Fifteen finalists were chosen out of more than 50 individuals and groups to advance to Kent’s second annual “So You Think Kent Has Talent” competition.
The participants competed in preliminary qualifications Saturday at the Allegro Performing Arts Academy in Kent.
The finals are at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 2 at the Kent-Meridian High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 at the door and can be reserved by calling 253-813-9630. All proceeds benefit Kent Youth and Family Services.
The grand prize winner will receive $1,000.
“It was so much more competitive than last year,” said Tonya Goodwillie, event organizer, in an email. “The judges had a very tough time choosing between all the talent.”
Judges for the preliminaries were Suzanne Smith of the Kent Arts Commission, Kent City Councilwoman Jamie Perry and Andrea Keikkala, executive director of the Kent Chamber of Commerce.
Judges for the finals will include Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke, City Councilwoman Dana Ralph, City Councilman Bill Boyce and Kent Parks teen and youth coordinator Dave Hobbs.
Goodwillie said the show will provide a great variety of acts even with so many vocalists.
“They are all very different types of vocalists anywhere between classically trained, pop songs and even original songs,” she said.
The five finalists in each division are:
• Youth Division
Teddy Gutterud (piano)
Maria Victoria Kovalsky (vocal)
Jillian Marcotte (vocal)
Alexia Samuels (vocal)
Cameron Sterling (vocal)
Honorable Mention – Czarina Ignama
• Teen Division
Bollywood Royalty (dance)
Connor Gormley (dance)
David Hall/Cody Moody (vocal/guitar)
Theresa Soto (vocal/piano)
The Voice of Reason (band)
Honorable Mention – Benjamin Phanivong
• Adult Division
James Bacher (vocal)
Andrey Chebotarev (saxophone)
Carolyne Igama (vocal)
Nathan Jacobsen (vocal/piano)
Esther O’Farrell (vocal)
Honorable Mention – Verna Benson
Judges picked an honorable mention candidate in each category to honor more than the top five since there were so many incredible acts, Goodwillie said. They also will fill in at the finals if one of the top five cannot make the performance.
Local businesses will provide the following prizes at the finals:
$1,000 NFI Enterprise Grand Prize
$500 Overall 2nd place – Intimate Pilates
$250 Overall 3rd place – Baldwin Chiropractic
$100 Youth 1st place – Lance Timmerman DMD Dental Excellence
$100 Teen 1st place – Nigel Cooper Photography
$100 Adult 1st place – Lemon Drop Skin Care & Massage
$50 Audience Pick Winner – Baldwin Chiropractic
The winners of the contest will participate in the Kent International Festival on June 16; Kent Cornucopia Days on July 14 and Kent’s Fourth of July Splash on July 4.
For more information, go to http://www.allegrodance.com.
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