Finalists - McCallum Theatre

McCallum Theatre Institute presents
TALENT PROJECT
PHOTOS JACK HARTIN
Presenting Sponsor The Commander Allen Fund
2016 Finalists
Michelle Bachman & Kaley Smith | Madison Wilson Barton | Xavier Brown | Chase Carroll | Abigail & Andrea Carter
Coachella Valley High School Dance Team | CVYEP - Cathedral City High School Sax Quartet
Desert Ridge Academy Concert Choir | Kaitlyn Farley | Faultline | Hartin Dance Company | JAX | Dion Khan
Kelli Lozano | Hannah Morgan | Rey Ortega | Palm Desert Charter Middle School Jazz Ensemble
Brett Smith | Starlight Tappers | Shafik Wahhab | Larry Wray | Xavier Dance Team & Academy
Michelle Bachman
& Kaley Smith
Madison Barton
WHY OPEN CALL?
I had such an awesome time last year doing Open Call that
I wanted to do it again. I also love to play music.
P.S. My mom made me.
INSPIRATION
Yvonne Bluto, my private instructor, Dr. Jason Powell, my
orchestra director and my mother who really is a performer.
MOTTO
Kaley, 34, Flight Attendant, Palm Desert
Michelle, 18, Student, Indio
Vocalists
WHY OPEN CALL?
Michelle: I auditioned for Open Call because it is such an honor
to be performing on the McCallum stage. It was one of the very
first stages I performed on when I was 7 years old, around the
time I met Kaley Smith. I have always looked up to her and it is
very special that I am being given the opportunity to sing with
her, not as her student, but as equals.
My motto? Just do it. No matter what, you’ve just got to do it.
I admit, I get scared or nervous, (or lazy, your pick) but my mom
is always there keeping me going and telling me that I’ve just got
to do it.
DREAM
I want to make people feel what I am playing. I want to make
them lean in and listen to my story and give them something
to think about.
Kaley: I auditioned to sing a beautiful song with the talented
Michelle.
INSPIRATION
Michelle: Sutton Foster inspires me as a performer.
Kaley: All my talented friends I’ve met while performing.
MOTTO
Michelle & Kaley: Live the dream.
DREAM
Michelle: My biggest dream is to perform on Broadway.
Kaley: To be able to make a living doing what I love...
singing and performing!
16, Student, Palm Springs
Saxophonist
Xavier Brown
Chase Carroll
WHY OPEN CALL?
I auditioned because I wanted to push my singing limits and
make people entertained and happy when I’m on stage. I love to
perform at the McCallum Theatre and love to perform on stage
in general.
INSPIRATION
Taylor Swift because she never gives up no matter what.
MOTTO
Have fun.
9, Student, Cathedral City
Dancer
DREAM
WHY OPEN CALL?
My dream is to become a famous singer and/or actor on
Broadway.
I auditioned for Open Call because my teacher wanted me to
try it out and I said yes.
INSPIRATION
Bob Baker, Josh King and my mom and dad.
MOTTO
Go big or go home!
DREAM
My biggest dream as a performer is to dance on Broadway.
12, Student, Rancho Mirage
Vocalist
Abigail & Andrea Carter Coachella Valley High
School Dance Team
WHY OPEN CALL?
We auditioned for Open Call because of the countless doors it
could open for us as a dance team. We come from a city that
is unheard of for accomplishing great things and to be able
to perform where so many talented people have is such an
incredible honor and any performer’s dream.
INSPIRATION
Our coach, Juliana Martinez, is definitely our biggest inspiration.
She has pushed us hard to achieve amazing things and she does it
all because of her passion for dance and her drive to impact our
lives just as her coaches did for her.
Andrea, 35, Student, Indio
Abigail, 13, Student, Indio
Vocalists
MOTTO
WHY OPEN CALL?
DREAM
Abigail: I auditioned because I really love singing and wanted to
help my mom get over her fear of stage fright. I suggested doing
a duet with her.
Our biggest dream as performers is to be able to spread the joy
we feel whenever we step on that stage to the people sitting
down in the audience. For us to put weeks and weeks into
choreographing and cleaning our dances is all worth it when
we hear all the feedback and how it touched or moved them in
a way that nothing else has.
Andrea: Singing has always been a passion of mine, but I’ve had
major stage fright from an early age that has prevented me from
using my talent further. I decided to audition because this has
been a year of great challenges. I’ve had to face some fears head
on and I figured I might as well add this one to the list of things
to overcome. I want to prove to my kids that if mom can do it,
they can too! It’s never too late and there is no excuse too great
that should prevent anyone from developing their talents and
pursuing their dreams.
