Meet the Top 20 for the 2019 Suburban Chicago's Got Talent
Suburban Chicago's Got Talent is back for its eighth season, and it's time for the Top 20 contestants to shine.
There are rock bands, singer-songwriters, vocalists and even a comedian/impressionist in the mix. Some are repeat contenders from past seasons of Suburban Chicago's Got Talent.
Vocalist Charles Pansino of St. Charles competed in 2017, while singer-songwriters Shannon Nugent of Elmhurst and Joey Wilbur of St. Charles are back for another round after being finalists in 2018.
Other past contestants are returning with reinforcements, including soprano Agne G. of Downers Grove, who is now part of the vocal duo Agne & Marty. Singer-songwriter Michael McInerney of La Grange was a soloist last year, but now he's in the band The Vaughan Building with Nathan Zaworski and Christian Dvorak.
The Top 20 contestants broke through an initial audition pool of more than 60 contestants, but now they have to impress a panel of judges and a live crowd at a free performance Sunday, June 30, at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. Those who do will move on to the Top 15 round on Sunday, July 14, at the same venue, while the Top 10 finale - where the winners are announced - is at the Little Italy Fest-West in Addison Saturday, July 27.
At stake is a grand prize that includes a development package with website development, a custom video, mentor and photo sessions. The winner also gets to headline a concert and wins an opening slot for a national act at the Arcada Theatre. And then there's the choice of a trip for two to either Nashville to meet with music agencies or Cleveland to see the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (airfare, hotel and $200 cash are included with either trip).
As in past seasons, there's an online Fan Favorite component to the competition. Videos of each act following the Top 20 and Top 15 performances will be posted at dailyherald.com/entertainment/talent, where fans can vote for their favorite. The act with the most votes is guaranteed a spot in the next competition round, while the act with the most cumulative online votes wins the to-be-determined Fan Favorite prize.
Suburban Chicago's Got Talent for 2019 is co-sponsored by the Daily Herald, Onesti Entertainment, Amita Health, Zeigler Auto Group and Salon Lorrene.
Here are the 20 contestants and their picks for their own favorite artists:
Agne & Marty
Hometown: Downers Grove
Talent: singers
Favorite artists: Australian countertenor David Hansen (for Marty). Russian soprano Aida Garifullina (for Agne).
Ballroom Boxer
Hometown: Chicago
Talent: rock band
Favorite artists: The Bronx/Mariachi El Bronx, Butch Walker, Billy Joel, GNR, Weezer, Alkaline Trio and Our Lady Peace.
Grace Cornelius
Hometown: Warrenville
Talent: singer
Favorite artist: This changes on a daily basis, but today it's Ingrid Andress.
Diana
Hometown: DeKalb
Talent: singer
Favorite artists: Whitney Houston, Etta James and Prince.
Miguel Rockstar Garza
Hometown: Chicago
Talent: singer-songwriter
Favorite artist: John Mayer for his amazing songs and ability. He made me get off heavy metal music and start singing acoustic.
Bob Jay
Hometown: Algonquin
Talent: comedian/impressionist
Favorite artists: Rich Little, George Carlin and Richard Pryor
The Majors
Hometown: Bartlett
Talent: band
Favorite artist: Pink
Brian Maras
Hometown: Elburn
Talent: singer/guitarist/whistler
Favorite artist: Led Zeppelin
Columbus Montgomery
Hometown: Bartlett
Talent: R&B singer
Favorite artist: Luther Vandross
Kelly Murphy
Hometown: Barrington
Talent: singer
Favorite artist: Freddie Mercury
McCrae
Hometown: Sterling
Talent: singer-songwriter/guitarist
Favorite artist: John Mayer
Northcutt
Hometown: Glendale Heights
Talent: singer-songwriter
Favorite artist: Jake Bugg
Shannon Nugent
Hometown: Elmhurst
Talent: singer-songwriter/pianist
Favorite artist: Fiona Apple - she's a phenomenal lyricist and so uniquely her. Her songs are so full of raw emotion, and she pushes boundaries with her style. I was lucky to see her live, and I love the way that she gets so into the emotion of the song. It feels very authentic when she performs rather than choreographed or trying to fit a particular image.
Isabel Osorio
Hometown: St. Charles
Talent: pop singer-songwriter
Favorite artist: Julien Baker
Palaya
Hometown: West Chicago
Talent: vocal duo
Favorite artists: Frank Sinatra, Bruno Major and Us the Duo.
Charles Pansino
Hometown: St. Charles
Talent: singer-songwriter/guitarist
Favorite artist: Frank Sinatra - for his power/projection, his flawless phrasing, his swag and style, his depth of lyrics and sentiment and the fact that my family (Italian) used to play him constantly. There are so many reasons this man has inspired me and continues to do so.
The Recall
Hometown: Wheaton
Talent: rock band
Favorite artist: Black Sabbath, The Raconteurs (Jack White) and similar hard rock artists.
Karen Shook
Hometown: Woodstock
Talent: singer
Favorite artists: Living: Brandi Carlile. Dead: Janis Joplin
The Vaughan Building
Hometown: La Grange
Talent: blues rock band
Favorite artist: There are many, but we would all agree on The Rolling Stones.
Joey Wilbur
Hometown: St. Charles
Talent: singer-songwriter/guitarist
Favorite artist: Ed Sheeran
Suburban Chicago's Got Talent 2019
Where: Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles, (630) 962-7000, arcadalive.com or events.dailyherald.com
Top 20 show: 6 p.m. Sunday, June 30
Top 15 show: 7 p.m. Sunday, July 14
Top 10 show and finale: 1 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at Little Italy Fest-West at Centennial Park, Lake Street at Rohlwing Road, Addison
Admission: Free. Register in advance at events.dailyherald.com to be entered into a drawing that will take place at intermission.
Meet the judges for the Top 20 show
Scott May: The keyboardist in the legendary band The Ides of March, a movie composer (the original 1992 version of “Meet The Parents”) and also the artist liaison/senior product specialist for Hammond Organ Company.
Ronnie Platt: A classic rock singer from Lombard who became lead singer and second keyboardist for the band Kansas in 2014.
Ron Onesti: President and CEO of Onesti Entertainment Corporation, which runs the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles and outdoor concerts and festivals throughout the area.
Barbara Vitello: A Lisagor Award-winning reporter, the Daily Herald's principal theater critic and legal affairs writer.