa Balogh, 18, of Port Coquitlam Central; Emily Chambers, 22, of North Vancouver; Vanessa Jumawan, 23, of Vancouver; Amanda Clayton, 21, of Burnaby; and Alexandria Maillot, 18, of Courtenay.

For the finals this Friday evening Barter says he plans to sing one of his original songs while playing his guitar.

Barter says he is thrilled to be a finalist and would be honoured to perform at the telethon. But even if he doesn’t win, he says it will be a thrill to perform before the panel selected to judge the finals.

“It’s pretty exciting and a great honour to be in the top 10,” Barter says.

Dal Richards is the senior anchor for the Variety’s Got Talent contest. At 93 years old the Vancouver band leader is still busy playing gigs all over the province.

The judging panel is filled out by other Canadian legends: Vicki Gabereau, Gemini award winner and member of the Broadcast Hall of Fame; Mike Reno, legendary rock icon of Loverboy; BJ Cook, singer/songwriter and founding member of the 70s group Skylark (Wildflower); Global BC sports director Squire Barnes; lyricist Amy Foster, who penned three number one hits with Michael Buble, Home, Everything, and I Haven’t Met You Yet. Her parents are BJ Cook and legendary record producer David Foster. During the 2009 Juno Awards, Reno and Loverboy were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Variety Club children’s charity has a long history of help sick children.

Since 1965, Variety has raised more than $155 million for families and organizations around B.C.