$34,500 Awarded in Arts Scholarships
CINCINNATI, OH – The Cincinnati Arts Association is pleased to announce the winners of its Overture Awards Scholarship Competition, held on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater. The competition annually awards $3,500 scholarships to six area students for education and training, with 18 runners-up each winning $750 scholarships.
Students are nominated by their schools and/or private studios to compete in one of six disciplines: Creative Writing, Dance, Instrumental Music, Theater, Visual Art or Vocal Music. The scholarship program is the largest of its kind in the United States and was developed to recognize, encourage, and reward excellence in the arts among Tri-state students in grades 9-12. There are three levels of competition: Regional, Semi-Final and Final.
2014 OVERTURE AWARDS SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
CREATIVE WRITING: Zoe Cheng – Walnut Hills High School, grade 11
HOMETOWN: Hyde Park, OH – Zoe has collected awards from national institutions like the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and YoungArts. She owes her current passion to her supportive family and a childhood filled with books. She plans to pursue a screenwriting career, and wishes that her writing always be a reflection of the truth.
DANCE: Lauren Slouffman – Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, grade 10
HOMETOWN: Anderson Township, OH – Lauren has studied dance at Just Off Broadway since the age of three. She has received numerous awards for her dance achievements including being named as an Overture Awards semi-finalist in 2013. She aspires to dance on Broadway and continue to share her love of performing with audiences of all ages.
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC: Joseph Vaz – Practice to Prosper Piano Studio / Sycamore High School, grade 11
HOMETOWN: Blue Ash, OH – Joseph has played the piano for eight years and plans to pursue it in college. He has played at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall and has opened for Sean Chen, Crystal Award Winner at the Van Cliburn Competition. Recently, he won the New Horizons Piano Competition and DePauw University’s Piano Competition.
THEATER: Melissa Campbell – McCready Voice Studio / Wyoming High School, grade 10
HOMETOWN: Wyoming, OH – Melissa has loved singing since she performed “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” for Santa Claus at the age of four. She was introduced to musical theater when she was nine, and has been training and performing ever since. She hopes to major in musical theater in college and make it her profession.
VISUAL ART: Paige Schlosser – Kings High School, grade 12
HOMETOWN: Maineville, OH – Paige’s love of drawing and painting started at an early age, but through a growing digital art program at her school she’s been introduced to digital design, photography, and film. She has loved experimenting with many art forms. Her scope of interest goes all the way from her series in digital collage to taking classes such as woodworking at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. Paige says she finds a lot of inspiration in Cincinnati’s local artists. “Cincinnati is developing into more of an arts district. Just from being around and meeting other local artists, I’ve been challenged to develop my art further outside the scope of the small community I’ve grown up in.” She plans on studying documentary film at Columbia College in Chicago starting this fall.
VOCAL MUSIC: James Rootring – Karl Resnik Studio / Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, grade 10
HOMETOWN: Hyde Park, OH – James became interested in vocal performance after attending a CCM Prep musical theater summer camp in 2009. Today, he performs in the Young Artists Professional Program at the Musical Arts Center, his church band, and Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy’s theater, choir, and band. He would like to thank the teaching team at the Musical Arts Center for their expert vocal coaching and encouragement.
The Overture Awards Regional Competitions were held on January 11 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, Immanuel United Methodist Church (Lakeside Park, KY), Saint Ursula Academy, University of Cincinnati – Blue Ash College, and Xavier University. The top 20 percent of competitors in each discipline advanced to the Semi-Finals, which were held at the Aronoff Center on January 17 & 18.
Now in its 18th year, The Overture Awards was launched in 1996 by the Cinergy Foundation (now Duke Energy) and Leadership Cincinnati (a program of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce). The Overture Awards is funded and administered by the Cincinnati Arts Association, which operates and manages the Aronoff Center and Music Hall. The Overture Awards also relies on hundreds of volunteers from the community who help raise funds, adjudicate and manage the competitions, and nurture the program.
Overture Awards Program Sponsors: Carey Digital; Citi; The Eleanora C.U. Alms Trust, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee; Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc.
Scholarship Sponsors: Arthur Murray – Cincinnati; Doreen Beatrice; Douglas Beal; Bonita Brockert; Cincinnati Ballroom; Dare to Dance; The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation; Jozsef Parragh; Step N Out Studio; Stock Yards Bank & Trust; Summerfair Cincinnati; Western & Southern Financial; The William O. Purdy, Jr. Foundation.
Competition Sponsors: Buddy Roger’s Music, Immanuel United Methodist Church (Lakeside Park, KY), St. Ursula Academy, University of Cincinnati – Blue Ash College, Xavier University.
THE 2014 OVERTURE AWARDS FINALISTS
Winners listed in bold.
CREATIVE WRITING
- Zoe Cheng – Walnut Hills High School, grade 11
- Katie Hibner – William Mason High School, grade 11
- Bridget Nicholas – Scott High School, grade 12
- Rachel Zinck – Mt. Notre Dame High School, grade 11
DANCE
- Claire Barrington – Northern Cincinnati Youth Ballet (NCYB Dance) / Ohio Virtual Academy, grade 11
- Ally Garcia – Campbell County High School, grade 12
- Megan Kernan – Just Off Broadway / Turpin High School, grade 11
- Lauren Slouffman – Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, grade 10
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
- Emma Burge – Sycamore High School, grade 10
- Caroline Gao – Leung Studio / Sycamore High School, grade 10
- Isabella Geis – Walnut Hills High School, grade 10
- Joseph Vaz – Practice to Prosper Piano Studio / Sycamore High School, grade 11
THEATER
- Melissa Campbell – McCready Voice Studio / Wyoming High School, grade 10
- Eli Davis – Cincinnati Actor’s Studio / School for Creative and Performing Arts, grade 12
- Keegan Doyle – St. Xavier High School, grade 12
- Kalie Kaimann – Seton High School, grade 11
VISUAL ART
- Ruby Brooke – School for Creative and Performing Arts, grade 12
- Kathryn Holaday – Lakota West High School, grade 12
- Kyle Perrigo – Lakota East High School, grade 12
- Paige Schlosser – Kings High School, grade 12
VOCAL MUSIC
- Mackenzie Jacquemin – Wyoming High School, grade 11
- James Rootring – Karl Resnik Studio / Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, grade 10
- Elizabeth Rosenberg – Karl Resnik Studio / Sycamore High School, grade 12
- Natalie Sheppard – Dixie Heights High School, grade 12
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 