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Reach: Welcome!
elcome to the third W edition of Reach – the English language supplement for the Campo de Gibraltar. Once again, thank you all for your kind messages and support.
In this edition we focus on the annual Miss Gibraltar pageant, taking you through the history and developing narrative of one of the biggest social events of the Gibraltarian calendar! From 1959, which is the date of the first contest, to 2010 in which our very own Kaiane Aldorino became Miss World to a preview of what to expect for
ienvenidos a la tercera B edición de Reach - el suplemento en inglés para el
Campo de Gibraltar. Una vez más, muchas gracias a todos por vuestras amables palabras y apoyo.
Organizado por Christian Santos, el concurso de belleza de Miss Gibraltar, cuyas entradas se agotaron hace tiempo se puede ver en www.gbc. gi/tv/watch-live el 8 de julio de 2017 desde las 9 de la noche.
En esta edición nos centramos en el certamen anual de Miss. Gibraltar –su historia y el desarrollo de uno de los eventos sociales más importantes del calendario gibraltareño.
También tenemos cara a cara con el productor del espectáculos local Christian Santos, hablamos de sus días con el Walt Disney Company y cómo todavía se inspira el Reino Mágico.
Desde 1959, el año del primer concurso hasta 2010, en el que nuestra Kaiane Aldorino fue coronada Miss Mundo, y adelantamos los actos del show Miss Gibraltar 2017.
Si eres fanático del jazz, como nuestro colaborador Dominique Searle, disfrutarás del evento semanal de jazz George Posso, en el O’Callaghan Hotel, que cubrimos en estas páginas.
Thursday, 22nd June 2017
Miss Gibraltar 2017. Organized by Christian Santos of Santos Productions, tickets for the Miss Gibraltar beauty pageant have already sold out but the show can still be watched live online www.gbc.gi/tv/watch-live on the 8th of July, 2017. We also get some one-on-one time with the producer of the show, local celebrity Christian Santos. Christian tells us about his career with the Walt Disney Company and how he still draws inspiration from “the Magic Kingdom”. If you are a jazz fan, like our
En la próxima edición... Una entrevista exclusiva con el cantante y compositor Albert Hammond, donde profundizamos en su vida, su turbulento camino hacia el éxito y la fama, y su refrescante filosofía sobre la vida y como el triunfo.
Chris Gomez, Editor Email: chris@techniq.gi
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contributor the renowned journalist Dominique Searle, you will enjoy the George Posso weekly live Jazz event, at the O’Callaghan Hotel, which is covered in our pages. Coming up in the next edition... An exclusive interview with the singer and songwriter, Albert Hammond, where we delve into his life, his turbulent path to success and fame, and his incredibly deep philosophies on life and success. Thank you again for reading and enjoy!
- Chris Gomez, Editor Email: chris@techniq.gi
Producer Christian Santos
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Thursday, 22nd June 2017
Culture
Trail-blazer George keeps the Rock’s jazz kicking
O
ne of Gibraltar’s veteran musicians George Posso has been a leading figure in the Rock’s music scene for four decades. In the late 1990’s he turned his established skills as a bass guitar player to the double bass as a conscious move towards the jazz scene.
George is stalwart drummer Charlie Rovegno whose transition from rock to jazz combined with George’s swing allows some of the top regulars - such as Juan Galiardo and occasionally Gibraltar’s very own New York jazz musical Elie Massias - to share their gift with the audience.
George had long been allured by the jazz greats but by 2000 when he formed the Gibraltar Jazz Society he had transformed a personal musical challenge into a hub for jazz in Gibraltar.
George was at the heart of the first Gibraltar Jazz Festivals and ensured that these were not just entertaining but with their music master classes and opportunity for young and older musicians to perfect and inspire their art.
