Milton Junior, Cambridge Senior Win Talent Show

MILTON, GA — The Milton Arts Council has unveiled the winners of the inaugural Milton's Got Talent competition.

Jordan Thorne, a rising junior at Milton High School, won in the under-18 category, and Kendall Warner, 18, a graduating senior at Cambridge High School, was crowned the winner in the 18-and-older category.

The inaugural competition, open exclusively to Milton residents, drew 27 entrants, with 11 choosing to attend the formal auditions. Following individual performances at SoundLab Music Studios, the finalists — Mason Fletcher, Ryan Super, Jordan Thorne, Kendall Warner, and Christina Young — were selected by a judging panel of music professionals.

The finalists' video-taped performances were then open for community voting via the SoundLab Music Studios YouTube channel. The performance in each category with the most votes (likes) during the voting period was selected the winner.

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"Our goal was to showcase the incredible musical talent we have here in Milton, while increasing awareness about the importance of the arts in Milton," said Bill Purdie, president of the Milton Arts Council. "With more than 7,000 community views and votes on YouTube, we're extremely proud of this inaugural effort and look forward to exploring other ways to showcase the arts in Milton."

Both winners and other finalists invited by the judges will serve as the opening acts for Milton's Beach Bash at Bell Memorial Park on Saturday, June 16. In addition, Thorne will sing the National Anthem and "God Bless America as part of Milton's Memorial Day Ceremony at Freedom Park on May 28.

"Music has always been a huge part of my life from the moment I could talk. At 11 years old, I started playing the guitar, and recently taught myself to play piano," Thorne, 16, said. "Competing in Milton's Got Talent was a great experience and I loved seeing other Milton residents expressing their talents."

Warner said he's lived in Milton before it became a city, so the chance to represent her community "was an opportunity of a lifetime."

"I'm looking forward to attending Tennessee State University in the fall, where I plan to continue performing in the choir and the theater program," Warner added.

Bob Stewart, owner of SoundLab Music Studios and Milton Arts Council board member, the original plan for the competition was to host a stand-alone concert finale for the winners, but the city offered to have the winners to perform on stage at Beach Bash at Bell.

"When the city offered us the chance to put our winners on a professional stage in front of the Milton community, it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up," he added. "Last year's Beach Bash drew more than 1,300 attendees on a rainy evening, so we're looking forward good weather and an even larger audience to showcase our winners this year."

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