Arts & Entertainment
Hillsborough Girls To Compete In Talent Show, Need Local Support
The 12-year-old students will be singing "Don't Rain On My Parade" on July 15 at the beach and need support to move the applause meter.

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Come cheer on two local 12-year-old Hillsborough girls as they compete in NJ 101.5 Big Joe Henry’s Talent Show on Sunday, July 15.
Amanda Abbruzze and Alexandra Kuzian are friends and will be entering seventh grade at Hillsborough’s Auten Road Intermediate School.
They will be singing “Don’t Rain on My Parade” as part of the competition but they need community support to move the applause meter to enter the next round.
Find out what's happening in Hillsboroughfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“It’s just a good upbeat song and showcases our talents,” said Kuzian.
Both girls love performing and began singing at a young age. Abbruzze began singing at 6 years old and Kuzian at 8 and since then they haven’t stopped.
Find out what's happening in Hillsboroughfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“It makes me really happy,” said Kuzian. “It’s just something I like to do and it makes me really excited.”
“When I am singing I like the feeling and am able to show my emotions in the song. And I like when people cheer for you,” said Abbruzze.
They have already sang at the school’s talent show and also performed in Somerset Valley Players’ Christmas Show this past December. That’s where the two girls became friends.
Now the girls will be performing in front of more than 500 people on July 15 at 7 p.m. on the beach at Jenkinson's in Point Pleasant. Rain date is July 16.
The Big Joe Henry Talent Show is in it's 17th year and runs every Sunday night from the end of June through August with the Grand Finale in early September.
This year's contestants are competing for prizes worth more than $10,000.
In order for Abbruzze and Kuzian to continue on in the competition they need to get their applause meter very high.
“We would really like the local support,” Abbruzze’s mom Lisa said. “They are both really, really talented.”
(Image and video via Lisa Abbruzze: From left - Amanda Abbruzze and Alexandra Kuzian)
Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.
Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.