Episode 1654
THE 2025 CANADIAN SELAH MUSIC AWARDS (CSMA): A CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE IN CHRISTIAN MUSIC!
THE 2025 CANADIAN SELAH MUSIC AWARDS (CSMA): A CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE IN CHRISTIAN MUSIC!
Pastor Bob Thibodeau engages in a profound conversation with Dr. Elio Alcindor, shedding light on the transformative impact of the Canadian Sila Music Awards (CSMA) on the Christian music landscape. The episode emphasizes the awards' mission to elevate both local and international talent, fostering a vibrant community where artists can flourish and gain essential exposure. Dr. Alcindor articulates the importance of recognizing diverse voices within the global Christian music scene, highlighting categories specifically designed for Canadian artists while also welcoming international contributions. Through this initiative, they aim to bridge cultural gaps and promote collaboration among artists from various backgrounds, thereby amplifying the gospel's reach. The discussion further delves into the challenges and aspirations of organizing this inaugural event, underscoring a commitment to creating a night that prioritizes worship and community over competition.
Takeaways:
- Pastor Bob Thibodeau conducts insightful interviews with influential Christian figures, amplifying their impactful messages globally.
- The Canadian SELA Music Awards aim to elevate local Christian artists by providing them significant exposure on an international platform.
- Dr. Elio Alcindor, a multifaceted individual, shares his journey from Haiti to Canada, emphasizing the importance of faith and resilience in adversity.
- The awards feature diverse categories, promoting inclusivity by recognizing talent from various languages and cultures, thereby enriching the Christian music community.
- With 38 categories, including those exclusively for Canadian artists, the awards strive to create a vibrant atmosphere of recognition and celebration.
- The podcast emphasizes the necessity for collaboration among churches and businesses to foster growth and reach within the Christian music sector.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Email: info@canadianselahmusicawards.com
Website: https://canadianselahmusicawards.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canadianselahmusicawards/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/canadianselahmusicawards
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Transcript
Welcome to the Kingdom Crossroads podcast with Pastor Bob Thibodeau.
Speaker A:Pastor Bob conducts personal interviews with Christian influencers from around the globe, helping Christian authors, recording artists, CEOs, entrepreneurs, non profit leaders, and yes, pastors and ministry leaders to get the word out about what they are doing to impact the world with the gospel.
Speaker A:Our podcast has been rated in the top 1/2% of all podcasts in the world by ListenNotes.com so you know your message will be heard.
Speaker A:Now here is your host with today's interview, Pastor Bob Thibodeau.
Speaker B:Hello everyone everywhere.
Speaker B:Pastor Bob Thibodeau here.
Speaker B:Welcome to the Kingdom Crossroads podcast.
Speaker B:Today we are so blessed you're joining us.
Speaker B:Have you ever wondered what it takes to launch a Christian music artist into the spotlight or have a powerful worship song that makes it way from just a small church stage to an international platform?
Speaker B:Well, today you're going to find out.
Speaker B:My guest today is Dr.
Speaker B:Elio Alcindor, a physician, ultrasound instructor and an award winning gospel artist himself as well.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:He's also the president of, of the Canadian SELA Music Awards program.
Speaker B:Praise God.
Speaker B:This is one of the biggest celebrations of faith filled music in North America.
Speaker B:Help me.
Speaker B:Welcome to the program Dr.
Speaker B:Elio Sendor.
Speaker B:Elio, it is a blessing to have you with us today, brother.
Speaker B:I've been looking forward to today.
Speaker C:Good morning, Pastor Robert.
Speaker C:It's really a pleasure, a privilege to be in your program today.
Speaker C:I'm so excited to share about what we're doing here of here in the north in Canada with the Canadian Sila Music Awards.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Now you're off in Vancouver area, is that right?
Speaker C:No, I'm in Calgary, kind of Calgary.
Speaker B:Calgary, okay.
Speaker C:Close, close to Vancouver?
Speaker C:Close enough, yeah.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:But you're out on the west coast.
Speaker C:On the west coast.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker B:I have relatives over on the east coast.
Speaker B:I got relatives in, in London, Ontario.
Speaker C:Oh, wow.
Speaker B:That's, that's where.
Speaker B:Yeah, the name Thibodeau, you know, I mean that's, that's where we hail from.
Speaker B:I was born and raised in Michigan, just about two miles from the Canadian border.
Speaker B:But so, but we used to go back home all the time and matter of fact, you know, you'll probably even hear me say it a few times.
Speaker B:It's just my nature.
