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The show was broken into three series per season, each running around 10 weeks. Weekly winners were chosen initially by studio audience response and mail-in voting, and later by a panel of judges. Those winners would compete at the end of the series for three Grand Awards, which came with contracts
36:. The show featured a variety of performers hoping to break into the entertainment industry, including singers, instrumentalists, composers, announcers, and actors.
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Separate awards for composers were given starting in 1950, replacing the announcers category. The following composers won first prizes or honorable mentions:
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Auditions were usually held in the CBC Toronto studios, though
Adaskin would also occasionally travel the country to hold out-of-town tryouts.
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One Grand Award winner was chosen per series, hence there were typically three awarded per year. The winners were:
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1955: François
Auffray (pop singer), Jeannette Franklin (pop singer), Gordie Fleming (accordion)
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1950: Marie-Germaine
Leblanc (soprano), Charles Rush (baritone), Joseph F. Rainer (tenor)
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1952: Angela
Antonelli (soprano), Sylvia Grant (soprano), Marguerite Lavergne (soprano)
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1953: Roma Butler (soprano), David
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and did not win, but went on to significant music careers:
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Notable performers brought to notice by the show include
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1948: Billy Meek (pop singer), Gratien Landry (tenor),
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1947: Bernard
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from 1947 until 1957. It was created and directed by
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64:to appear in the 13-week summer series
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233:Other notable contestants
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207:Jean Papineau-Couture
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341:Hollywood Quarterly
66:Opportunity Winners
28:show that aired on
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239:Opportunity Knocks
197:(1950, 1951, 1953)
191:Sandy Jones (1954)
26:talent competition
21:Opportunity Knocks
262:Maureen Forrester
203:Art Morrow (1951)
200:Neil McKay (1954)
156:Maurice Blackburn
100:Marthe LĂ©tourneau
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292:Joseph Pach
282:David Mills
247:Donald Bell
168:Johnny Burt
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80:Grand Award
45:Jon Vickers
398:Categories
319:References
140:Composers
30:CBC Radio
361:1209441
135:(piano)
75:Winners
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227:(1952)
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59:Format
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