LAHORE: The first day of the ‘Alhamra Voice’ singing competition on Monday saw around 200 people thronging Alhamra, The Mall from various cities, including Lahore, Sahiwal, Mureedke, Jhelum and Faisalabad, to try their luck.

The Lahore Arts Council had announced a three-day singing competition for boys and girls aged between 15 and 25 years. On the inaugural day, 20 candidates were finalised from the 200 candidates who registered.

On Tuesday (today), semi-finals will be held in a grand evening show in which 12 singers will make the cut out of 20. On the third and final night of the singing gala, the top three singers will be announced.

These top three position holders will win cash prizes of Rs50,000, Rs25,000 and Rs20,000, respectively as well as certificates and shields.

Alhamra officials told Dawn that the arts council would record a track by the first position holder and also shoot its video that would be released on social media.

The council would also invite the winner to its various music events and provide a platform to showcase his/her talent.

The jury comprised singer Abdul Rauf and music composer Azam Khan, who is also a former Radio Pakistan producer. The candidates had to sing live with the support of harmonium and table, and no Indian songs were allowed.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2019