Work hard, dance hard, perform great.
INSPIRATION
Abigail: My mom inspires me, but don’t tell her that.
Andrea: My daughter inspires me, and please tell her that.
MOTTO
Abigail: Never underestimate the healing power of sitting
in the car alone singing as loud as you can.
Andrea: You’re never too old to dream a new dream.
DREAM
Abigail: To be able to make a living using my voice.
Andrea: To be as wonderful and strong as my littlest ones
think I am.
14-18, Students, Coachella
Coachella Valley Youth
Ensemble Program –
Cathedral City High
School Sax Quartet
Desert Ridge Academy
Concert Choir
WHY OPEN CALL?
We auditioned for Open Call for the great opportunity and
experience and to see what it is like to perform on a professional
stage.
INSPIRATION
What inspires us is the dream of becoming professional
performers. Our parents inspire us to become the best
performers possible.
MOTTO
Just keep singing!
DREAM
Jonathan Perez, 17, Student, Cathedral City
Viviana Martinez, 17, Student, Cathedral City
Alan Manriquez, 18, Student, Cathedral City
Trinity Reyes, 15, Student, Cathedral City
Saxophonists
Our dream is to be a good role model and to one day inspire
others.
WHY OPEN CALL?
Our coordinator brought up the opportunity by asking us if we
had heard of Open Call. After explaining what it was we were
interested and said “We’ll give it a shot. Let’s see what happens!”
INSPIRATION
Some of the inspiration to perform comes from our predecessors
in and other incarnations of the Sax Quartet. Other inspiration
comes from each other and the unique sounds we produce
individually.
MOTTO
Our motto would be our band program’s motto which is
“Excellence is our Minimum Standard.”
DREAM
As a group, our dream at the end of the school year is to
be better than the previous sax quartets at our school and
individually be better musicians than we were when we
started together.
12-14, Students, Indio
Kaitlyn Farley
Faultline
WHY OPEN CALL?
We want the challenge of competition to improve our
performance skills, musical presentation, and audience
appreciation.
INSPIRATION
We are inspired by vocal a cappella groups such as Pentatonix,
King’s Singers, and Chanticleer and Barbershop quartets like
Most Happy Fellow, OC Times and Vocal Spectrum.
MOTTO
24, Tutor/Academic Tutor, Indio
Vocalist
WHY OPEN CALL?
Open Call is such a lively and treasured event in the desert and
whether I’m in the audience or on stage, it has brought me so
much joy. The professionals that bring the show to life are
highly skilled, yet are also some of the most humble, warm,
and humorous people in the business. I have met some of my
best friends in Open Call, and I am always blown away by the
caliber of talent and dedication that the performers bring to
their respective fields.
The harder we work, the luckier we get. The more we practice,
the better we sing, the better we sing, the more fun we have!
DREAM
We want to do our best to raise the spirits of our audiences.
INSPIRATION
I have a passion for many genres of music. I admire vocalists
ranging from Judy Garland to Janet Baker and Ann Wilson
to Patsy Cline. However, my biggest inspiration is Ms. Janet
Hopkins, my voice instructor. She saw potential in me and
transformed my voice from a “Broadway belt” to a well-rounded
instrument. I have always enjoyed classical music, but I used to
see it as something for which my voice was not “high” enough.
Then, Janet opened up the world of the mezzo-soprano to me.
She really appreciates the uniqueness of each voice. Not only is
she an accomplished classical singer, but she is also an expert
teacher, an intelligent businesswoman, and a compassionate yet
fiery spirit.
MOTTO
Never underestimate your capabilities; don’t put yourself in a box.
DREAM
Singing because it is a large part of what makes me happy.
I would love to follow in the footsteps of Janet Hopkins and
perform at the Metropolitan Opera in the role of Carmen.
Blaine Mack, 91, Retired USAF pilot and
High School Music Teacher, Palm Desert
Stan Gile, 68, Retired Orthodontist, La Quinta
Mike Ostrom, 75, Real Estate Agent and Retired Dentist,
Palm Desert
Dick Reed, 72, Retired Music Teacher, Palm Desert
Vocal Quartet
Hartin Dance Company
JAX
WHY OPEN CALL?
