Press Release

May 25, 2020

OMA Celebrates Members of the Durham Region Music Industry and Frontline Workers in Online Finale

13-Year Old Kaelan Roddy’s “Durham Road” Named Durham Song of The Year During Final 2020 Oshawa Music Awards Online Presentation.

Oshawa, ON. — Oshawa Music Awards (OMA) brought the Durham Region music community and beyond together for the online finale of the 2020 awards show on Saturday, May 23. The finale included a special video celebration entitled Durham Strong featuring words from notable individuals from the community, recognition of Durham Region front line workers and the presentation of the award for Durham Song of the Year.
“Durham Road” written by 13-year old Kaelan Roddy was awarded OMA’s Durham Song of the Year during the finale of the weekly live online award show segments. Other nominees in the category included, “This Is My Home,” by Oshawa’s Karrie Lynn Dymond and second-time nominee “Blue Collar Blood” by Josh Kvasnak of the Doozies.
Each nominee spoke to the inspiration behind their song and their connection to the Durham Region. Each nominee also gave a message of support towards the special Durham Strong celebration. Nomination for the award was open to songwriters who wrote and recorded an original composition that acknowledged or celebrated Oshawa and/or the Durham Region. The finalists were selected by a committee of judges and the winner through the results of the public vote. The Durham Song of the Year category received the highest number of public votes over the 2020 award season.
In recognition of the finale of the awards show, the stream featured a special Durham Strong music celebration, hosting the words of notable individuals including; John Henry, Durham Region Chair, Colin Carrie, Member of Parliament for Oshawa, Doug Elliot, Program Director, 94.9 The Rock, Greg Murphy, Executive Dean, School of Media, Art & Design, Durham College; OMA team members; Sandy Horne, Will McGuirk, Eleanor Lau, Sue McCallum, Catherine Richards, Dr. Scott Henderson, Johnny Matusiak, Dale Russell, and Artemis Chartier mixed between messages and performances by musicians; Jules McCool, Skye Wallace, Spoons, and Candace & Michael. A special video was featured in recognition of Durham front line workers, “On the Front Lines” created by Artemis Chartier.
Julius Allan Rondilla, OMA Director joined the live cast to speak on behalf of the 2020 OMA team. The final live stream ended with a highlight reel of the weekly awards show, showcasing memorable moments from the 8 weeks of OMA online live segments.
The awards show was viewed over 30,000 times across 10 Countries since its debut April 4 showcasing the significance of the Durham Region Music Industry worldwide. All award show segments can be viewed from the OMA website and social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Through this innovative approach, the OMAs’ were able to celebrate the creativity of Durham Region’s music industry, including the tech community. We gratefully recognize the sponsors and partners who have aided in making this initiative possible.
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For more information or further questions, please visit our website at oshawamusicawards.ca or email us at oshawamusicawards@gmail.com. For media, please contact, pressmedia.oshawamusicawards@gmail.com
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