Congratulations and a cheque for $500 were presented to Enderby’s Linzy Lunkwist for her winning submission of lyrics for a special Shuswap Song.
Shuswap Singers sponsored the contest to find a song that can be made into a signature song for their 50th anniversary concert set for May 2012, says charter member Clara Anderson.
Lunkwist not only wrote lyrics, but also composed the music for her winning song, Nothing Like This ( I Gotta Sing).
Born and raised in Enderby, Lunkwist began piano lessons when she was eight-years-old and voice training in Vernon at the age of 15.
During her teens and early 20s, Lunkwist performed with the Grindrod Players and Shuswap Theatre.
She studied music performance and sang with the Shuswap Singers and the Okanagan Symphony Choir, and taught voice and piano at Acorn Music in Salmon Arm.
In 1988, Lunkwist was hired to play the piano for Maz and Me’s Revue Theatre Restaurant in Vernon. And when Maz bought a restaurant in Port Coquitlam, Lunkwist moved there to continue working on stage as the lead female performer and lyric rewriter.
In 1991, she wrote and performed the theme song for the B.C. Summer Games in Coquitlam, and in 1997, wrote and recorded the theme song for the B.C. Special Olympics.
Following the death or her husband, Lunkwist moved back to Enderby and recreated the Vocal Vixens, modelled after her former group on the Coast.
She became a member of Saint Andrew’s United Church in 2000 and continues as choir director, pianist and church administrator.
Lunkwist added another award to her collection, winning the anthem contest for the Olympic Torch relay when it passed through Enderby.
Lunkwist teaches voice and piano, writes and produces original dinner theatre productions as fundraisers for local organizations, and is resident keyboardist at Enderby’s Cliffview Recording Studio.
One another note, The Shuswap Singers invite you to get into the Christmas mood by attending their annual Christmas concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4 at First United Church.