Mississauga siblings Catherine, left, and Chloe Tiongson, sing at the Canadian National Exhibition’s Rising Star Talent Competition. Photo Courtesy of the CNE
Mississauga sisters took a top prize at the Canadian National Exhibition’s Rising Star Talent Competition.
Teenage vocalist siblings Catherine and Chloe Tiongson competed against 84 contestants in their age group and won the Youth Grand Champions title during the final weekend of Canada’s largest fair, the CNE said.
While the pair have entered the competition before, this was the first time Chloe, 16, and Catherine, 13, have combined their talents in a duet.
The pair chose the song And I Am Telling You by Henry Krieger and Tom Even, made famous by Jennifer Hudson in the film Dream Girls and Amber Riley in the first episode of the TV show Glee.
The song is strong and powerful, said Catherine. Normally a solo song, they chose to sing it together, and the blending and chemistry on stage came naturally, said Chloe.
“I think our voices complement each other,” said Catherine.
When they got on stage, nerves almost got the better of Chloe.
“I was actually pretty nervous,” Chloe told INsauga.com. “I don’t know why. It was just like, I had like a really big heartbeat in my chest.”
The anxiousness subsided in the end.
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“When I found out that my sister and I won, I felt a great sense of accomplishment because we’d put a lot of work towards that, and the hard work paid off,” she said.
“I felt really happy when I heard that we won,” Catharine added.
Chloe, who attends Grade 11 at Father John Redmond Catholic Secondary School, and Catherine, who is in Grade 8 at St. Giovanni Scalabrini Catholic Elementary School, both started singing as young children. Their mother is also a strong singer, they said.
“I think I started singing when I was like three or four,” said Chloe. “I would just pick up what I heard, like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, like the lullabies. But I think I started learning technique and taking it somewhat seriously around the age of seven.”
Catherine followed her sister’s lead.
“I would always hear my sister’s TV shows or just random things on the TV, and then I would pick it up and just sing at random times,” she said. “I would sing to my mom. I would go up to her and then start singing random Disney songs when I was like four or five.”
She started voice lessons around five or six years old.
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Both studied at the JDL School of Performing Arts, which helped them gain confidence, their father, Gil Tiongson, said.
They now post singing videos regularly to social media. Some of Chloe’s TikTok videos have over one million likes.
The sisters prepared for months with their vocal coach, Alisa Grace Datu, for the CNE competition.
Tiongson said he encouraged his daughters to consider a duo rather than entering the competition with solo performances.
“I told them it is better if you sing together, and I think you will be more powerful, and it happened,” said Tiongson. “I’m very, very proud of them. I’m so lucky that I have these two talented daughters.”
Mississauga siblings Catherine, left, and Chloe Tiongson, sing at the Canadian National Exhibition’s Rising Star Talent Competition. Photo Courtesy of the CNE
As for the future, both sisters would love to pursue careers as singers or study science. For now, they hope to enter more competitions.
“We want to represent Mississauga on bigger stages, if given any opportunities, and just broaden our audience,” Chloe said.
The CNE competition has a legacy of nurturing provincial talent, with past winners including jazz sensation Matt Dusk and award-winning choreographer Blake McGrath.
Mississauga siblings Catherine, left, and Chloe Tiongson, accept their prize at the Canadian National Exhibition’s Rising Star Talent Competition. Photo Courtesy of the CNE
In addition to winning a $3,000 prize, the Tiongson sisters will be invited to participate in next year’s CNE at various events including the singing of the national anthem at the opening ceremonies.
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