2015 Rising Star Finalists Compete for Cash Prize At Celebration of the Arts

The Howard County Arts Council is pleased to announce the 18th Annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County, presented by Howard Bank on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at the Peter and Elizabeth Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center, Howard Community College (HCC), Columbia, MD. Lee and Steven Sachs will serve as Honorary Chairs. Richard W. Story, Senior Vice President, Community Relations and Government Affairs, and Business Development Liaison for Howard Bank, will serve as Event Emcee.

The Celebration is a multi-faceted signature event, showcasing and promoting the arts and raising funds in support of the arts, artists, and arts organizations in Howard County. One of the highlights of the 2015 Celebration is the Rising Star Emerging Performing Artist Award Competition, in which nine finalists will compete for a cash prize of $5,000. In December, individual performing artists — aged 18 to 35 years and currently or recently living, working, performing regularly, or receiving training in Howard County — auditioned before a panel of professionals in their discipline. Review criteria included artistic merit, demonstrated experience in the arts, and commitment to a career in the arts.

The Rising Star finalists will perform at the Celebration before an audience of artists, arts patrons, business and political representatives, and community members who will select the winner by popular vote. The award will be presented on stage that evening!

The nine finalists performing at the Celebration are Kayleigh Decker, Classical Voice; Sola Fadiran, Musical Theatre; Chih-Jung Hsu, Violin; Thomas Hunter, Piano; Brittany Proia, Pop; Madeline Rodrigue, Contemporary Dance; Kirsten Salpini, Musical Theatre; Robin Steitz, Classical Voice; and Madelyn Wanner, Classical Voice.

Kayleigh Decker, Classical Voice
Kayleigh is in her final year of study at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she studies with Timothy LeFebvre. She has performed in several Oberlin Opera productions, including Die Fledermaus, Hansel und Gretel, and Albert Herring. This past summer she was a Festival Artist at the Utah Festival Opera. Raised in Howard County, Kayleigh has sung with both the Columbia Orchestra and the Columbia Pro Cantare. She was a 2011 Howard County Arts Council Scholarship recipient and graduated from Marriotts Ridge High School in Marriottsville.

Sola Fadiran, Musical Theatre
A 2014 Glenelg High School graduate, Sola Fadiran has performed in Shrek the Musical and Children of Eden at the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts; The Color Purple at Toby’s Dinner Theatre; and is a
former Young Columbian. He won first place in Musical Theatre, Classical (Beginner) and best Overall High School Performance in the National Association of Teachers of Singing local and regional vocal competitions. He currently attends University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and was a Howard County Arts Council Scholarship recipient in 2014.

Chih-Jung Hsu, Violin
Taiwanese violinist Chih-Jung Hsu received her DMA degree at the Peabody Conservatory, where she studied violin with Victor Danchenko and Martin Beaver. She participated in the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra Asia Tour, acting as both soloist and concertmaster. As an active chamber musician she has performed at the Pablo Casals Festival and collaborated with artists Vladimir Mendelssohn and Gerard Poulet. She was awarded a Career Development Grant by the Peabody Institute in 2010. She is currently a member of American Federation of Musicians of Metropolitan Baltimore and is a former Columbia resident.

Thomas Hunter, Piano
Thomas Hunter was born in Columbia and recently completed his Artist Diploma at the Royal College of Music, London, where he was named the Somers-Mountfort Scholar. He holds a BA and MM from University of Maryland, College Park. He has premiered solo, concerto, and chamber music in multiple US states and abroad, including recent performances in England, Italy, and Serbia. He founded the Washington, DC based concert series and ensemble The Radical Sound in 2013. Thomas is also a dedicated teacher to students of all ages and was a Rising Star Finalist in 2011.

Brittany Proia, Pop
Growing up, Brittany spent a great deal of time in Howard County training and performing with the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts and is proud to have been a Young Columbian. She holds an MFA in Acting from the Florida State University Asolo Conservatory and a BM in Vocal Performance from New York University. Professional credits include Toby’s Dinner Theatre, Peterborough Players, Nebraska Shakespeare, Ozark Actors Theatre, and Asolo Rep as well as Off-Broadway.

Madeline Rodrigue, Contemporary Dance
Madeline has explored her interest and passion in dance for the past fifteen years. She is pursuing a BFA degree in dance at Pace University in NYC and hopes to succeed as a well-informed dance professional, capable of successfully marketing her skills and establishing herself in the performing industry. Madeline is a graduate of Marriotts Ridge High School.

Kirsten Salpini, Musical Theatre
Kirsten has been pursuing her acting career since her graduation with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Shenandoah Conservatory. She recently appeared in Red Branch Theatre’s production of Triumph of Love. She is a singer, songwriter, and pianist. Her first album, Girl at a Piano, can be found on Spotify and iTunes. She hopes to release a second album within the next year.

Robin Steitz, Classical Voice
Robin spent the first several years of her life in Columbia and is currently a high school math teacher living in Washington, DC. She recently attended the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, where she won the prize for most outstanding performer of German Lied. She has been a soloist at various recitals, most recently in Bernstein’s The Lark with the Washington Master Chorale. She holds a BA in Linguistics and Anthropology from Reed College and hopes to attend a graduate program in vocal performance in the future.

Madelyn Wanner, Classical Voice
Madelyn has been an active soloist in the Baltimore/Washington area for several years. This winter she made her Kennedy Center debut as the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah Sing-Along. She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Sesto in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito. She has performed with several regional organizations including the Hub Opera Ensemble, the InSeries, Baltimore Concert Opera, and Carroll Summer Opera. She trains with Joy Schreier in Columbia.

Tickets to the 18th Annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County are available online at www.hocoarts.org or by phone at 410-313-ARTS (2787).

IMAGE (James Ferry): 2014 Rising Star winner Steven Eddy performs at the Celebration of the Arts