Speaker B:I still use the A, you know, and everything I say, that's, that's just how I was raised.
Speaker B:Eh?
Speaker C:That's good, that's good.
Speaker B:But anyway, we got that tie in there right there.
Speaker B:Praise God.
Speaker B:But, but the first question I always start with is this.
Speaker B:Other than that brief information I just shared, can you tell us in your own words who is Dr.
Speaker B:Elio Alcindor?
Speaker C:I can just say that I'm a servant of God.
Speaker C:I was born in Haiti, raised in Haiti, and after high school I went to Latin America to study medicine where I was graduated as a medical doctor.
Speaker C:I worked there for many years, went to the U.S.
Speaker C:did some study in the U.S.
Speaker C:and then went back to work in the Dominican as missionary with my family and then moved back to Venezuela to work as missionary and also as a physician.
Speaker C: And in: Speaker C: ecause my wife passed away in: Speaker C:My kids was very little and was a hard, a very hard time.
Speaker C:But you know, God, God is good.
Speaker C:He's been there and you know, and he has helped me to move forward with the.
Speaker C: he kids and move to Canada in: Speaker C:Here we are and we're working for the kingdom as we working in the medical field.
Speaker C:It's been a.
Speaker C:It's been.
Speaker C:It's been a good, a good journey.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Well, what inspired you to get involved with the Canadian Salem Music Awards?
Speaker C:That's really a good question.
Speaker C:As you said before, I also, I'm also a gospel artist.
Speaker C:I've been working in praise and worship ministry for quite few years now.
Speaker C:I have heard from many, many friends, they are very frustrated about what they've been doing.
Speaker C:Amazing work, invest a lot in music and they're very frustrated about not having enough exposure about what they're doing.
Speaker C:So that have been what I've been listening from so many people, so many artists, especially here in Canada.
Speaker C:You know, in Canada we have such amazing talents, but people doesn't know about them.
Speaker C:They are very fantastic.
Speaker C:They are doing amazing work, amazing music, but not everybody has ever heard from them.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:And then I prayed about it and God gave me the vision and alongside with my wife, we said, okay, we should do something about it.
Speaker C:And we put together a very amazing and amazing team to work about to do the Canadian Sila Music Award.
Speaker C:And so far it's been a blessing.
Speaker B:How many years have you been doing this?
Speaker C:Oh, this is the first.
Speaker C:This is our first year.
Speaker B:This is the first year just launching it.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker C:A lot of people cannot understand it because we have had a such a great success with just the organization of the first year.
Speaker C:And people think that, you know, we've been there our own for many, many years.
Speaker C:But yeah, this is the first time.
Speaker B:Oh, praise God.
Speaker B:Yeah, I'm thinking I'm looking at everything.
Speaker B:I was like, man, you know, I can't.
Speaker B:This thing's got to be, you know, mature.
Speaker B:It's kind of like the.
Speaker B:The Academy Awards or something.
Speaker B:You know, it's been going on a while.
Speaker C:That's why we're trying to do.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Praise God.
Speaker B:Well, the CSMA that's.
Speaker B:It seems to uniquely celebrate both Canadian and international Christian artists.
Speaker B:I mean, how important is that global reach?
Speaker B:And let me just say, like, what kind of impact do you see it having on the Christian music community?
Speaker C:That's also a good question.
Speaker C:What we're trying to do, or let's put it that way, the vision God gave us is it's kind of like doing something.
Speaker C:As you can see, the categories.
Speaker C:We have categories for specifically for Canadian just to create certain exposure for them.
Speaker C:Just to make people get to listen to the songs.
Speaker C:Just.
Speaker C:We have 100 board members voting for their artists.
Speaker C:Just these 100 people can listen to the songs.
Speaker C:That's a good exposure.
Speaker C:But just to name something.
Speaker C:But on the other hand, we want to bring all the international artists to come to Canada to realize how beautiful the country is and how beautiful work that our artists is doing in the country, and then they can bring something from there and go to their own country to talk about more exposure for artists.
Speaker C:The idea is to not only have Canadian categories, but have international categories, which we call general categories, where we have internal artists and Canadian artists mixed together to do such a great mix of artists and have a good pool of categories for.
Speaker C:For.
Speaker C:For.
Speaker C:For this Canadian City Music Awards.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's amazing too.
Speaker B:And you know, this year's event has 38 different award categories, including 13 that are reserved exclusively for Canadian artists.
Speaker B:Now why do you think is vital to highlight both local and international talent side by side like this?
