The Star Search Talent Display 2017 Territorial Finals were held on Saturday, June 10 at the Westchester Hilton Hotel in Rye Brook, New York. This marked the first time in four years that Star Search returned to this venue after taking place in the Hershey, PA area over the past several years. A beautiful eighty degree day greeted the participants, adjudicators and controllers on the day of the event. Over 900 young people between the ages of 6 and 21 participated in the event, with over 1900 people in attendance that viewed the event at the hotel (and all were served lunch!) along with the Awards Ceremony at the Westchester County Center at 4:30 PM on the same afternoon.

Several notable groups and an individual won first place prizes in events for the second year in a row, including the White Plains Youth Chorus (Greater New York Division) and Montclair Citadel Youth Band (New Jersey Division). These 2 groups will be ineligible to participate in the Territorial Finals for one year. In addition, Morgan Kincaid of the Salem, Ohio corps of the NEOSA Division won the Level 2 Dance Soloist event for the second year in a row, and will need to move on to Level 3 for next year. It was also interesting to note that every Kroc Center in the territory (Camden, Boston, Philadelphia, Dayton, Ashland and Guayama, PR) had a winner (3rd place or above) in either a group or individual event – the first time that this writer can recall this happening at a Territorial Star Search Finals event.

The Awards Ceremony in the Westchester County Center was held in conjunction with the Saturday night Commissioning Weekend program including a large segment by Unbound. Star Search Awards were presented in 3 segments that added a great deal of excitement to the program, which concluded this year at the record early time of 6:15 PM!

Salvationist Star Search Talent Display

June 10, 2017

2017 Award Winners

Acoustic Guitar Soloist

Level 1
3^rd Place               Mateo Alvarez, Templo de Queens – GNY
2^nd Place               Laura Agblekbe, Boston Kroc Center – MASS
1^st Place                Rachel Adams, New Haven – SONED

Level 2
3^rd Place               Marlon Rosario, San Juan Central Temple – PR/VI
2^nd Place               Zaire Green, New York Harlem Temple – GNY
1^st Place                Hannah Hansen, Sidney – SWONEKY

Level 3
3^rd Place               Gabriela Ochoa, White Plains – GNY
2^nd Place               Rayya Brooks, Dayton Kroc Center – SWONEKY
1^st Place                Vivieane Andrade, New Brunswick – NJ

Level 4
3^rd Place               Cameron DeMatteo, Bath/Brunswick – NNE
2^nd Place               Paola Torres, Buffalo Temple – EMPIRE
1^st Place                Luis Moran, New York Manhattan Citadel – GNY

Brass Soloist

Level 1
3^rd Place               Maria Mercedes, San Juan Central Temple – PR/VI
2^nd Place               Joshua Bang, Newport, SONED
1^st Place                Matthew VanderWeele, Montclair Citadel – NJ

Level 2
3^rd Place               Peter Wajda, Schenectady – EMPIRE
2^nd Place               Ana M. Cruz, Guayama Kroc Center – PR/VI
1^st Place                Selena Moran, New York Manhattan Citadel – GNY

Level 3
3^rd Place               Gavrilla Wicaksono, Ithaca – EMPIRE
2^nd Place               Evan VanderWeele, Montclair Citadel – NJ
1^st Place                Sara Dina, Cleveland Temple – NEOSA

Level 4
3^rd Place               Rachel Dina, Cleveland Temple – NEOSA
2^nd Place               Victor Ccapacca, White Plains – GNY
1^st Place                Mackenzie Dalrymple, Cincinnati Center Hill – SWONEKY

Dance Soloist

Level 1
3^rd Place               Serenity Trinidad, Bristol – SONED
2^nd Place               Haven Williams, Dayton Kroc Center – SWONEKY
1^st Place                Neysimar Ojeda, Bayamon – PR/VI

Level 2
3^rd Place               Lurka Edmond, Westbury – GNY
2^nd Place               Mia McAtee, Dayton Kroc Center – SWONEKY
1^st Place                Morgan Kincaid, Salem – NEOSA

Level 3
3^rd Place               Lilianny Rosario, Bronx Citadel – GNY
2^nd Place               Bryce Jache, Warren – WEPASA
1^st Place                Savannah Cameron, Lowell – MASS

Level 4
3^rd Place               Serenity Valdes, Camden Kroc Center – NJ
2^nd Place               Tyler DeGroate, New Haven – SONED
1^st Place                Rachel Brand, Johnstown – WEPASA

Dance Troupe

Level A
3^rd Place               Bronx Citadel – GNY
2^nd Place               Columbus East Main – SWONEKY
1^st Place                Guayama Kroc Center – PR/VI

Level B
3^rd Place               Johnstown – WEPASA
2^nd Place               Salem – NEOSA
1^st Place                Bronx Tremont – GNY

