15 finalists named in Suburban Chicago's Got Talent
The judges and fans have voted, and 15 musical acts are moving on this week in Suburban Chicago's Got Talent.
“I was just blown away by the level of talent we had this year,” said Ron Onesti, president and CEO of Onesti Entertainment and a returning SCGT judge. “It's a very stiff competition by all involved.”
The Top 15 finalists in alphabetical order are:
1. Amanya Amariel of Chicago, a singer
2. Aviation and the War, a band featuring Matt Buenger of Addison and Joe Christopoulos of Wood Dale
3. Laura Burke, a band featuring Laura Burke, Jason Edel, Ryan Gore, Alex Santilli and Mitch Klicki, all of Arlington Heights
4. Ryan Cooper of Schaumburg, a vocalist and guitarist
5. Meghan Foley of Villa Park, a singer
6. Rhea Garbis of Richmond, a singer and guitarist
7. Sheridan Hurtig of Mundelein, a singer
8. Meera Khare of Arlington Heights, a pianist
9. Laura Kuper of Wheeling, a singer
10. Lucky (Michael Lueck), multigenre singer and guitarist
11. Carly Meyer of Northbrook, an opera singer
12. San Star Sandberg of Geneva, a singer
13. Serendipity, a band featuring Daniella Ballarino of Mount Prospect, Haley Blomquist of Elk Grove Village, Lizzy Petitt of Arlington Heights, Anneliese Schulz of Elk Grove Village and Josie Treffy of South Elgin
14. JT Snyder of Barrington, a singer and guitarist
15. Triptych, a band featuring siblings Marirose, Mike and Nick Rueth of Glen Ellyn
These Top 15, chosen from spring auditions and an earlier pool of 20 finalists, will have to impress judges and audiences at the next round of competition at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 19, at the Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg.
The finalists also have to wow the general public, since videos of the Top 15 finalists will be posted online at dailyherald.com/entertainment/talent following the July 19 show and people can vote on a Fan Favorite. The person with the most online votes will automatically advance to the competition's Top 10 show set for Sunday, Aug. 2. The contestant with most cumulative votes after three rounds of competition will win the Fan Favorite prize of a Funjet Vacation for two.
The ultimate competition prize is the STARter Kit, which is a promotional package to help budding artists pursuing a performing career. It includes a performance as an opening act for a major headliner at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, promotional photo packages and more.
Both winners will be announced Aug. 8.
The summerlong talent competition, now in its fourth year, is co-sponsored by the Daily Herald, the Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg, Onesti Entertainment, AMITA Health, Rohrman Auto Group, Salone Lorrene of Palatine and the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce.
“I think what's good for them is the fact that they've seen the competition so they know what they're up against,” said Onesti on how the Top 15 finalists should prepare for the next show. “They're going to have to get creative because just having talent and singing a song isn't going to be enough anymore. They have to work a little more on their presentation and the entertainment element.”
Suburban Chicago's Got Talent Top 15
Location: Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg, (847) 895-3600 or <a href="http://prairiecenter.org">prairiecenter.org</a>
Showtime: 7 p.m. Sunday, July 19
Tickets: $10