Seeking
stardom
Madisons
Got Talent contest
to showcase area performers
Top
three contenders in each
preliminary will advance to finals
By
Konnie McCollum
Staff Writer
(February 2009) Drew Geerts dream is to establish
a Christian ministry using his musical talent. While that dream may
be still a goal, he is actively working to fine tune his song writing
and singing skills, and he loves to compete in talent contests.
Geerts will be one of a handful of contestants competing in the first
preliminary Madisons Got Talent contest. The show,
part of the Madison Bicentennial Celebration, starts at 2 p.m. on Feb.
1 at the Ohio Theater, 105 E. Main St. The three other preliminaries
will take place at 7 p.m. at the Ohio Theater on March 6, April 3 and
May 1.
|
Photo
provided
Singer-
songwriter
Drew Geerts is among
the first contestants competing in the
Madisons Got
Talent contest.
|
Admission for the preliminary competitions is $2, but
the June 12 finale will be free. The top three contestants in each of
the four preliminaries will compete in Junes final show. The overall
winner will perform the opening act at the June 13 Concert and Laser
Light Fireworks Show, as well as earn a trophy and $250 cash prize.
Its going to be an awesome contest, and we are looking for
all kinds of talented people to come show us what youve got,
said Nancy Gruner, executive director of Madison Main Street Program
and the chairperson of the Madison Bicentennial 200-Hour Party.
Geerts, 29, considers his musical preference to be truly eclectic.
My MP3 player has any style of music you can think of, he
said. I have songs from contemporary Christian to barbershop quarter.
He spent seven years singing in a southern gospel trio.
For the Madisons Got Talent show, he plans to sing Summertime,
by George Gershwin, from the opera Porgy and Bess.
Geerts, who works as a Madison trash collector, has competed in several
other talent contests, including Switzerland County, Ind.s Swiss
Idol contest. He finished as first runner-up two years in a row
in that competition. I hope I can break that streak here,
he said.
During summer 2008, Geert was one of thousands of hopefuls who tried
out at the American Idol auditions in Louisville, Ky. I
actually thought I had a good chance, he said. One of the
preliminary judges seemed really interested in questioning me, but in
the end, I never got to the last section.
He explained there are actually three parts of the competition, which
includes a final performance in front of the nationally recognized American
Idol judges Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Kara DioGuardi.
At the Madison competition, Geerts said he is simply looking to enjoy
the experience and have a good time.
Of course, it would be nice to win, but its also fun to
meet people and build relationships during the contests.
Geerts, who lives with his wife, Abigail, and 2-year-old son, Gabriel,
hopes to eventually grow his fledgling music ministry. Already, he has
put together a promotional demo of several of the Christian songs he
has written, and his goal is to present it to local churches first and
then branch out from there.
As a Christian, I know there are others out there who can relate
to my experiences, he said. It would be just awesome if
I could eventually do this for a living and share the Good News of Jesus.
In order to keep the talent show fair, three judges from outside the
community will select the winners. We do not plan to announce
those judges in advance, said Gruner. Organizers want to make
sure everything stays impartial.
Kelley Hoagland has been named as emcee for the talent show. A life-long
resident of Madison and Jefferson County, Hoagland is a traffic coordinator
and DJ for WORX-WXGO Radio. She earned bachelors degrees in broadcast
journalism and theater at Franklin College.
For more information about Madisons
Got Talent, call Nancy Gruner at (812) 701-9500 or visit: www.MadisonBicentennial.com.
Back to February 2009
Articles.