The Grand Millennium- Al Wahda Hotel was the venue for the exclusive pre-event VIP reception on 15 April for the contestants, their friends and families, the judges and the team behind The Dream Players.
It was another historic moment for The Dream Players because, for the first time, the contestants and judges met each other before the main event.
Kera Thompson, Project Manager for The Dream Players and one of the four judges, said, “It was fantastic to be able to meet the contestants and their families before the event in such an intimate setting.”
The Dream Players were honoured to have some very talented and experienced individuals judge the event. They were Kera Thompson, model, designer and project manager for The Dream Players; Rajesh Bhatia, music composer and voice over artist for Radio Mirchi; Michelle Nickelson, President and COO of Mirage Foundations and Emma Stansfield, founder of the Abu Dhabi Community Youth String Orchestra.
THE WINNER
Chris Roebuck, a 25 year-old from Wisconsin USA, silenced Al Wahda Mall with his mesmerizing rendition of ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Miserables which earned a standing ovation from the audience and a perfect score from the judges.
The crowd was on their feet again to applaud Chris’ second song, a heart-wrenching performance of the Simon and Garfunkel classic, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’.
While Chris loves the stage and performing in front of a live audience, he is even more devoted to sharing his love of music with others, especially children, in his day job as a music educator at the GEMS World Academy in Abu Dhabi.
ORGANISERS REACTION
“We were astounded by the level of performances especially in the seasoned talent of Chris. This clearly demonstrates that there is a lot of raw talent and incredibly gifted people in our community, waiting to be identified and recognized.”
Sana Bagersh, Executive Producer of The Dream Players
WINNERS REACTION
Chris Roebuck spoke with Tempo straight after his win.
“My experience with the Dream Players was one I will never forget. It felt so good to be back on the stage! The rush of performing coupled with the venue made for a truly memorable experience. I was truly honored to be part of the event and I have to say that my competition was truly inspiring to watch and listen too. All of these factors made The Dream Players so wonderful.”
“I was so pleased with the judge’s scores and comments. I was truly speechless to receive a perfect score in the first round. As a seasoned performer, a perfect is something that really never happens.”
“It was also a thrill to have my friends from GEMS World Academy there. My school family made my experience that much more enjoyable because I had someone there to share my joys with. The next day at school was also moving. So many of my students congratulated me and were asking questions about singing and performing. I took time to share the experience with them and talked about following your dreams and doing what your heart tells you.”
“I cannot begin to describe the feeling that this opportunity has given me. Many thanks to everyone who made the event possible.”
SOCIAL BUZZ
Osama El Kamel – Yesterday’s show was incredible! I’m looking forward to the next one! Great job everyone and congratulations to Chris!
Muhammad Sehan – It was seriously a fantastic show
Sufyan Ali – Thank you very much for selecting me as a contestant! Congrats To Christopher Roebuck!!! Great performance!! … Congrats to The Dream Players for one of the best, most successful shows of all time! Today was the best day of my life ♥
Danielle Whitley – Congratulations Chris Roebuck – you’re amazing!!
Nanosa Twixy – amazzzzzzzzzzzzzzing 😀
Jacque Yentsch Watson – So great!
Gary Maigue – It was a fantastic show! Congrats to all the contestants and to the winner Chris Roebuck. More power to The Dream Players community!
Mohsin Raza – Congrats Chris Roebuck!
THANKS
Sincere and grateful thanks to the sponsors and supporters who made The Dream Players event possible.
Community Partner- Al Wahda Mall
Gold Sponsors- Grand Millennium – Al Wahda Hotel and Zayna Spa
Media Partners- BrandMoxie
By Sharon Carvalho and Ian Mason
