Stephen Schuch Wins Davenport's First $1000 Sing Off Contest

Singer/songwriter/pianist Stephen Schuch wowed the audience and judges with his piano playing and singing of A Song For You and became the winner of the first week of Davenports $1000 Sing Off in the Pop category. Stephen will also be doing his own show at the club on August 11th.

Nina Kruse won Second Place Prize of $500 and Gabriel Valentino won Third Place Prize of $250. There are still two weeks left of the Pop category competition and a few open positions left for the May 8 and 15th contests. June will start the Sing Off in the Theater Showtune category and July will start the Jazz vocal competition. Each week, three judges will award a $1000 first prize, $500 second prize, and a $250 third prize. These competitions will take place in the back room of Davenport's, all beginning at 8:00pm. May's competition is hosted by Daryl Nitz & George Howe with 3 judges. June and July's competition will be hosted by Daryl Nitz & Andrew Blendermann, also with 3 judges.

The Thousand Dollar Sing-Off is Chicago's newest talent contest, produced by Davenport's Piano Bar and Cabaret, 1383 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago. The Sing-Off will consist of three 3-week competitions, and each will focus on a different genre: Pop: May 8th & 15th remaining, Musical Theater/Broadway: June 5th/12th/19th, and Jazz: July 10th/17th/24th

Admission is $10 for both audience members and participants. Singers will receive a voucher for one drink. All other audience are encouraged to purchase drinks with their servers.

Winners are determined by audience voting, judges' ranking, and participants' talent fit for an upcoming Davenport's Showcase. May's winner will be cast in a June 28 show "Soul Sisters: An 80th Birthday Party for Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, and Gladys Knight." June's winner will be cast in an August 25th show "When Kander Met Ebb: Celebrating 60 Years of Friendship." July's winner will be cast in a September 6 & 7 show "Sarah & Dinah: A Centennial Celebration."

Of the 3 first place winners for each month's competition, the judges will also choose one to receive their own Davenport's backroom showcase for each genre of Pop, Broadway, and Jazz, in addition to their spotlight in the above showcases.