A master of new technology he was soon listening clo- George keeps jazz alive and sely to the full repertoire of kicking on the Rock, and that jazz bass greats and buil- is no easy task. ding this experience into a regular trio centred at the - Dominique Searle O’ Callaghan Elliot Hotel in Governor’s Parade, Gibraltar. George is a musicians’ musician. He crafts steadily and balances his discerning ear with a great passion to promote jazz amongst the Rocks musicians and especially students. Apart from being a star live attraction in Gibraltar’s social calendar the weekly sessions at the Elliott have allowed musicians from all over to regularly join in. The result has been a cauldron of creativity and different moods and sounds depending on who joins in. The metronome ticking behind
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Miss Gibraltar 2017
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Thursday, 22nd June 2017
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Miss Gibraltar 2017 - Reaching for the Stars the 12th of December 2010 Miss Kaiane Aldorino, now the Mayor of Gibraltar won the coveted Miss World title in Johannesburg, South Africa. We spoke to Christian Santos, founder of Santos Productions and Principal Director of the Gibraltar Academy of Performing Arts (GAMPA), and local celebrity, known for his ingenious theatrical productions and comedy shows, who has been the producer of the Miss Gibraltar show since 2008 (barring 2014 when he took a break). Christian told us:
Reigning Miss Gibraltar 2016
T
he most anticipated of all events on the Gibraltarian’s social calendar is, of course, the Miss Gibraltar Beauty Pageant. The contest is now in its 58th year, and the winner qualifies to represent the Rock to compete for the most coveted beauty title on the planet – “Miss World” – the pageant has moved from stride to glamourous stride over time. The first Miss Gibraltar pageant was held in 1959, and our first ever Miss Gibraltar, Viola
Abudarham was crowned. Many today would be surprised to know that Miss Abudarham was married, contrary to her title “Miss” and today’s rules for competing. This was followed by a four-year gap until 1964. It has been rumoured that no producer was willing to take on the challenge of organizing this event, and some have even said that there were not enough sign-ups to be able to stage it. That is history, because since the 1960’s the pageant has rocketed in popularity and on
“Miss Gibraltar is the show that looks the easiest to put on, but is the hardest to produce… I always say that the show belongs to the community and the producers oversee creating a show that pleases the five-yearold child and the 85-year-old granny!” Miss Gibraltar presents local women with the opportunity to grow, both in confidence and as a personality. Being a contestant for any beauty pageant is not for the faint hearted, and has its fair share not only of shining smiles, but also tears and struggle. However, the rewards can be life changing. It is not just our mayor and former Miss World who has carved a name for herself in history. Other “Misses” have gone on to have glittering careers in broad-
cast media, the theatre, business and other professions. Christian Santos gave us some insight of what to expect for Miss Gibraltar 2017: “This year the show moves to a bigger venue, so you can expect something bigger and more glamorous than ever before, fingers crossed! We have some great entertainment lined up and of course the highlight of the night are the contestants, so we are making sure that the girls look a million bucks!” “We are working hard at making the show fresh, young and modern, with a classical and tasteful twist, so let’s see what we come up with!” This year’s show will be packed full of both local and international talent taking to the stage: The Mediterranean Dance Group, the Transitions Dance Group, the GAMPA Drumline and String Ensemble, Gibraltar Youth Choir and local band Frontiers. Headlining the event will be this year’s current X-factor winner Matt Terry, who won with his debut single “When Christmas Comes Around”, written by Ed Sheeran, which rocketed to number 3 of the UK charts. Make sure to tune in to GBC at www.gbc.gi/tv/watch-live to watch the pageant from 9pm11pm on Saturday the 8th of July!
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Meet the Contestants
Thursday, 22nd June 2017
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This Year’s Contestants! Miss Gibraltar Beauty Pageant 2017
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De
nille
Pat
s ter
on
Age: 19 Denille speaks English and Spanish and dreams of travelling the world. “I have entered various pageants in the past... I know I will thoroughly enjoy meeting new people through this experience.”
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Sine
ad Be
o ns
n
Age: 18 Sinead speaks English, Spanish and Italian and dreams of travelling the world. “I have entered this pageant as it has always been a dream of mine.”
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Em
ma Butti
e gi
Jodie Garc
Age: 24 Sian speaks English and Spanish and aspires to become a teacher. “I have entered Miss Gibraltar as I believe it will be a great experience that will enhance my self-confidence.”
ia
Age: 24 Jodie speaks English and Spanish and is a self-taught artist. “Entering the Miss Gibraltar Pageant is definitely a challenge for me that is a little out of my comfort zone. I do believe challenges inspire us to grow.”
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Jane
b lla Ro
ba
Age: 19 Janella speaks English and Spanish and aspires to own her own business. “I am very self conscious, by entering Miss Gibraltar I hope to build my confidence while meeting different people.”
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Kyli
e La
n vag
a
Age: 24 Kylie speaks English and Spanish, in an interview she said: “My main reason for participating in this pageant is to develop my self-esteem and self-confidence.”
ai
vi
zo
-Victory
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n
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g
Age: 21 Emma speaks English and Spanish and aspires to get a Business & Human Resources degree. “My ultimate aim in life is to grow as a person, so this is an adventure I can’t let slip away.”
Sian Dea
Te s s a B
o ritt
Age: 21 Tessa speaks English and Spanish. “I enjoy challenging myself and meeting new people, I have entered pageants in the past and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”
Emma
e Jan
G
Age: 21 Emma Speaks English, French and Spanish and manages two family boutiques. “After a couple of years of thinking about it, I finally felt I am prepared enough this year. I am also looking forward to meeting new people and to enjoy this new experience.”
