10 Finalists Selected for KC SuperStar High School Singing Competition

More than 500 people packed The White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center (The J) cheering on 21 singers during the Semifinals of KC SuperStar. But in the end, 10 area high school students were chosen as finalists* for the 2018 KC SuperStar singing competition!

A three-judge panel of entertainment professionals selected the singers in the competition sponsored by The Jewish Community Center (The J). Now in its ninth year, KC SuperStar is the high school competition ala "The Voice" that searches for the best singer in the Greater Kansas City Metro area. The Top 10 will now compete at the Aug. 26 Finals hoping to win the grand prize of a $10,000 scholarship.

More than 200 students registered for the preliminary auditions held earlier this year at The J. At that time, each contestant stood before a panel of judges and performed a song A Capella. During the Finals, a live band will accompany each performer. Over the summer, they will receive coaching from area music professionals to prepare them for the Finals.

At the Semifinals, members of the public donated more than 300 gently used books for Turn the Page, a reading initiative started by Kansas City Missouri Mayor Sly James. Turn the Page works to mobilize the community to help all third graders in Kansas City, Missouri to achieve reading proficiency at grade level or above.

The KC SuperStar Finals will take place in Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College. Those who attend the singing event will have the opportunity to vote electronically to chose the top four In addition to the $10,000 scholarship, other KC SuperStar finalists will be awarded scholarships for second place - $5,000; Third Place-$2,500; and Fourth Place-$1,000. Patron tickets are still available to attend the entertaining evening.

The final competition in August will be hosted by Tony Award Nominee Megan Hilty, known for her amazing singing talents on the Broadway stage, film and the critically acclaimed television series "SMASH". Hilty made her Broadway debut as Glinda in the musical "Wicked" opposite Tony Award winner Idina Menzel. After a year on Broadway, Hilty continued with "Wicked" on tour and in the 2007-2009 Los Angeles production. The 10 finalists will get to perform a musical number with Hilty during the finals show.

KC SuperStar is the annual fundraiser for The J. Proceeds from KC SuperStar help provide transportation, meals, education, camp, wellness programs and the arts to so many deserving children, families, individuals and senior adults.

Eric and Shanny Morgenstern, longtime J members and dedicated volunteers, are chairing KC Superstar 2018 with brothers Barry and Eric Kaseff serving as vice co-chairs of the musical event.

For more information about KC SuperStar, please visit www.kcsuperstar.org; please check out the Facebook page as well at https://www.facebook.com/groups/kcsuperstar/.

*The KC SuperStar 2018 Semifinalists (names & schools):

Devion Williams, St. Michael the Archangel (was a finalist in 2017)

Madelyn Padget, Blue Springs South

Emma Mathieson, Shawnee Mission West

Reagan Dreiling, St. Thomas Aquinas

Maurissa Cunningham, Center High School (was a semifinalist in 2017)

Jaeda Dickens, West Platte

Jacobo Barriga, Staley

Alyssa Mendoza, Shawnee Mission Northwest

Jalen Dickerson-Sanders, Leavenworth

Bret Kibler, Lone Jack

Established more than 100 years ago, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, "The J," provides a warm welcome to families of all backgrounds. "The J's" all-in-one hub for health, learning and well-being elevates the lives of the community and its members with programs of excellence in fitness, sports, theatre, cultural arts, senior adult programming and youth services including summer camps and child development. Everyone can live up at "The J," located in Overland Park, Kansas, and at thejkc.org.