| Tulsa
Sings! Names Six Finalists -- 3
Women and 3 Men Advance in Competition
Signature
Symphony at Tulsa Community College names six finalists in Tulsa
Sings! The vocal competition, launched last fall with media sponsor
KOTV, will culminate with the final round and April performance
with the Signature Symphony at TCC. Tulsa Sings! shines the spotlight
on Tulsa’s undiscovered talent and is part of Signature Symphony’s
year-long season exploring Tulsa’s music connections.
Ranging in
age from 16 to 64, the finalists are Dennis Crookedacre, 64, Broken
Arrow, licensed professional counselor; Kelly Ford, 58, Tulsa,
director of traditional music at Harvard Avenue Christian Church;
Kristi Grady, 47, Collinsville, operating
room nurse at Tulsa hospital; Tommy Mason, 60, Tulsa,
retired; Emily Thresher, 16, Tulsa, attends Jenks High School;
Allison Walden, 37, Tulsa, Tulsa Regional Chamber senior vice
president of resource development.
“This
season is all about highlighting Tulsa’s music connections
whether that is our music heritage or, as with Tulsa Sings!, the
rich talent that exists in Tulsa now,” said Andrés
Franco, Signature Symphony at TCC Music Director.
Allison Walden,
a Broken Arrow mother of two, entered the competition with a video
she recorded in her car and Emily Thresher turned 16 two days
before being announced as a finalist. The other finalists include
Collinsville’s Kristi Grady, who is an operating room nurse
at a Tulsa hospital, and Kelly Ford, who appeared on “Star
Search” and sung with the Voices of Liberty at Disney World’s
EPCOT Center. Tommy Mason has performed many times with the Red
Glove Revue on the VanTrease Performing Arts Center for Education
stage and Dennis Crookedacre is a counselor by day and singer
by night.
The six finalists
will perform April 6 and 7, 2018 with Broadway’s Scott Coulter
and other top New York vocalists at Signature Symphony’s
final Pops concert of this season. A panel of judges will select
the Tulsa Sings! grand prize winner. The judges include Coulter,
vocalist and performer Mark Frie, “The Voice” contestant
Brian Nhira, and News on 6 and Six in the Morning co-host LeAnne
Taylor. In addition, the grand prize winner could have the opportunity
to be featured in an upcoming Signature Symphony concert during
the 2018-2019 season.
“We have
been very impressed by the level of talent displayed by the contestants
in this year’s competition. I am thrilled to announce Tulsa
Sings! will return for the 2018-2019 season as well,” said
Franco.
Since its
formation in 1979, the Signature Symphony at TCC has been committed
to providing rich musical experiences through its performances
and valuable musical instruction through its outreach to support
music education and aspiring musicians. Before every Classics
concert, our Free Open Rehearsals allow music lovers of all ages
to experience professional orchestra rehearsals and enjoy educational
interactions with our conductor, musicians and guest artists.
The Free Open Rehearsals are 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 25, March 15 and
April 19 for the 2017-2018 season.
Tickets for
the Signature Classics series and the TTCU Pops series are available
at www.signaturesymphony.org or by calling 918-595-7777. Individual
tickets purchased in advance start at $12 for a performance.
Signature
Symphony at TCC recently expanded rush tickets to include teachers
and educators. Students and teachers can now buy rush tickets
for $5 one-hour prior to show time for any Signature Symphony
performance with a valid student or employee ID from their educational
institution. This offer is limited to two tickets per student
or educator and subject to the availability of open seats.
This project
was supported in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives
support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment
for the Arts.
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1/23/2018
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