Speaker C:As I said, you.
Speaker C:We didn't want to put all our Canadian artists together with international artists.
Speaker C:We will be more busier for them to.
Speaker C:To get more nomination.
Speaker C:For example, for instance, if you have five people in a category nominated.
Speaker C:Five people nominated.
Speaker C:So we wanted to have them on their own and at the same time have them side by side with the international artist.
Speaker C:Create curiosity from the international artist to.
Speaker C:To know the Canadian artist and at the same time, for the Canadian artists to know these international artists.
Speaker C:That's.
Speaker C:That's.
Speaker C:That's.
Speaker C:That's really amazing.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker C:And the impact we've having from Africa, Europe and every.
Speaker C:Everywhere in the US It's.
Speaker C:It's just amazing.
Speaker C:Just amazing.
Speaker B:Amen now you also have foreign language categories.
Speaker B:Can you tell us about the foreign language categories and how important that is in order to open up the new doors for artists who may otherwise be overlooked in the traditional Christian music award shows?
Speaker C:Let me say that we most likely understand that English, French and Spanish are the three most spoken languages that people like in terms of music.
Speaker C:People will most likely be listening songs in English in the first place and sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in French.
Speaker C:But.
Speaker C:But you.
Speaker C:We do understand there are.
Speaker C:There might be a.
Speaker C:A Chinese artist doing such amazing song or a German artist doing such amazing work for the Kingdom of God.
Speaker C:They haven't had exposure because for us, most important thing is to recognize everybody wherever you are.
Speaker C:There might be a person in Nigeria who doesn't speak, who doesn't was.
Speaker C:Didn't do a song in English, but he's doing an amazing song that we might be highly qualified to get an award or at least to get a nomination.
Speaker C:So we opened a foreign language just to do not put it like to do not put it in a box of English, French and Spanish to open the door for people who might be speaking in Japanese.
Speaker C:Like last time we have an Indonesian TV station contacted us because they heard about what we're doing.
Speaker C:They wanted to do an interview to understand what the foreign language is about so their Indonesian arts.
Speaker C:Christian artists can apply for our hours.
Speaker C:So this is a very.
Speaker C:Something very particular we're doing in our CSMA that I haven't seen it anywhere else.
Speaker C:So we just open the foreign language.
Speaker C:So anybody anywhere in the world, as soon as you do in Christian content with good production and good words to impact life, to transform life, to bring hope for people through music, through Christian music.
Speaker C:You are welcome to apply.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:I know you know there's going to be gospel singers there, but what about like gospel bands or.
Speaker B:Or just instrumental music?
Speaker B:Is that open, is that categories there as well?
Speaker C:We haven't had any we for this, this time around.
Speaker C:We don't have instrumental, but this is something we are exploring for next year.
Speaker C:We are exploring instrumental, we are exploring choirs, we are exploring children ministries.
Speaker C:There's many other categories we're trying to add for next for D.C.
Speaker C:we unfortunately we don't have them yet, but this is something we have in mind.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:So how do events like CMSA help Christian artists gain that exposure and gain that credibility they need in order to grow their ministries?
Speaker C:Yes, as I said, there's a lot of frustration out there.
Speaker C:There's a lot of it said Christian music Should never be a competition because we all working for the kingdom of God.
Speaker C:The Bible says there's a lot of work to do.
Speaker C:There's not a lot of workers, let's put it that way.
Speaker C:Like my interpretations.
Speaker C:So more artists we have better, we can do the work.
Speaker C:So the problem is it's become like kind of a competition, I put it that way.
Speaker C:So if you, if God give you the grace to get to a place where you can get a nomination with Grammys, you can get a mission with 12 hours or Stella Awards or any other big hours out there.
Speaker C:So it creates a lot of exposure for you.
Speaker C:Because myself, as soon as I see somebody get denomination requirements, I say, oh, I haven't heard from that person.
Speaker C:Let me dig to know who's that artist.
Speaker C:And it creates it.
Speaker C:Believe it or not, awards organization are there to create exposure indirectly or directly from for the artist.
Speaker C:So we're trying to have a lot of reach, trying to our wish to get to every continent.
Speaker C:So in that way people will have curiosity about everybody that are nominated.
Speaker C:We think it's.
Speaker C:It's a great way to create a relationship for artists.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Have you had any, like music producers or record companies express interest in and coming out more or less doing like a.
Speaker B:Use it as a exposure for their labels and things like that?
Speaker C:We do, we do.
Speaker C:We have plenty.
