13th STL Teen Talent Competition Awards Announced
Rayquan Strickland from Central Visual & Performing Arts High School was awarded the 1st Place $8,000 prize.
On April 8th the fourteen final acts of the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition competed live on stage at the Fabulous Fox. Students vied for $50,000 in college scholarships, cash awards and special prizes. A full list of prizes and winners along with official event information can be found on the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation's website. This year's competition winners were revealed at the conclusion of the event.
$8,000 First place prize underwritten by Mary Strauss
Raquan Strickland
Central Visual & Performing Arts High School
Playing piano and singing his original composition Time for Change
$6,000 Second place prize underwritten by John Russell
Noah Van Ess
Lindbergh High School
Singing Out There from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"
$4,000 Third place prize underwritten by Sally Johnston
Avery Payne
Orchard Farm High School
Dancing to The Mad Lovers Suite: Ground Aire V
The $1,000 cash Audience Choice Award went to Cats Jazz Collective,
a six-member group from Webster Groves High School who performed Feeling Good
Katherine Teeter, Miles Cole, Beckett Mitchell, Audrey Brenner, Zach Andrews, Evan Christman
The panel of judges are performing arts professionals with careers spanning music, dance and Broadway and judged the acts on interpretation, stage presence, technical ability and originality. The professionally produced show was directed by Lee Anne Mathews, a veteran Equity actor of international stages, longtime director, COCA educator and current artistic director at Westport Playhouse. Acts were also advised by musical director Steve Neale and choreographer Yvonne Meyer Hare from the Professional Dance Center.
The Finals were filmed by Nine PBS for a special St. Louis Teen Talent Competition broadcast scheduled to air on Monday, May 8 at 7pm and Sunday May 14 at 11:30am. This special presentation will give a wider stream online at ninepbs.org/teentalent later this spring.
The 14th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition will take place spring 2024. Pre-registration for the competition is now open. Additional information about this event and other programs can be found at the Foundation's website.
