MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Five central Vermont musicians are celebrating after winning a statewide contest that will put them in the spotlight later this summer.
There was a surprise announcement at Montpelier High School on Wednesday. Members of the local band, The Radiance, learned that they won the chance to be the opening band for next month’s Do Good Festival at National Life Group.
“It is really surreal. I think that when we submitted our video last year, we did it with the intention of, oh it’s like a really cool competition,” said Diya Kulkarni, the group’s lead singer.
The band, comprised of four MHS students and one member from Twinfield, formed last year so they could submit a video to the Beats for Good contest. They won second place in that contest but this year submitted again, receiving almost 5,000 votes to play on the big stage. And the band can’t wait for the show.
“It’s probably one of the biggest stages we will ever play on. I don’t really know how to describe it. I am just so incredibly grateful to be playing with the people that I am. We are all individually strong musicians. When we get together, it’s like one second we are goofing off, the next second we have a fully produced written song,” Kulkarni said.
This will be the festival’s 10th anniversary. The free day-long concert on July 13 benefits Branches of Hope and Howard Center. The headline acts this year include Fitz and the Tantrums, Rachel Platten, Dishwalla, and Couch.
The band’s prize includes $1,000 in cash to share among the band members and a $5,000 donation to the winning band’s school music program. Montpelier music teacher Sadie Jones hopes to use the money for a new recording studio. “To be able to create a space for students who might not want to be in orchestra, might not want to be in a typical chorus but still want to participate in music — who might want to play a guitar, maybe are self-taught or maybe are producers — Is really, really special,” Jones said.
The festival was forced to go online last year because of the July floods, but organizers are excited to open the show back up to the public. “It is really exciting to see The Radiance return, come back out on top, which is really cool,” said National Life’s Lindsey Rusnock. “We are really excited to see what their set is gonna be this year.”
All the band members say they plan to continue their music in college.