Selkirk student hits perfect note

Selkirk College Contemporary Music and Technology 2010 alumna Nicole Byblow was selected among 12 other music students across Canada for the MusiCounts Fred Sherratt Award.

Thousands of individuals were nominated for the award that honours the achievements of recent graduates from post-secondary music programs in Canada.

As an award winner, Byblow was treated to a 2-day trip to Toronto, an educational tour of the MuchMusic and CHUM radio studios and a cash prize of $3,500. Byblow plans to use the money to help fund several upcoming projects that will help build her music career when she moves to Toronto in September.

"I have a friend that is putting on several shows this fall in New York, so I plan on using most of the money to coordinate that so I can be a part of them," said Byblow, who describes her music as an indie-pop sound. "I also would like to use it to help promote my new album."

Byblow's second EP, Nicole Byblow Plays All the White Keys, is scheduled to be released in September, 2010. Her first EP, Unabashed, was released in 2007. She has performed at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Dauphin Countryfest and at the Red River Exhibition.

The award was presented to Byblow by Canadian MusiCounts, an educational music charity that is affiliated with both the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and CTVglobemedia Inc.

It was named after Canadian broadcasting pioneer Fred Sherratt, who was instrumental in building CHUM limited (acquired by CTVglobemedia Inc. in 2007) into one of Canada's leading media companies.

For more information on Nicole Byblow and to listen to samples of her music visit her Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/nicolebyblow.

First published on July 23, 2010