Busker draws in the crowds

By Paul Dunlop
GUITAR in hand and a song on her lips, Casey Hogan is proving a big hit as a busker.
The talented teenager recently won the applause of audiences — and the praise of judges — at the Mortlake Buskers’ Festival Competition.
Casey, a year 11 student at Beaconsfield’s St Francis Xavier College, won the title of junior individual busker at the internationally recognised event.
College community liaison officer Maree Chapman said the young musician had festival goers spellbound.
“At the start of Casey’s performance in the main street of Mortlake there were just a few people watching but after 15 minutes, the result was that a huge crowd had gathered around her, demonstrating her popularity and cementing her win.”
Casey was invited to compete in the festival a couple of years ago after singing at a jazz and blues festival at Monbulk.
Her prizewinning performance capped a very successful festival for the college.
Casey’s schoolmates Jonathan Gay, Luke Brennan, Marcos Villalta and John Chinsami won awards for the performance of their band The Landlords.
“The boys were the youngest to perform in the adult categories of amplified and acoustic groups and were triumphant in winning both categories,” Ms Chapman said.
“The highlight of the day was when they performed together with Casey on the main stage at the festival.”
Mrs Chapman said festival organisers were impressed with the standard of performances by the students.
Casey and her schoolmates are already proving to be artists to watch out for.