Aubory Bugg homeschool student from Granite City and Trifecta homeschool students from Ferguson tied for the 1st Place $8,000 prize.
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 can be found on the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation’s website. This year’s competition winners were revealed at the conclusion of the event.
$8,000 First place prize underwritten by Ameren Corporation Charitable Trust
Aubory Bugg, Vocalist & Guitarist
Homeschool
Performing “Dancing in the Streets” by Stephen Day
Trifecta, Partner Acrobatics
Dennis Bailey, Eliot Bailey, and Ethan Ryan
Homeschool
Performing to “Three for the Win” by Dr. Jeffery Carter
$6,000 Second place prize underwritten by John Russell
Noah Van Ess, Vocalist
Lindbergh High School
Performing “Let It Sing” from the musical Violet by Jeanine Tesori & Brian Crawley
$4,000 Third place prize underwritten by Sally Johnston
Tony Pittman, Contemporary Dancer
Fort Zumwalt East High School
Performing 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 are 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 on Monday, April 11 at 7 pm.
This 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. Additional information about this event and other programs can be found at the Foundation’s website.
Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation fosters, promotes, and encourages young people in the
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.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.