The Cultural Park Theatre is hosting a first-ever concert, “A Night of Song: Bernstein to Queen,” to benefit the Young Artists Awards program.
Each year the performing arts program is open to youths 8-21. Students audition for a spot in the program, are critiqued by national judges and, if chosen, they perform at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre and get a scholarship.
Terry Alfaro and Dana Alvarez, graduates of Cape Coral High School and Young Artist Awards alumni, will star in “A Night of Song” on Sunday, June 20, at 7:30 p.m. The two performers will sing solos and duets in a wide range of music styles from Broadway show tunes to rock and pop.
Their show marks the first time former young artists will take part in a concert to raise money for the program.
Alvarez, 24, is a gifted resource teacher at Oasis Elementary School in Cape Coral. She joined the program in her senior year of high school and continued through college, until she aged out at 21.
“It is a nice form of entertainment so family members, friends and people associated with young artists can come out for the evening and raise money for the scholarships which go to the students each year,” she said.
Because she was a part of the program for five years, Alvarez knows how important it is to maintain it for future artists. She said she always looked forward to auditioning for the program.
“It was really great, I looked forward to it every year and worked on it for months so I could be a finalist,” she said.
Young Artists Awards Executive Director Katherine Boren said approximately 30 students have been accepted each year since the program’s inception in 2004. They hand out close to $20,000 in savings bonds to accepted students, but individual amounts vary depending on student need and how the artist was rated by judges.
Categories for judging include contemporary voice, instrumental music, classical voice, drama and dance.
Boren said it’s nice to see Alvarez’s progression from young artist to a member of the board of directors who is organizing a show to give back to the community.
Tickets for the show are $12 for adults and $8 for students, and can be purchased at the Cultural Park Theatre Box Office or by contacting the Young Artist Awards program at 574-9321.
“I think they will be amazed at the talents of those two students. There is something to please everyone,” said Boren.
A silent auction with donated items will also raise additional funding for the scholarship program.
For more information on the program, visit www.youngartistsawards.org.