After about 18 months of fundraising and construction, the Orillia Youth Centre has opened its new Valis Sound Studio.
The studio is open to local youth, free of charge, who want to drop in and be creative. The studio is compatible for music recording, animation work, video and audio editing, podcasts, voice-overs, and anything that falls under technological creative arts.
“It’s another piece that gives youth in our community an opportunity and we’ve incorporated mental health into that,” explained Orillia Youth Centre director Kevin Gangloff.
“Being creative is one thing, but having the outlet to be creative is a whole other thing. We think giving youth that outlet is invaluable to development and one’s own self-esteem and well-being.”
The community deserves credit for the Valis Sound Studio as the $50,000 project was a product of community fundraising.
The recording studio desk, for example, was hand-built by Chris Lusty and Xavier Fernandes of Hinterland Design Ltd. Then, Dave Shaw from The Northern Joinery incorporated youth signatures onto the desk along with sound waves from music made by local youth.
Valis Sound Studio was a project that was established in memory of Nelson Bell, a young Orillia hip hop artist who was tragically killed in a car accident when he was 16 years old, just before he was set to release his first album.
“In honour of Nelson, we worked with his family to create this sound studio. We did this to keep his name alive," Gangloff said.
“He always enjoyed being around other youths and supporting other youths, so what a legacy, to have something that represents Nelson and his giving back to the community in perpetuity.”
When the studio was deemed complete in September, Gangloff and the Orillia Youth Centre invited Bell’s family to celebrate.
“I think they are incredibly appreciative. The community really did rally around this project. The studio is top-notch. The technology that is in here is tremendous and it’s ever-growing,” Gangloff said.
“There is something now in the community that will keep Nelson’s memory going forever.”
Also incorporated into the studio is local hip hop artist Jake Beers, who took his own life last December. Above the studio door is a picture of Bell and Beers performing together at the youth centre.
“There is a lasting legacy here of two really great young people from our community,” Gangloff said.
The Orillia Youth Centre’s Valis Sound Studio is open for drop-ins at its 9 Front St. S. location during select times. Interested youth can find more information on the Orillia Youth Centre Facebook page here.
