At least one Grand Bend resident is hoping for a hit of iconic proportions. Pedro Quintana, inspired by a student who did the same thing, wrote and entered an anthem into the CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada theme contest.
“I wanted to write a cantata for church for Thanksgiving,” Quintana says, “so I thought why not write something for the caontest.
“I was inspired by what happens in the rink when there’s a goal and we feel proud when the hockey team is winning. It had to be an anthem, so fulfilling and uplifting. I thought to do it in a format with trumpets, trombones, cello and bass guitar, so something that will sound good in the rink if they have to play it live.”
Quintanta’s theme, Proudly Canadian, brings a smile to the face of the man who migrated to Canada in 2001. Perhaps he’s imagining what it would be like to be the man who wrote the theme to replace a Canadian icon, Dolores Claman’s Hockey Theme.
“It’s a simple theme with a format of A-B-A coda,” Quintana says, explaining his entry. “They can all be used separately, and it would likely be used as smaller parts. It’s how I would respond to a goal, when people are excited at the rink. The first part has some stress and release, and the second part is more patriotic and uplifting, and the last part is a run-out, a big crescendo, like Yeah, we did it.”
Currently, Quintana is competing with about 10,000 entries to make it to the public voting round.
“I’ve listened to many entries; some are good and some are not. It’s luck based on what people will like. We all hope it means something to people.”
Voting for the theme starts October 4. He’d like you to listen to it, and to vote for it if you think it’s worthwhile.
To do so, visit anthemchallenge.cbc.ca and search for Pedro Quintana.
Hoping for a Hockey Night hit