Drama Monologue

Level 1
3^rd Place               Ava Evans, Montclair Citadel – NJ
2^nd Place               Ayanna Aldrige, Middletown – SWONEKY
1^st Place                Romina Espinoza, East Northport – GNY

Level 2
3^rd Place               Madison Suk, Montclair Citadel – NJ
2^nd Place               Aidan DeFrates, Middletown – SWONEKY
1^st Place                Andrew Loja, Port Chester – GNY

Level 3
3^rd Place               Julia Casteneda, Fall River – MASS
2^nd Place               Nana Eshun, Columbus East Main – SWONEKY
1^st Place                Lucas Urbina, Temple de Queens – GNY

Level 4
3^rd Place               Rayya Brooks, Dayton Kroc Center – SWONEKY
2^nd Place               Emily Kahn, Youngstown Citadel – NEOSA
1^st Place                Tiffany Garcia, Bronx Tremont – GNY

Drama Troupe

Level A
3^rd Place               Columbus East Main – SWONEKY
2^nd Place               Westbury – GNY
1^st Place                Montclair Citadel – NJ

Level B
3^rd Place               Pottstown – PENDEL
2^nd Place               Bronx Tremont – GNY
1^st Place                Dayton Kroc Center – SWONEKY

Piano Soloist

Level 1
3^rd Place               Victoria Preston, Sharon – WEPASA
2^nd Place               Oliver Bungard, Alliance – NEOSA
1^st Place                Kenneth Chalco-Leon, Kearny – NJ

Level 2
3^rd Place               Jenna DeMichael, Ashland Kroc Center – NEOSA
2^nd Place               Eugene Lim, Kearny – NJ
1^st Place                Kayli Schoch, Philadelphia Roxborough – PENDEL

Level 3
3^rd Place               Laura Baptista, Bronx Tremont – GNY
2^nd Place               Joanne Lee, Philadelphia Korean – PENDEL
1^st Place                Caroline Wajda, Schenectady – EMPIRE

Level 4
2^nd Place Sharlene Lucero, Temple de Queens – GNY
1^st Place Gavrilla Wicaksono, Ithaca – EMPIRE

Singing Company

3^rd Place               Ithaca – EMPIRE
2^nd Place               Montclair Citadel – NJ
1^st Place                White Plains – GNY

Snare Drum Soloist

Level 1
3^rd Place               Lyanet Rivera, Guayama Kroc Center – PR/VI
2^nd Place               Jeremiah Wright, New York Harlem Temple – GNY
1^st Place                Joel Lee – Philadelphia Korean – PENDEL

Level 2
3^rd Place               Ken’yonn Jolly, Wooster – NEOSA
2^nd Place               Viviano Rodriguez, San Juan Central Temple – PR/VI
1^st Place                Oliver Zoduwah, Staten Island Stapleton – GNY

Level 3
3^rd Place               Jake Lyle, Columbus Chapel at Worthington Woods – SWONEKY
2^nd Place               José Tavarez, San Juan Central Temple – PR/VI
1^st Place                Edward Hardy, Newark Ironbound – NJ

Level 4
2^nd Place Fernando Pacheco, San Juan Central Temple – PR/VI
1^st Place Philip Betts, Mansfield – NEOSA

Timbrel Brigade

Level A
3^rd Place               Homestead Steel Valley – WEPASA
2^nd Place               Brooklyn Brownsville – GNY
1^st Place                Kearny – NJ

Level B
3^rd Place               Flemington – NJ
2^nd Place               Quincy – MASS
1^st Place                Bronx Tremont – GNY

Vocal Soloist

Level 1
3^rd Place               Zoe Zanders, Philadelphia Kroc Center – PENDEL
2^nd Place               Millie Payton, Ithaca – EMPIRE
1^st Place                John Cuadros, Queens Ridgewood – GNY

Level 2
3^rd Place               Brooke Johnson               , Indiana – WEPASA
2^nd Place               James Dorce, Westbury – GNY
1^st Place                Sophie Baker, Montclair Citadel – NJ

Level 3
3^rd Place               Isabella Kirk, Bangor – NNE
2^nd Place               Cas Pooley, Ithaca – EMPIRE
1^st Place                Annastassya Segovia, White Plains – GNY

Level 4
3^rd Place               Tia Oakes, Niagara Falls Citadel – EMPIRE
2^nd Place               Eric Hawkins, Dayton Kroc Center – SWONEKY
1^st Place                David Ochoa, White Plains – GNY

Youth Band

3^rd Place               San Juan Central Temple – PR/VI
2^nd Place               New York Manhattan Citadel – GNY
1^st Place                Montclair Citadel – NJ

Youth Chorus

3^rd Place               Dayton Kroc Center – SWONEKY
2^nd Place               Ithaca – EMPIRE
1^st Place                White Plains – GNY

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