13 May 2010
"Got Talent? Long Island" Winner
Selected in Tough Competition
At Dix Hills Performing Arts Center
On Wednesday, May 12, fifteen performers selected as finalists took the stage at the Dix Hills Performing Arts Center, Five Towns College, to show Long Island that they have indeed "Got Talent." They were competing for a $500 cash prize, a gig at the Huntington Summer Arts Festival, a $1,000 scholarship to Five Towns College and other fabulous prizes. Fort Salonga singer Hallie Hugues took first prize for her rendition of Someone Like You from the Broadway show "Jekyll & Hyde."
"Just looking at our award list, where we had multiple winners in many of the categories, should give you an idea of how tight the competition was," stated Diana J. Cherryholmes, Executive Director of the Huntington Arts Council. "We are very pleased that all these very talented performers, who were selected from over 100 entries, could perform in such a beautiful, professional venue."
In the other award categories, the winners are:
Rising Star: Crystalyn Wynter (South Hempstead)
Rising Star 13 Plus: Crystalyn Wynter & Julia Biedry (Cold Spring Harbor)
Rising Star 13 & Under: Maria Pragias (Merrick), Jackie Evancho (Gibsonia, PA), Nicole Rampanelli (Syosset)
Audience Choice: Salvatore Valentinetti (Bethpage)
Judging the competition were: Glenn Gamboa, Newsday music columnist; John Platt, WFUV/90.7FM Director of Communications & Special Projects and on-air host of the wide-ranging "Sunday Breakfast"; Jen Chapin, singer/songwriter and activist; Donna Drake, co-host of weekly TV program "Live It Up!" on WLNY-TV10/55; Donna McKenna, casting director and independent film producer; and, Andrea Maire, professional musician.
Sponsored by the Huntington Arts Council, the event was a benefit for the Arts Council as well as a benefit to the performers, who received recognition from their peers and the community. The sponsors of the event were Dix Hills Performing Arts Center Five Towns College, JVKellyGroup, Inc. and Huntington Center for Performing Arts.
Founded in 1963, the Huntington Arts Council is a not-for-profit organization which enriches the quality of life of Long Islanders with programs and services that address the needs and interests of artists, cultural organizations and the community. The Council's programs reach over one million Long Island residents, and it serves the entire region with its cultural listings at www.huntingtonarts.org. The Huntington Arts Council has been designated a "Primary Institution" by the New York State Council on the Arts, a title meaning "vital to the cultural life of New York State." The Council is the official arts coordinating agency for the Town of Huntington, and serves as the primary regranting agency on Long Island for the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), in addition to its services to over 600 member cultural organizations and individual artist members.
