Roland Announces Regional Finalists in V-Drums Contest

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ROLAND CANADA LTD.

The Best from the East and West Will Battle it out at Montreal Drum Festival

RICHMOND, BC, Oct. 14 /CNW/ - The 1st Roland V-Drums Contest has come to a close, and the two regional finalists will battle it out for the title of Canada's V-Drums Contest National Grand Champion on the Montreal Drum Fest stage. Representing the East is Francois Lalibertˆ© from Montreal, QC, who will face off with Western Regional Finalist Gary Grace from Port Coquitlam, BC.

After trying both the guitar and piano, at the age of eight Francois picked up his first pair of drumsticks. Since then, he has studied with many internationally known percussionists including Aldo Mazza and Dom Famularo, and is currently studying under Mario Roy at Cegep St-Laurent in Montreal. Francois has been recognized in both regional and international competitions; in 2008 he received honourable mention at the Modern Drummer's Undiscovered Drummer Contest. Francois dreams of using his music as a tool for peace, and of bringing his music all over the world.

Gary Grace was born into a family of drummers, following in the footsteps of both his father and older brother. Growing up, Gary was interested in many different genres and musical styles. Gary went on to study at the Crane School of Music in New York and has studied under many other drumming greats including Joe Morello and Jim Chapin. He has shared the stage with many great Canadian musicians and currently performs with the Canadian classic rock band "Prism." When not performing, Gary passes on his talent and knowledge to his students.
For the past few months, Roland Canada has been hosting the Roland V-Drums Contest, a national drum solo competition that gives drummers from across Canada the chance to compete for an autographed, top-of-the-line, Roland V-Drums TD-20KX V-Pro Series kit and the opportunity to perform at the prestigious Montreal Drum Fest this fall. The finals will be held on October 24, 2009 at 11:00am on the Montreal Drum Fest stage.

About Roland Canada Ltd.

Roland is a world leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of electronic musical instruments, professional audio equipment, multimedia products and music accessories. The Roland brand family includes Roland, BOSS, EDIROL by Roland, Rodgers, RSS by Roland, and Cakewalk by Roland. Roland's impressive line of products includes, but is far from limited to, guitar effects pedals, electronic percussion, acclaimed digital pianos, synthesizers, digital mixers and music production software.