The J’s KC SuperStar competition will take place on Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. at Yardley Hall, located inside the Midwest Trust Center at Johnson County Community College. This year’s theme is “British Music Invasion.”
Each year, KC SuperStar features young, aspiring artists from across the Kansas City community in an “American Idol”-style competition. Now in its 16th year, the event awards a $10,000 scholarship to the most talented high school singer in the metro area. Finalists spend the summer preparing for a professionally produced show. During the event, judges select the top four performers, then leave it up to the audience to decide who will take home the grand prize.
As The J’s largest fundraising event of the year, KC SuperStar helps provide financial assistance so that members can participate in a wide range of services, including the Child Development Center, J Camp, Heritage, health and fitness programs and arts offerings. A portion of the funds raised also supports the Reat Griffin Underwood Rising Stars Fund, which provides performing arts education and training for youth ages 14-21.
Grammy Award winner and two-time Tony nominee Shoshana Bean will serve as the celebrity host and performer of the KC SuperStar Finals. Following her lead, a panel of three judges including Krista Tatschl Eyler, J. Kent Barnhart and Isaac Cates will evaluate each performance.
"Our judges are bringing their real-world insight to KC SuperStar, which ultimately creates a more meaningful and inspiring experience for our teens," said Tammy Ruder, KC SuperStar producer.
Involved with KC SuperStar since 2012, Barnhart shared that his favorite part of the competition is “meeting so many talented and motivated young artists, hearing their stories, and seeing how they grow as they move through the process.”
Single tickets for the KC SuperStar Finals are available at https://www.thejkc.org/kcss.