Speaker C:We have from Africa, we have from Europe, like from England, we have from Australia.
Speaker C:They heard about what we're doing.
Speaker C:They really, they think it's interesting.
Speaker C:The vision we have, the mission.
Speaker C:They kind of identify that it's a good thing, it's a good tools.
Speaker C:They really feel like, okay, we want to know more about them.
Speaker C:And we have more than 10, 20 times of people that applied this year for next, asking for next year already, so.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker C:Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker C:It's.
Speaker C:It's really, really.
Speaker C:It's really a blessing our God is.
Speaker C:Has been doing through these awards.
Speaker C:We are so thankful and we do have these people contacting us.
Speaker B:Hey, man, that's awesome.
Speaker B:That's awesome.
Speaker B:So behind the scenes now, where you're operating at, what are some of the biggest challenges and Jo of putting together a celebration of this magnitude?
Speaker C:Oh, wow.
Speaker C:I would say, believe it or not, because it's our first time, there is a big stress among the team because we're trying to do something extremely professionally done.
Speaker C:We want everybody responsible for whatever area they're working in.
Speaker C:To be doing such a great job in my position as Sharon, its position or every other people on the board.
Speaker C:Our stress is like for Our members, our team to be.
Speaker C:To execute every aspect aspects from that receiving the artists coming and TV interviews, radio interviews, everything to be very well done so we can have a great success.
Speaker C:And not only that, we want the night to be a night of praise and worship more than giving an award to an artist.
Speaker C:We wanted God to be the center.
Speaker C:We want God to be in the middle of what we're doing.
Speaker C:We want that the first goal, that's the main goal.
Speaker C:And then while we're doing that, we are knowing people who've been trying to do that kind of stuff.
Speaker C:People working in ministry for long times.
Speaker C:So the stress is.
Speaker C:I would say this is the big challenge.
Speaker C:Try to keep the stress down.
Speaker C:We trust God about what we're doing and we know he's going to be great.
Speaker C:But you know, on the human side, you know, it's always like, okay, we need to do that, we need to work that and take always a warning.
Speaker B:One in one.
Speaker C:And that is non stop for like we've been doing that for.
Speaker C:We've been working for three, four months already.
Speaker C:So we still have two more months to go.
Speaker C:So that the stress, I would say keep the stress down.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:So how far out?
Speaker B:Well, you know, like we know this one's more or less in the can.
Speaker B:It is now.
Speaker B:I mean it's so close you can taste it.
Speaker B:What about next year's?
Speaker B:Have you already started the planning for next year?
Speaker C:Yeah, we already working on application because we want to open our application, make it more broad.
Speaker C:And so we.
Speaker C:The only thing we've been working in dates and applications.
Speaker C:But so far we keep it in mind.
Speaker C:But you know, we are so busy with this one.
Speaker C:It's hard to leave this one on the side and go work on the other one.
Speaker C:But we know that we have to start.
Speaker C:We already started but not big thing has done.
Speaker C:But as soon as we finish this one, we will be happy.
Speaker B:Well, the reason I ask that because you know, you have everybody there, you have the media attention there.
Speaker B:It's always a good spot to announce next year, you know, and here it is.
Speaker C:Well, we keep, we keep doing it.
Speaker C:We keep doing it.
Speaker B:We.
Speaker C:As for for now we know registration will be open in September.
Speaker C:You know with the awards for this would be June 27th.
Speaker C:But as September the.
Speaker C:The registration will be open for next.
Speaker C:Next next.
Speaker C:Next edition.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Because you know, like I worked with a music ministry.
Speaker C:Wow.
Speaker B: Way back: Speaker B:99.
Speaker B:And we did 48 concerts in 48 weeks.
Speaker B:In 48 different cities.
Speaker B:And I was always working six weeks ahead because I was the one that had to organize it all.
Speaker B:That was my.
Speaker B:My department.
Speaker B:So we'd be traveling to Richmond, Virginia for a concert on Friday, followed up by Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday, and fly home.
Speaker B:And, well, when Dr.
Speaker B:Johnson would fly home, I would be flying out Sunday morning to Dallas, Texas, because that's where we are six weeks from now.
Speaker B:And I'm out there promoting it, meeting with the churches and doing all that stuff.
Speaker B:So, as I say, you're always way ahead of where you're actually at.
Speaker B:Yeah, tonight's the concert in Richmond.
Speaker B:We're here, we're doing it.
Speaker B:It's on.
Speaker B:But as soon as this thing's done, I've already got my marching orders.