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In the Next Edition
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A look at the life of a young Gibraltarian ‘kid’ of the 1960’s who dreamed of making a name for himself in the international music scene, and achieved it in the face of hardship and pitfalls. Washing dishes and cleaning apartments in the early days of pop to fund his ambitions - Albert Hammond had an epic persistance that remains undeminished to this day. We take a look into the mind of a man who never gave up, who didn’t let his circumstances bring him down and who has reached a level of global fame that
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The “Kid” Who Dared to Dream...
In the Next Edition oming up in the next edition we publish our interview of the internationa, singer, song writer and producer - the legendary Albert Hammond; whose career spans over 55 years.
Thursday, 22nd June 2017
few can aspire to achieve. Albert has written and produced among the most well known and emblematic pop songs of our time.
Albert Hammond
A man of huge passion for music, he has just launched ‘Albert Hammond in Symphony’ (June 2017); another vision come true for an artist who had always wanted to sing with a full orchestra. He has done so with the London Symphony Orchestra and the “London Voices” choir at the famous Abbey Road Studios. In our interview, we bring the readers of Reach face to face with the real Albert Hammond, his life, his success, his struggles and his profound philosophies on life.
- Chris Gomez, Editor
Albert Hammond & Chris Gomez outside the old GBC studio, where his band with Richard Cartriwright performed for the first time
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In the Spotlight
Thursday, 22nd June 2017
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Christian Santos
www.santos-productions.com
xperience gained and lessons learned as a E performer for various Disney
enterprises - on a cruise ship, on Broadway and in Tokyo lie behind the success of local producer Christian Santos in staging a range of entertainment embracing musicals, comedy and the annual Miss Gibraltar competition. His work has established him as a major figure of the Rock’s the performing arts. For the past nine years, as founder and CEO of Santos Productions and the Principal Director of the Gibraltar Academy of Music & Performing Arts, he has brought much to the Rock’s entertainment scene. From writing and producing prize winning live performances at the Inces Hall Theatre such as the side-splitting “El Ballroom” (a musical in the tradition of Llanito music hall comedy) and “Strong” (a play very different from his usual comedy which explored the realities of men and women who have suffered domestic violence) he has an impressive theatrical CV.. No stranger to performan-
ces for the whole family, from 2001 – 2007 Christian worked as a vocalist in what for many is the embodiment of family fun and entertainment the Walt Disney Company. “Working for Disney has definitely been a highlight of my professional career! I have always been a huge fan of their movies, but especially their music” he says. “I was very fortunate to work as a vocalist for them on the Disney Cruise Ship as well as in Disneyland Tokyo. Not only did I get to work in their shows but also in their special events, so you find yourself recording songs for parades or for New Year’s events and special, one-off performances.” His path to the worlds of Disney was not straightforward for - like many creative artists -Santos often changes his mind, “My agent at the time had told me that I had an audition with Disney for the cruise ship, and I went along,” he explains. “Within a few days I was offered a job to be in ‘Hercules the Muse-ical ‘ in the cast of ‘Disney Dream’. At the same time, I was also offered a job in the UK tour of “Saturday Night Fever”, and I actually chose that because it would keep me in the UK longer…” “Then I realised that I ac-
tually really wanted to work for Disney. So, I called my agent to tell him that I had changed my mind, and to call Disney back, and then crossed my fingers…” “Apparently my agent knew me well enough to predict that this would happen, and had decided not to reject Disney after all. I ended up sailing the seven seas with the Disney Dream for 2 years.” “While on the ship, I had auditioned for the Disney Tokyo casting directors, who offered me a role in the Broadway Review Show called ENCORE, which then took me to Tokyo for 4 years!” Seven years of writing, acting, singing, dancing - performing on Broadway, and delivering memorable Disney performances - has given Christian an intimate understanding of how to please a diverse audience, and he still incorporates the lessons learned into every performance he stages. “Disney is all about the seamless experience for the cast, crew and guests. Their attention to detail is what makes the company so different to the rest. I particularly like how disciplined they are with absolutely everything, and that is what makes Disney so unique.” “I do try to work in the same vein here, and I do try and instil that same sense of discipline
in everything I do. They [Disney] also thrive in making the work place a positive environment, which is something I feel is crucial.” Since producing the Miss Gibraltar Pageant in 2008, Santos has produced some of the best, and will continue to do so this year for the seventh time. “Miss Gibraltar is the show that looks the easiest to put on and yet the hardest to produce. We have a great budget to work with, and in a community like Gibraltar, where we are blessed with so many big events, people expect the highest in production standards.”
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REACH SUPPLEMENT
Thursday, 22nd June 2017
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