Press Release:
World Championships Of Performing Arts Team Ireland 2009

Photographs of TEAM IRELAND 2009 who will represent our Country in the next “World Championships Of Performing Arts” this coming July 2009. The members of this Irish Team, who qualified to represent Ireland from open regional auditions, travelled from the length and breadth of Ireland to all pose together for a portfolio of photographs in Dublin’s Smithfield Market place last Friday. Some had travelled for over 4 hours to get to the historic marketplace in time for 1pm’s photo-shoot. Each Talented member of this Team will be flying the Flag for Ireland when they will compete individually, in groups, and as our country “Ireland”, in what’s now regarded as the “Olympics for Performing Arts”.
The age range of the Irish competitors’ spans from 5 years of age up to 30 years of age, and each member is highly focused, trained, talented and experienced in their chosen Performing Arts area…whether it be singing, acting, modelling or dancing.

The WCOPA is now in its 13th year and will have competitors from over 70 countries worldwide attending the event which will run from Saturday 11th-19th July 2009 inclusive. Each Country’s own WCOPA Team will parade down Universal Studios City Walk on the first day of the event. This will be followed by an evening of Workshops and Seminars with top Agents, Casting Directors, Record Labels, Children’s Casting Agents, Modelling Agencies and Production Teams from Various Broadcasting Studios.

“This year over 125 persons from the entertainment industry (ie agents, managers, casting directors, music industry reps) have been invited to judge, conduct educational entertainment industry seminars, and ‘go-sees’ ”
                                    Griff O Neil
President and Founder of the WCOPA.

Amongst the judges that are confirmed for WCOPA 2009 so far is the Director of Talent Casting from Disney Entertainment, Director of Casting from “Hannah Montana” TV Series, Top Hollywood and New York Agents from “Kazarian/ Spencer Agency”, MTV,  a multitude of Record Labels specialising in Pop, RnB, Country and Western, Rap etc and many top Hollywood Model Agencies. These Industry Representatives will also give workshops/seminars specialising in the different Performing Arts areas to the Competitors. Each competitor will also have the chance to meet these industry reps face to face at the “Go Sees”.
During the event, the preliminary rounds of competitions take place, then semi finals, concluding with the Grand Final which will be televised. Each round, from preliminary right up to the grand final will be a showcase of worldwide talent of the highest quality staged in the sumptuous surroundings of the enormous California Ballroom at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
At the end of the week there will be a Closing Show and an Award Ceremony. There will also be a newly crowned Senior Grand Champion and Junior Grand Champion for 2009. Hopefully it will be an IRISH Senior and Junior Grand Champion this year!

There have been many successful competitors from all over the world at the WCOPA throughout its 13 years. For more details please log onto www.wcopa.com and www.worldchampionships.tv

Click here to see Photographs

“Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to”                                                Griff O Neil

We are delighted to inform you that 11 year old Singer/Songwriter Miah Phelan Sweeney from Moone in Kildare has won the All Ireland Talent Show "Star Search". The final which was aired on RTE last Friday 29th May saw the extremely talented Miah sing and play on piano her own composition which scored her full marks. Miah is from a musical family with both her Mum and Dad being distinguished musical performers in their own right.

Star Search has been running heats since last September 2008. Each performer who made the final 5 auditioned to take part on the popular show last summer. From these auditions, 5 performers were selected to perform each week on the Starsearch Show with one then being the weekly winner through the phone/text votes of the viewing public. A semifinal was then aired with these weekly winners and from this the final 5 were selected.
Each finalist was then mentored by entertainer Mickey Harte who was also an adjudicator on the programme. He gave them advice and tips on each of the finalist's performances.

When Miah's name was called out as the Overall Winner at the Grand Final, she was ecstatic! "Im so excited that i won, playing and singing is all i want to do and im so happy all my practising has paid off!" said Miah. Miah is delighted to be the winner of a holiday voucher worth €3000 and receive the title of RTE's STAR SEARCH WINNER 2009.

Miah is a student of Talented Kids Performing Arts School and Agency. The Talented Kids staff are over the moon at her fabulous achievement. Another of the Talented Kids Students Alice Naughton was also in the StarSearch final 5. Please see the link about Miah directly http://www.rte.ie/tv/theden/ice/icessfmiah.html

SINEAD MULVEY WINS EUROSONG 2009 and will represent Ireland in the 2009 EUROVISION SONG CONTEST in Moscow May 2009:

The staff and students of Talented Kids Performing Arts School and Agency are thrilled to announce that Sinead Mulvey has WON " Eurosong 2009 " and will represent IRELAND this May in Moscow. Sinead, 21, has been a singing and drama  student of Maureen's since she was the tender age of 9. Backed by the girl band "Black Daisy", Sinead brought the place down with her rendition of composers Niall Mooneym, Jonas Gladnikoff, Daniele Moretti and Christina Schilling song "Etcetera" on the Late Late Show last Friday 20th February. Sinead was deservedly crowned the outright winner for her tremendous performance of the rock chick song. Sinead will travel to Moscow for the Eurovision Semifinals on May 14th and will then hopefully perform in the Eurovision Finals on May 16th.

Click her to watch Sineads winning performance.

To date, Sinead has had a fantastic career with many lead roles in Musicals and Pantos throughout Leinster. She was a finalist in You're a Star 2006, and has been a multiple prizewinner at many Singing and Drama Talent Shows, Competitions and Festivals throughout Ireland since she was very young. She is regularly sought after for vocal work and stage work and is a well known face on the Irish Showbiz scene. Maureen accompanied Sinead to the Late Late Show last Friday night and will also be travelling to Moscow with Sinead in May for the Eurovision.

MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS SINEAD!  YOU ARE A WONDERFULLY TALENTED and BEAUTIFUL STAR and DESERVE TO GO ALL THE WAY!!!

Watch out Moscow! SINEAD MULVEY is the girl to bring back the Eurovision Crown to IRELAND!

*Congratulations to all of our students on the very successful sell out shows we had at Christmas in the Moat Theatre, Naas. You were all wonderful! We have received great feedback about them and were also featured in a lot of the Kildare papers and Local Dublin papers. €7107.55 was raised from the shows plus a donation of €1000 given in by Baileys, Ireland, which was organised by Ben Molloy brings the total raised to €8107.55 for the very worthy charity TEENLINE IRELAND .

*Congratulations to all of the new WCOPA 2009 qualifiers from our school and agency. These students will travel over to Los Angeles for the prestigious competition in July 2009. More information about the WCOPA event can be found at www.wcopa.com and www.worldchampionships.tv

*Our Upcoming Variety Show "It only takes a minute" will be on in June 2009 featuring every student from our school in solo and group performances