We have all been playing music since we were real young, and
love to perform on stage. Xander loves to play the drums, Aiden
loves to play guitar and Joelle loves to sing, so we just sync well
together. We all thought it would be real cool to perform at the
McCallum in front of a large audience.
INSPIRATION
12-17, Students, Palm Desert, Cathedral City, La Quinta,
Indio, Rancho Mirage, Palm Springs
Xander loves to be challenged by anyone and being a part of
a band was a new challenge for him. Aiden is inspired by the
awesomeness of Metallica and Joelle’s inspiration is her music
and theater teacher that she’s been with for over seven years
now. We all have the common inspiration of making music, but
we have different backgrounds and reasons why we love to play
and sing music.
WHY OPEN CALL?
MOTTO
Our company has participated in Open Call previously and we
have each individually grown from this experience. We look
forward to what this year has in store.
We don’t really have a group “motto” as we have only been
together for six months, but we all love music, love to perform
and we just click together well.
INSPIRATION
DREAM
As a whole, we each encourage and inspire each other to
become better dancers and performers.
We just want to be awesome at what we do! Joelle wants to
be a contestant on the reality show The Voice, Aiden wants to
be the best guitar player ever, and Xander is already the best
drummer (LOL) and wants to study to be a forensic technician
after college.
MOTTO
Perfection is impossible, therefore progress is unlimited.
DREAM
Our dream as dancers is to evoke emotions through our
performance and make the audience feel something that
they didn’t feel when they walked in.
Xander Higholt, 12, Student, Rancho Mirage
Aiden Schaeffer, 13, Student, Indio
Joelle Barry, 12, Student, Palm Desert
Band
Dion Khan
Kelli Lozano
WHY OPEN CALL?
I was encouraged by my music teacher.
INSPIRATION
Katy Perry
MOTTO
Hakuna Matata (No Worries)
DREAM
45, Independent Arbonne Consultant, Desert Hot Springs
Vocalist
I dream of being famous one day.
WHY OPEN CALL?
My friends encouraged me to audition.
INSPIRATION
Johnny Mathis
MOTTO
Embrace every opportunity.
DREAM
Performing is relatively new to me and dreaming is coming
in stages so Open Call is the dream now. I’m a pretty private
person so I don’t dream of fame however I love to sing and if
I could earn a comfortable living singing for people that would
be a dream.
10, Student, Cathedral City
Vocalist
Hannah Morgan
Rey Ortega
WHY OPEN CALL?
Performing and entertaining is a big part of who I am. I enjoy the
challenge of winning over an audience full of strangers, making
them laugh and smile and making them my friends.
INSPIRATION
Paul Winchell, in my opinion is the greatest ventriloquist and
inspired me at the age of five to become a ventriloquist. Along
with his wooden pals, Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff,
I was mesmerized by their show, Winchell Mahoney Time.
MOTTO
15, Student, Palm Desert
Trumpet Player
WHY OPEN CALL?
I auditioned for Open Call because I wanted to try something
new. I’ve always been quite timid about playing in front of
audiences, so I wanted to step outside my boundaries a bit
and challenge myself.
Entertain, Educate, Inspire!
DREAM
To make the world laugh and smile.
INSPIRATION
So many things and people inspire me including musicians like
Chet Baker, Lee Morgan, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Frank
Zappa and surprisingly Robert Plant, but the people that have
inspired me the most are the amazing musicians and teachers
I’ve been able to play with and learn from. They have taught me
so much. Not only with their wise words but with their incredible
ability to hear, feel and play music the way they do.
MOTTO
Tell a story in everything you play.
DREAM
My dream is to successfully keep on growing into my own
original sound and identity as a musician.
55, Martial Arts Instructor, Yucca Valley
Ventriloquist
Palm Desert Charter
Middle School Jazz
Ensemble
Starlight Performance
Group
WHY OPEN CALL?
We wanted to share the love & art of tap dancing. We didn’t
have a future in football. This gave us the opportunity to
perform and dance together one more year!
INSPIRATION
Miss Marcia (tap teacher).
MOTTO
“Let’s take it from the top.”
DREAM
12-14, Students, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage,
La Quinta
To make every tap count and let the audience hear the
perfection of our work.
WHY OPEN CALL?
We wanted to have a chance to perform for a lot of people in our
community and we’ve heard really great things about Open Call.
INSPIRATION
Our teacher Mr. Lacro inspires us. His dedication to his job as
a music teacher makes us want to do our very best and learn
as much as possible. Great musicians such as Charlie Parker
and Miles Davis definitely inspire us as well.
