Cara Parisi, a Bishop Miege High School graduate who had auditioned for the past two years, was chosen as the 2022 KC SuperStar and won the top $10,000 scholarship prize.
KC SuperStar, the annual fundraiser for The Jewish Community Center (The J), brought in a record $1.3 million dollars this year.
This year was the 13th for KC SuperStar, a high school singing competition (in the style of “American Idol” and ”The Voice”) produced by The Jewish Community Center (The J). The record-breaking $1.3 million raised by this year’s KC SuperStar fundraiser helps provide transportation, meals, education, camp, wellness programs and the arts to children, families, individuals and senior adults. The J continues to share a portion of KC SuperStar proceeds with the Reat Griffin Underwood Rising Stars Fund; this year, proceeds will also be shared with KU Hillel. The event chairs were Michelle Cole and Kurt Kavanaugh.
Held at Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College, KC SuperStar’s concluding event featured the top 10 finalists singing solos as well as group numbers with a Broadway theme. Also in attendance was celebrity guest Matt Doyle, who recently won the 2022 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as Jaime in “Company.” In addition to introducing each finalist and doing a brief interview with them, Doyle entertained the audience with a mini concert that included his solo song from “Company.”
In addition to Doyle’s musical entertainment, 2021 KC SuperStar Darcie Hingula returned to perform for the audience. FOX 4 Anchor Abby Eden joined Doyle as co-host.
The group of 10 finalists was whittled down to the top four singers by a three-judge panel of entertainment professionals consisting of Lindsey Jones Pryor, Millie Nottingham and Richard McCroskey. The audience then voted for the top prize winners.
Parisi took the title prize followed by Maddox Bane, second place and winner of a $5,000 scholarship; Kate Meives, third place with a $2,500 scholarship; and Stella Woodall, fourth place and a $1,000 scholarship. The remaining finalists each receive $500 scholarships.
The next morning, Cara Parisi headed to the University of Alabama-Birmingham to study musical theater while Maddox Bane, a Park Hill High School graduate, traveled to Boston Conservatory at Berklee to continue his musical theater training. Third place winner Kate Meives is a senior at Olathe East High School, and fourth place winner Stella Woodall returns to Blue Valley Northwest High School for her senior year.
In its 13 years, the event has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships for individuals and families. Because of the community’s generosity, The J was able to provide $540,000 in financial aid.
