Walker's Rising Stars: A Dramatic Success

Walker’s Rising Stars took the stage at Ruth Eckerd Hall on May 27 for final judging and the conclusion to the multi-month scholarship competition.  The audience of nearly 1,800 was captivated by this inspirational showcase of artistry.

Judging for the visual arts and the video arts categories were completed in advance of the event.  The talent of the visual artists was brought to life through a video portfolio and interview with each of the four visual arts finalists.  Camille Clark, a senior at Pinellas County Center for the Arts took top prize and won a $7,000 scholarship. 

Three outstanding videos were selected as finalists in the first-ever Walker’s video arts scholarship award.  One individual and two teams of two were introduced while the audience viewed a snippet of each entry.  Nile Madley and Collin Bernard took the top prize for their music video Respect.  They will share in the $5,000 scholarship allocated for the winning team.  Cornelius O’Donoghue’s documentary, Swimming, garnered third place.  Kyle Bell and Adam Gaetz won second for their documentary entitled Drink to “Live.”  All videos can be viewed in their entirety by clicking on the video title from the Walker’s Finalist Page.

Another new feature for 2010 was the individual web page that each the finalists created on the Foundation’s website.  Friends and family signed on to be their fans.  Alexa Bouchard took home a new MacBook for gathering the most supporters on her page.

Dance, drama, vocal music and instrumental music finalists performed for their third and final round of judging.  Junior Eva Richardson performed a piece entitled Ghost Chaconé to win first place in the dance category.  First place in drama was awarded to Jacob Stewart, a senior, for his monolog from Children of a Lesser God.  Joseph Velez, a junior at Tarpon Springs High School played with fellow members of the school’s Jazz Ensemble in the orchestra pit both before and after his first place performance on the clarinet.  Top honor in vocal music went to Hannah Zazzaro, a junior who sang Glitter & Be Gay.  These first place winners will each receive a $7,000 scholarship.

Finalists and their families celebrated their achievements with a pre-show VIP reception where Dr. Jeffrey Walker presented them with their Walker’s medallions.  Dr. Walker initiated this prestigious program seven years ago, providing scholarship funds to recognize and further the careers of Pinellas County’s most talented arts students.  Since the program’s inception, over $500,000 in scholarships have been awarded.

Presenting sponsors of the event are Kane’s Furniture and Bright House.  Gold sponsors include Derby Lane, Humana, Raymond James Financial Inc., Raytheon Company and St.Petersburg Times.

Highlights of the competition can be seen by visiting the Foundation website:  www.pinellasfoundation.org.  Finalist interviews, finalist web pages, and many other Rising Stars details can be found on the Walker’s Rising Stars page on the website.