Great emotions in Paris again. December 13th, one year and one day after the Italian musician Luca Casagrande won the Acoustic Final 2002, ten bands coming from seven countries offered an excellent technical and artistic performance to the large audience crowding the famous Gibus. At the end Emma Owens was chosen by the jury as winner of the 2003 Emergenza Acoustic Showcase. The night in Paris was the last one of a long and exciting season, during which the warmth of the audience and the praise of the critics have grown day by day. This event was born one year ago, but has already become an appointment not to miss for the music industry and especially for acoustic musicians and songwriters.Artists who performed in Paris have been selected through fourteen local and national live events, from April to December. On December 13th the audience was offered very different musical genres and styles, but with a passion in common: playing ‘acoustic’ in a peculiar atmosphere, so different from the one typical of a rock concert but so intimate and capable of linking the audience and the musicians in a special bond. Here are the bands who performed at the Gibus. The French band MELTEM had the pleasure (and the burden!) to open the night, and warming the audience… mission accomplished! Then it was DBJ’s from Austria turn: they stood out for the original and fascinating voices that the two singers kept on intertwining. With the following band, MARSHALL BRAISTORMS from Germany, all the audience began to dance, thanks to their powerful 'acoustic gipsy punk'. French band EFFET KOULECHOV’s performance was equally intriguing for the audience, by now perfectly tuned. ILARIA (Milan, Italy) singer and acoustic guitarist, was accompanied by percussion and acoustic bass. Her voice is strong and though, her music is lively, rhythmic and well performed. The three musicians mix very well their sound, playing an original and colourful music. LEAP (Montreal, Canada) were born in 2001. They stood out for the melodious and powerful voice of the composer and lyrics’ author Simon Bousquet, underlined by Frederick Dubois’ minimalistic guitar, and the upbeat rhythm by the bass player Patrick Dubois and the drummer Luc Prud’homme. Then it is France’s turn again: OPOSSUM went up onto the stage, and were really impressive for their technical and expressive skills, even if unfortunately the singer was in a poor health. ICEBEND (Barcelona, Spain) showed a very high quality music, teaching that it is possible to play an excellent rock and roll without being noisy. They seem to be very talented, and to work a treat together. The English band’s name is EMMA OWENS & PETER, but tonight one member was added, so two guitars were underlining the voice’s melody. In the end another French band, NOVOCAINE, brought the night to a bright end. Then the judgement came: the jury had a though time in choosing the winner, but EMMA was really amazing tonight. Many thanks to our loyal partners, Takamine and Ovation, that once again supplied the musicians with the instruments for the final night. NOVOCAINE was the band chosen by the audience as the winner of the Takamine guitar. New opportunities are coming for EMMA. Thanks to the victory in Paris, in January EMMA OWENS & PETER will fly to Los Angeles, California, to perform in the famous live show organised by ACOUSTIC MAGAZINE, the most important American magazine specialised in Acoustic Music. The Acoustic Magazine Cafè is an eagerly awaited event that takes place during NAMM, the annual fair where the whole music industry meet in order to listen to the best music and discover the best talents. EMMA will have the privilege to play on an outstanding stage, the same one where last year winner Luca Casagrande got a very good reception.