MOTTO
“Invest yourself in everything you do. There’s fun in being
serious.” – Wynton Marsalis
DREAM
We all want to find success in music in the future, and have fun
while doing it. We want to bring good music to the people in our
community and represent Palm Desert Charter Middle School
in the best way possible.
12-17, Students, Palm Desert & La Quinta
Dance Group
Brett Smith
58, 5th Grade Teacher, Palm Springs
Vocalist
WHY OPEN CALL?
Since my first experience seeing a show at the McCallum Theatre, I have been impressed with the theatre and the quality of the
performances. When I sat in the audience at my first Open Call performance, I thought, “Oh to be talented and courageous enough to
sing on THAT stage must be a total thrill!” Finally, last year, as a member of the 2015 Open Call audience, I told myself that I wanted
more than anything to be up on THAT stage, experiencing the camaraderie of the cast, the professionalism of the staff, and yes, the
thrill of singing on THE McCallum stage! Well, here I am, lucky to sing a song that is close to my heart...and looking out on the very
seats that I have sat in myself for so many years!
INSPIRATION
My mother was always singing...even when she was pushing a vacuum cleaner over the green shag carpets. She had a way of making
work seem almost fun! My father introduced me, at age 8, to musicals when he insisted that I watch a show about a handsome
cowboy that falls in love with a beautiful and witty farm girl. The show was Oklahoma! As I grew older I discovered that music
and performing allowed me to leave the realities of day to day living, and be somebody else. I always found a friend in performing;
a character to comfort me in sadness and to mirror my enthusiasm when excited. When I perform, I find that an energy awakens
deep within me that heightens the many facets of life. As a teacher, I am inspired by watching the young students who realize
that they too, through performance, have a voice, and the sensitivity to express life through the actions and emotions of various
characters. My true inspiration comes from the artistic integrity and talents of the “greats,” such as Gene Kelly, Judy Garland,
Gordon MacRae, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.
MOTTO
“We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.”
DREAM
As I move down this cobblestone path of life, I realize that I blindly passed the exit to the Broadway stage many years ago. Having the
opportunity to sing and perform on the McCallum stage tonight has allowed me to realize that dreams do come true, no matter what
age you are...and right here in my own backyard!
Shafik Wahhab
Larry Wray
WHY OPEN CALL?
Singing is my passion and I wanted to be able to express myself
on the amazing McCallum stage.
INSPIRATION
Beautiful music.
MOTTO
I hope to make others feel as good as I make myself feel
when I sing.
31, Business Owner, Palm Springs
Vocalist
WHY OPEN CALL?
DREAM
My biggest dream is to sing Burt Bacharach songs with a full
orchestra and tell poignant funny stories that will move
audiences to tears of joy!!
I thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase my talent
in the desert. Also, I have never performed on the McCallum
stage while most of my peers have which crosses this off my
bucket list. There may have also been a slight nudge from a
dear friend.
INSPIRATION
The nature of performing inspires me. I always say it is my
“high.” Being in front of a crowd of people and being able to
do something that God has blessed me with is very inspiring.
I have always been inspired by music, talents, creativity and
the arts in general. Many times, we find ourselves among people
with similar souls and that is always comforting. Frank Sinatra,
Frankie Valli, Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake are just
a few gentlemen who I have been inspired by as a performer.
MOTTO
“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney
DREAM
To perform as long as I can.
55, Training Manager for Epic Project at Eisenhower Medical
Center, Palm Springs
Vocalist
Xavier Dance Team
& Academy
13-17, Students, Coachella, Bermuda Dunes, La Quinta, Indio,
Cathedral City, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage
WHY OPEN CALL?
We love to share our talents and passion for dance. We also
wanted to present to the audience the rare mix of ballet and hip
hop. The beauty and elegance of ballet, the strength of pas de
deux, and the bold off-the-wall movements of hip hop do collide
in our dance routine.
INSPIRATION
We are constantly inspired by the incredible professional
dancers we see in magazines, videos and other forms of media
that are such incredible role models for dancers. More directly,
we are inspired by our teachers and coaches that always push
us to be the best we can be and make us want to improve. They
allow us to grow and learn in so many ways and they plant the
seed for us to expand as dancers and as individuals.
MOTTO
When you dance from the heart, your feet will follow and passion
is our middle name.
DREAM
To entertain and inspire the audience with a new collision of
dance forms, ballet and hip hop. We love these two forms
of dance.