More than 20 talented students from across the region were awarded with music and theatre scholarships last week, as Central Methodist University held its annual Central’s Got Talent and Center Stage competitions on February 20. After multiple rounds of auditions, full-tuition scholarships were awarded to Davis Conway of Salisbury, Eric Jackson of Elsberry, and Hunter Felten of Boonville.
“It was a fantastic day of competition,” said Dr. Melissa Simons, dean of the conservatory. “We gave away a lot of money in scholarships, and we really hope to see every one of these students here in the fall. This is my favorite day of the year.”
The first big award on the day was presented in the theatre competition known as Center Stage, where students can compete in acting or theatre production. Simons and theatre professor Mark Kelty presented the Terri Rohlfing Theatre Arts Scholarship to Davis Conway, who performed a piece from Greece: The Ancient Musical.
“It means a lot to me to win this scholarship because I’ve been working hard on acting since my freshman year. I’ve been working up my talent and my skills and it’s cool to have it pay off in such a big way,” stated Conway, who emphasized his excitement to follow in the footsteps of his sister, Madisyn, who currently stars in theatre and opera productions for CMU’s Little Theatre.
In the Central’s Got Talent portion of the day, students competed by auditioning instrumental or vocal pieces before faculty judges. Six finalists were selected to perform again in front of an audience, and two winners were selected. This year’s finalists included Evan Coats of Fayette, Chase Staton of Marshall, Eric Jackson of Elsberry, Keira Driskell of Oak Grove, Johnsner Ernest of Marshall, and Hunter Felten of Boonville. Jackson and Felten were chosen as the winners for their talents in clarinet and vocal performance, respectively.
Jackson stated his excitement over being a winner of the competition and his enthusiasm for performing in front of an audience.
“Obviously it was a lot of work to prepare for this competition, but I love music so it was also a lot of fun,” said Jackson, who performed Sonata in C Minor by Georg Philipp Telemann. “I hope to major in music performance [while at Central], and I would like to learn how to go about finding work performing in front of many people.”
Felten, a vocalist and the last performer on the day among the finalists, says he is happy to have the opportunity to come to the school where his mother studied and sang in the choir.
“Central’s Got Talent was an amazing experience. I got to hear so many amazing instrumentalists and vocalists. It’s truly been one of my favorite experiences so far in my choir career,” said Felten, who hopes to major in music education. “Central Methodist was my mother’s school, and this school has always been a part of my life. I’ve loved the campus, and I can’t wait to work with everybody here.”
Every competitor on the day left with a sizeable scholarship for both their academic excellence and their music or theatre talents. The remaining competitors for the day included Alexis Casdorph of Cole Camp, Alaina Watson of Merriam, Kan., Andrew Hennessy of Independence, Carter Blackburn of Mexico, Emma Mallen of Lone Jack, Gavin Callahan of Fayette, Jackson Krause of Lee’s Summit, Jacob Cullom of Warrenton, John Guthrey of Marshall, Lillian Michael of Cape Girardeau, Matilda McKenzie of Columbia, Piper Merrill of Prairie Home, Taylor Martin of St. Louis, and Vivian Gravitz of St. Louis.