Sharjah Media Corporation Prepares to Launch Third Season of ‘Sharjah Junior Munshid’

Preparations began today (Sunday) for the third season of the chanting contest for juniors, Sharjah Junior Munshid, organised by the Sharjah Media Corporation (SMC).

The contest, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, aims to nurture and support the talents of young singers in the emirate and promote meaningful and creative musical genres. 

The show’s production team will tour Sharjah to audition participants. A total of 64 contestants will be selected and then shortlisted to just eight finalists. They will perform in the final show of the series, when the winner of Sharjah Junior Munshid will be announced.

The contest's committee will conduct auditions for five days from 15 -19 January, starting at 9am. Auditions for female contestants from Sharjah and Al Hamriyah will be conducted at the Sharjah Institute for Theatrical Arts on Sunday, January 15, and on January 16 for male contestants.

Auditions for male and female contestants from the Central Region will be conducted on January 17, at the Cultural Centre in Al Dhaid. The Eastern Region's auditions will be conducted at the Cultural Centre in Khorfakkan over two days; Wednesday, January 18, for females, and Monday, January 19, for boys.

During the auditions, the production team will select the most promising young voices to compete in the various stages of the highly popular programme.

HE Mohammed Hasan Khalaf, Director of Sharjah Radio and Television at SMC, said: "The Sharjah Media Corporation has developed an integrated strategy to ensure the success of the third season of Sharjah Junior Munshid in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to promote another cultural aspect to the next generation of promising musical artists."

He added: “Sharjah Junior Munshid has proved to be extremely successful during the previous two seasons and we expect the third season will receive a wider response from talented students and youngsters who want to discover their vocal abilities and pursue their journey to deliver true values and meaningful messages through singing”, pointing out that the Sharjah Junior Munshid exemplifies Sharjah's support for all forms of arts, culture and music in the region.

For his part, Najm Al Deen Hashem, Executive Producer of the programme, said SMC has put the finishing touches on the new look of the third season. The show’s teams will help to strengthen and train the voices of the youngsters to help them realise their ambitions of reaching the finals.

He said that the programme has turned into a musical phenomenon to discover the most inspiring vocal talents in children and young people.

Emphasising the role of Sharjah’s Educational Zone in supporting the programme and participation of school students, Waheeda Abdul Aziz, Member of the Sharjah Consultative Council and Head of the Activities Department at the Sharjah Educational Zone, said: "SMC is helping to discover new creativity among students, perfectly in line with our own goal at the Activities Department, which has facilitated all procedures for announcing the programme and arranged appointments to fit with students’ schedules."

She noted that the department serves as a link between the organisers of the programme and school administrations. In its previous seasons, the show had a highly cooperative and interactive partnership with the Sharjah Educational Zone.

Sharjah Junior Munshid has contributed to enriching the Arab artistic scene with inspirational and creative vocal talent. Its impressive previous successes have culminated in identifying the best three young vocalists of each season. As well as the honour of taking the title, the winners were featured in video clips that are still broadcast on Sharjah Television and a number of Arabic and global websites.