Speaker B:Far ahead.
Speaker B:That's why I was asking, you know, how far away are you planning next year?
Speaker B:You know?
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, yeah, next year.
Speaker C:We try to keep it for June.
Speaker C:We try to keep it for June, but as I said, we always have the date.
Speaker C:The registration will be September.
Speaker C:An application will be available for everybody by September.
Speaker C:And that's exciting.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:This is exciting.
Speaker B:And it's an ongoing process.
Speaker B:It will never end.
Speaker C:Never end.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Well, you know, although it may be a bit late for this year, how can churches, ministries, Christian businesses get involved as sponsors or supporters?
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And what does that kind of partnership mean for spreading the gospel through music?
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:It's not too late.
Speaker C:It's not too late because it's our first year.
Speaker C:We leave it open for anybody who identify themselves with what we're doing.
Speaker C:It can be a church, it can be a business.
Speaker C:We need them.
Speaker C:We do need them.
Speaker C:So we have different partnership.
Speaker C:We have media partnership with where in media.
Speaker C:We say, okay, we will be in charge of making promotion for your awards every week.
Speaker C:We give you that amount of minutes on our radio station or our TV station will be.
Speaker C:And what we do ourselves, we put the logo in our flowers, put a logo on our promotion on our website, social media.
Speaker C:We have them for.
Speaker C:For quite.
Speaker C:For until we finish this time around.
Speaker C:And if the major want to win you, we win you.
Speaker C:And at the same time, we have business.
Speaker C:Also.
Speaker C:They are open to give economic support because we do need that in order to.
Speaker C:To do the best we can with what we're doing.
Speaker C:They were welcome.
Speaker C:They just contact us and we send a package to them.
Speaker C:We have different package packages that they can read up and choose from there.
Speaker C:And then we can also customize.
Speaker C:We have customized package depending on what they need, what.
Speaker C:What their needs are.
Speaker C:So they are free to contact us by email or just by social media anywhere that in, in, in any way they want to, they are welcome to be part of it.
Speaker C:And because we are there to promote Christian artists and we want them to, if they want to support that, we are, they are welcome.
Speaker B:Yeah, this is so interesting and kind of like, it's kind of exciting.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B: we discussed today about the: Speaker B: The: Speaker B:But how can they get more information?
Speaker B:How can someone get in touch with you?
Speaker C:You go to our website, WW Canadian SILA.
Speaker C:Musicawards.com is SILA with S E L H.
Speaker C:So you, you go there, you find information or you can go directly to our Instagram or Facebook.
Speaker C:Canadian Sila Music Awards, you can, you can send us an email info@canadian silamusicawards.com so anyway you can, you either, you go to the website and you still, you still have more questions, go to Frequently Asked questions section.
Speaker C:You can have more information.
Speaker C:If you still have more question, feel free to reach out to us by mail or social media.
Speaker C:We are very open and in our website there is a contact form too.
Speaker C:You just, from there, you just contact us and we are very happy to answer any question.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:I'll put links all this in the show notes below.
Speaker B:Praise God.
Speaker C:They can do that.
Speaker C:They can do that in English and Spanish and French.
Speaker C:We answer in any of these languages.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B: Well, folks, the: Speaker B:This is a beginning of a movement honoring excellence in Christian music.
Speaker B:I mean, with the support of leaders like Dr.
Speaker B:Elio Alcindor, the gospel is reaching new heights.
Speaker B:You need to go drop down the shows, click the links right there.
Speaker B:Visit Canadiansalamusicawards.com to learn more and consider supporting this powerful kingdom effort today.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Praise God.
Speaker B:Dr.
Speaker B:Lilly, I want to thank you again for taking the time to come on the program today and sharing all about this great event, man, I do appreciate it so much.
Speaker C:Thank you so much.
Speaker C:Pastor Bo.
Speaker C:Thank you for all your audience who have been listening and it's a pleasure and we welcome them to go to our website and our social media and get more information about what we're doing here in Canada.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Amen.
Speaker B:Folks, that's all the time we have for today for Dr.
Speaker B:Elson, newer and myself passed by reminding you to be blessed in all that you do.
Speaker A:Thank you for listening to today's episode of the Kingdom Crossroads Podcast.
Speaker A:Please subscribe to our podcast so you can be notified when another episode is published.
Speaker A: interviews and: Speaker A:Please visit our website@www.podcastersforchrist.com.
Speaker A:that web address again is www.podcastersforchrist.Com.
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Speaker A:Until next time, be blessed in all that.
