[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] The Gwangju Nam-gu Silver Singing Contest, which left numerous touching stories such as a senior gentleman who took the microphone after more than 45 years for his late mother’s deep longing and for his father who drove his son away saying “No entertainers,” has concluded its six-month-long journey.
According to Nam-gu (District Mayor Kim Byung-nae) on the 15th, the year-end final of the Euddeumhyo Nam-gu TV Silver Singing Contest was recently held at the Nam-gu Cultural and Arts Center auditorium, hosted by the Nam-gu Senior Welfare Center and Nam-gu Senior Citizens Association.
Starting with the first stage performance on June 28, a total of about 900 participants appeared over 88 sessions, and among the 18 silver singers who passed the preliminaries and finals, this event selected the best singer of the year.
The stories of the participants who took part in both the preliminaries and finals were heartfelt.
Grandfather Yeo Hong-hyun, who entered the final, returned to Korea after 34 years upon hearing the news that a singing contest was being held in his hometown after moving to Germany in his youth. Grandmother Jo Kyung-hee came to the Silver Singing Contest to fulfill the regret of not being able to debut with a record in 1970 due to poverty.
Also, Grandfather Kim Tae-hyung sang on the preliminary stage to fulfill the earnest wish of his wife battling cancer who wanted to hear her husband sing, and Grandmother Kim Myung-hee and Grandfather Hong Jang-sik sang to show their efforts to live diligently after overcoming heart surgery, cerebral hemorrhage, and cerebral infarction.
The final stage to select this year’s singer featured many silver singers with outstanding skills, delivering high-quality performances as the event concluded.
The grand prize was awarded to Grandfather Lee Tae-hee, who sang with a sorrowful heart recalling his late mother.
Mr. Lee quit his job in another region where he had worked for over 40 years to take care of his mother living alone and returned to his hometown. He won the grand prize with his emotionally compelling voice dedicated to his mother in heaven.
The honor of the excellence award went to Grandfather Kim Yong-rok.
Although his dream was to become a singer, he was driven out of his home by his father who scolded him saying, “After raising you, you became an entertainer.” While caring for his father in a nursing home for 15 years, he heard encouraging words, “If I had known about you earlier, I would have sent you on that path.” He took the stage after 45 years and quenched his thirst for music.
Along with this, Grandfather Han Deok-ju received the award for merit by singing with poignant emotion about a love that could not be fulfilled.
Additionally, Grandmother Jo Kyung-hee, who shared happy times participating in the contest after cancer surgery, and Grandfather Yeo Hong-hyun, a skilled singer and former president of the Korean Association in D?sseldorf, Germany, were honored with encouragement awards respectively.
Furthermore, Grandfather Ma Hee-jong, who had experience performing live on a broadcasting station about 50 years ago, and Grandfather Kang Dae-seon, who is currently active as a guitar teacher at Bitgoeul Senior Health Town, received popularity awards.
A Nam-gu official stated, “The Silver Singing Contest was an event prepared to provide new sights, entertainment, and vitality to the elderly in the With-Corona era,” adding, “Thanks to the great interest and support not only from the participants but also from their family members and acquaintances, the event was grandly concluded.”
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