In honor of mothers throughout Santa Barbara County and the rest of the world, Teen Star USA will be hosting its first virtual concert, An Evening With Stars, at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 9, the day before Mother’s Day.
Nine past champions will return to entertain viewers, including American Idol hopefuls Jackson Gillies and Sofia Schuster. The remainder of the lineup will include 2020 Teen Star winner Andie Bronstad, as well as past champions Daniel Geiger, Rachel LaCommare, Allison Lewis, Nolan Montgomery, Bear Redell and Sydney Shalhoob.
The stream will originate from Teen Star’s Facebook page at facebook.com/teenstarsb. Teen Star was established in Santa Barbara in 2010 to support performing arts programs in local schools and to give area youth an outlet to showcase their talents, providing benefits for talented young performers and the community at large.
“We were inspired to help our community through what has been difficult times over the past two months,” said Joe Lambert, exective producer of Teen Star. “And Mother’s Day is an important holiday for so many of us, and we thought this was an opportunity for some outside-the-box thinking in order to make sure moms everywhere feel special.”
The singers have chosen pieces that range from originals to “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” and “Let It Be.”
In addition to the concert, Teen Star will be accepting donations during the performance, with all proceeds going to the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, which in turn will work with the United Boys & Girls Club to distribute food those under age 18.
“As we get closer to the summer months, we want to make sure that we do our part in helping keep our children fed,” Lambert said. “Kids who normally get fed breakfast and lunches at school need to be sustained while schools and even summer camps are closed.”
Teen Star offers a professional platform where teens can flourish and showcase their talents in a supportive environment. Teen Star also offers seminars and workshops on auditioning, and instructive feedback for contestants, as well as mentoring sessions for finalists. Teen Star then provides opportunities for the winners to be seen and heard at important civic events throughout the county.
Teen Star has seen several of its past winners go on to perform in professional venues and for large crowds at more than 40 events including Fiesta, and Santa Barbara Polo.
Known for the two flagship competitions held each year — Teen Star, a singing competition, and Teen Dance Star — Teen Star also offers seminars and workshops, mentoring sessions and opportunities for teens; and donates proceeds from the live events to support the Arts Mentorship Program, which awards scholarships to help students in financial need to continue pursuing their education in the arts.
Learn more at TeenStarUSA.com.