PBS mines West Island for holiday talent

By Walter J. Lyng

Several West Island youth were recently contacted, seemingly out of nowhere, by the Plattsburgh branch of PBS asking if they would like to participate in the taping of a holiday concert. For Briana Musto and Marina Perugini, it was a call that couldn’t be ignored.

“My mom got a call from a friend who works at the station,” says Musto, a 16-year-old Pierrefonds resident. “She knew that I played guitar and sang in a band, so she asked if we were interested in performing in this holiday concert. So right away I called my band members and we all decided to do it because it was such a great opportunity and a great way to put ourselves out there.”

Knowing the producers were looking to make the concert as multi-ethnic as possible, Musto and her band, Breaking Point, opted to perform a rocking rendition of White Christmas half in English and half in Italian.

Perugini, meanwhile, was asked to participate in the show when the same PBS employee, Lina Cianciullo-Birch, contacted her father, a former colleague, after seeing Perugini’s YouTube videos. She would go on to deliver a solo performance of Taylor Swift’s Christmas Must Be Something More.

“It was probably one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done in my life,” says the 15-year-old St. Thomas student. “I had never been around that many cameras and people and equipment. I was in awe the entire time. I couldn’t believe I was there.”

Called the Holiday Spectacular, the concert will feature -- in addition to Musto and Perugini -- local performers from the Lambada School of Music and Fine Arts, the Academie Marie-Claire-Kirkland, Emmanuel Christian School, 8 Count Dance, and JazzKidz Group. The special will serve to raise money via pledge drives for PBS. 

Hardly a walk through the park, the girls both put a lot of time into perfecting their acts before the big day.

“Before I went, I practiced the song like crazy,” says Perugini. “Once I was there, we had to do several takes so it got a little tiring after a while, but I guess the fact that it was still fun made it okay.”

Once in the studio, although Perugini found herself in a completely new environment, she says she didn’t let her nerves get the best of her.

“I was nervous, but I wasn’t intimidated by anyone or anything,” says Perugini. “I’m kind of more nervous to hear myself [on TV].”

A genuinely positive experience for all, perhaps the best thing that will come out of this is a batch of fresh new musicians who have been encouraged in the best way possible to pursue their dreams.

“We’ve always been passionate about our music, but this really got us going,” says Musto.

The Holiday Spectacular will first air on Mountain Lake PBS on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m., and then later throughout the month.