3 Women and 3 Men Advance in Competition
From Left: Tommy Mason, Kelly Ford, Emily Thresher, Kristi Grady, Allison Walden, Dennis Crookedacre
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.
