2021 Rising Star Finalists to Compete for $5,000 Prize at the 24th Annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County

The Howard County Arts Council will celebrate 40 years of fostering the arts at the 24th annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County on Saturday, October 2, 2021 at the Jim Rouse Theatre for the Performing Arts in Columbia, Maryland. The Honorary Chairs for the evening are Liz Bobo and Lloyd Knowles. Joseph W. Ritsch, Producing Artistic Director for Rep Stage, will serve as Event Emcee.

A multi-faceted event recognizing and promoting the local arts community, the Celebration is also an important fundraiser in support of the arts, artists, and arts organizations in Howard County. One of the highlights of the gala is the Rising Star Performing Arts Competition, in which emerging performing artists with local roots compete for a cash prize of $5,000. In June, individual artists and small ensembles - aged 18 to 35 years and currently or recently living, working, performing, or receiving training in Howard County - auditioned before a panel of professionals in their respective disciplines. The winner of the Rising Star Competition will be selected by the Celebration audience of artists, arts patrons, business and political representatives and community members, with the award presented live on stage that evening!

The ten finalists who will perform at the Celebration are:

Lizzi Albert, Theatre

MaryKate Brouillet, Musical Theatre

Qi Cao, Violin

Alyssa Cox, Classical Voice

Amanda Cunningham, Singer-songwriter

Teresa Deskur, Recorder

Daisha Graf, Dance

Madhulika C. Nallani, Dance

Eleanor Parks, Musical Theatre

Gabrielle Stanback, Violin

Tickets to the Celebration of the Arts are $40 and available online beginning July 15 at hocoarts.org/celebration or by calling the Howard County Arts Council at 410-313-2787. For those who cannot attend in person, a live-stream ticket option which will include Rising Star voting privileges will also be available.