Top 20 announced for Suburban Chicago's Got Talent
The Top 20 finalists for Suburban Chicago's Got Talent all make music. But the acts, announced Wednesday, represent a wide range of genres — including rock, folk, funk and opera — as they prepare to battle it out in the summerlong talent competition.
“We primarily had vocalists come through, so because of that we were looking for a variety,” said Schaumburg Park District Cultural Arts Supervisor and returning judge Beth Waller. “I really do feel that the Top 20 are a great variety of people that have a lot of skill and a lot of potential to grow.”
Waller and returning SCGT judge John Flamini, chairman of the Schaumburg Cultural Commission, chose the Top 20 from a pool of 70 acts that auditioned June 4 to 6 at the Prairie Center for the Arts in Schaumburg.
Contestants will return to the venue to perform at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 5. After that, the field will be winnowed down to a Top 15 and then a Top 10 before the winners are announced at the Taste of Arlington Heights on Saturday, Aug. 8.
The competition, now in its fourth year, is co-sponsored by the Daily Herald, the Prairie Center for the Arts, Onesti Entertainment, the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce and AMITA Health.
The 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. Nathaniel Killian of Wauconda, a singer
9. Meera Khare of Arlington Heights, a pianist
10. Laura Kuper of Wheeling, a singer
11. Jesse Leon (Jesse Avila) of Melrose Park, a singer
12. Lucky (Michael Lueck), multigenre singer and guitarist
13. Ken Markovic of Darien, a singer
14. Bobby McNeily of Wheaton, a singer
15. Carly Meyer of Northbrook, an opera singer
16. Osvaldo Paese of Mount Prospect, a singer
17. San Star Sandberg of Geneva, a singer
18. 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
19. JT Snyder of Barrington, a singer
20. Triptych, a band featuring siblings Marirose, Mike and Nick Rueth of Glen Ellyn
What's at stake are two top prizes. The grand-prize winner gets a “STARter Kit,” a promotional package to help further a budding artist's performing career that includes a performance as an opening act for a headliner at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles.
A Fan Favorite, chosen through rounds of online voting at dailyherald.com, wins a Funjet Vacation for two. The public can watch videos of the acts and vote for their favorites after performance shows, including the Top 15 at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 19, and the Top 10 show on Sunday, Aug. 2.
Carly Meyer of Northbrook was the winner of the 2014 Fan Favorite prize and she's returning to compete in SCGT again since, at the age of 13, “there aren't a lot of opportunities for me to sing opera,” Meyer said. She has yet to take her Funjet Vacation for two, though she's weighing either New York during the upcoming Metropolitan Opera season or a trip to Mexico.
Also returning is singer Marirose Rueth, who was a Top 20 finalist in 2014. This time around, she's competing alongside her siblings.
“I really enjoyed doing the competition last year,” said Rueth, who convinced her triplet brothers Mike and Nick to compete as part of their appropriately named country/folk band Triptych. “It was a great opportunity and I thought it would be a great experience this year to do it with my brothers.”
Other returning finalists include Sheridan Hurtig, San Star Sandberg, Ryan Cooper and Michael Lueck (now going with the stage name of Lucky).
“I think it's wonderful if they come back,” Waller said. “Because people grow, they get to hear all the critiques, they get to work on it and then they have a whole year to maybe go in front of friends and family or maybe go into other competitions and they really do expand their abilities.”
Suburban Chicago's Got Talent Top 20 show
Location: Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg, (847) 895-3600 or <a href="http://prairiecenter.org">prairiecenter.org</a>
Showtime: 6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 5
Tickets: $10