Eva and Cara in NI Soloist of Year final

Eva and Cara in NI Soloist of Year final

23 February 2022

TWO local girls are competing this weekend to win the BBC NI School Soloist of the Year Competition 2022.

Eva Rowan, head girl of St Patrick’s Grammar School in Downpatrick, and Cara Keaveney, from Assumption Grammar School in Ballynahinch, will be singing against two other finalists to win the prestigious title.

Both 18 year-olds are completing their A-Levels with their respective schools before heading off to university.

Eva, from Annacloy, is well-known for her performances with St Patrick’s Choral Society in Downpatrick and was set for a starring role in its production Oklahoma! 

She also played Aerial in its production of The Little Mermaid and was a narrator in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Raincoat.

Eva won her place in the final by impressing the panel with her living rendition of Taylor, The Latte Boy, which showed off her musical theatre skills, and Time Heals Everything from the musical Mac and Mabel.

In Saturday’s final for the age group for Years 12-14, she will be singing Taylor, The Latte Boy again along with No-One Is Alone from the Stephen Sondheim musical, Into The Woods.

Eva, the youngest child of Micheal and Lucille Rowan, comes from a musical family and hopes to study Musical Theatre at university.

Cara Keaveney, who is from Newcastle, is also well-known for her singing prowess locally.

The daughter of popular local singer and musician Finbarr Keaveney, Cara sings duets with her father at various local concert performances but is also performs solo at weddings, funerals and concerts.

She will be singing At Last, from Etta James and She Used to be Mine from the show Waitress.

The competition will be broadcast on BBC NI at a later date.