Music

St. Louis Teen Talent Competition Winners

February 16, 2022

Homeschool students tie for $8,000, first place prize

St. LOUIS—A homeschool student from Granite City and a trio of homeschool students from Ferguson are the winners of the 12th annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition. The $8,000 first place prize went to Aubory Bugg, vocalist and guitarist, and Trifecta, made up of Dennis Bailey, Eliot Bailey, and Ethan Ryan. On February 11, the fourteen finalists of the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition competed live on stage at the Fabulous Fox. Students vied for $50,000 in college scholarships, cash awards and special prizes. A full list of prizes and winners along with official event information is on the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation’s website.

Winners of the 12th annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition at The Fabulous Fox.

St. Louis Teen Talent Competition first place winners: From left, Trifecta, made up of Eliot Bailey, Ethan Ryan, and Dennis Bailey; Katrina Reece, representing Ameren; and Aubory Bugg, vocalist and guitarist. Photos by ProPhotoSTLAubory performed “Dancing in the Streets” by Stephen Day. Trifecta performed partner acrobatics to “Three for the Win” by Dr. Jeffery Carter. The first place prize was underwritten by Ameren Corporation Charitable Trust.

The $6,000 second place prize, underwritten by John Russell, went to Noah Van Ess, vocalist, from Lindbergh High School. Noah performed “Let It Sing” from the musical Violet by Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley. Third place and a $4,000 prize, underwritten by Sally Johnston, went to Tony Pittman, contemporary dancer from Fort Zumwalt East High School. Tony performed to “Earthquake” by Andries de Haan. The $1,000 cash Audience Choice Award went to dancer Hannah Stebe from Fort Zumwalt High School. The panel of judges was made up of performing arts professionals with careers spanning film, the recording industry, television, and Broadway. They judged the acts on interpretation, stage presence, technical ability and originality. The professionally produced show was written and directed by Tony Parise (Broadway actor, dancer, director and choreographer). Acts were also advised by musical director Stephen Neale, and choreographer Yvonne Meyer Hare (Professional Dance Center).

The Finals were filmed by Nine PBS for a special St. Louis Teen Talent Competition program scheduled to air at 7 p.m. Monday, April 11. The special presentation will give a wider audience the opportunity to see St. Louis’ talented teens perform. The competition will also be available to stream online at ninepbs.org/teentalent later this spring. The 13th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition will take place on April 8, 2023. Pre-registration for the competition is now open. More information is available at the Foundation’s website. This article is based on a press release from Marquee Media PR. Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation fosters, promotes, and encourages young people in th St. Louis region to discover and participate in the joy and wonder of live performances. In addition to the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition, the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation also produces a variety of other performing arts programs that focus on youth including Kids’ Night at the Fabulous Fox, Broadway Master Classes, Educational Encores, Audition Workshops, and is a producing partner of the St. Louis High School Musical Theatre Awards.