Rising Stars Return To Compete For Title Of Rising All-Star At 25th Annual Celebration Of The Arts In Howard County

The Howard County Arts Council will commemorate 20 years of its Rising Star Performing Arts Competition at the 25th annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County on Saturday, November 5, 2022 from 6 to 10 pm at the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center at Howard Community College (HCC) in Columbia.

A special All-Star edition of the competition will feature previous winners returning to the stage to compete for the title of Rising All-Star and the $5,000 cash prize.

A highlight of the Celebration of the Arts, the Rising Star Performing Arts Competition features up to ten finalists - aged 18 to 35 years and currently or recently living, working, performing regularly, or receiving training in Howard County - competing for a cash prize of $5,000. The winner of the competition is selected by the Celebration audience of artists, arts patrons, business and political representatives, and community members, with the award presented live on stage.

The Rising Stars returning to compete at this year's Celebration are:

Curtis Bannister, 2019 Rising Star

Described as "a tenor of impressive stamina," by The New York Times, Curtis is the recipient of the 2021 Actors' Equity Foundation Roger Sturtevant Award for Outstanding Talent in Musical Theater. He recently completed an East and West Coast tour, debuting the role of Florestan (Beethoven's FIDELIO) with Heartbeat Opera; debuted with the Cincinnati Symphony & Pops Orchestra; made his Tribeca Film Festival debut in The Conductor; and originated the role of Juror #8 for the pre-Broadway world premiere musical adaptation of 12 Angry Men. Future engagements include his feature film debut and opera, classical, and theater engagements throughout the country.

MaryKate Brouillet, 2021 Rising Star

MaryKate Brouillet is an actor/singer in the DC area who has been performing with Toby's Dinner Theatre regularly for the past decade. She was born and raised in Howard County and as a lifelong student of Toby Orenstein has been heavily influenced by Toby's love and passion for arts education. In addition to performing, MaryKate teaches after school drama programs for Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts (CCTA) and recently traveled to Thailand for volunteer work at several schools and an elephant sanctuary. MaryKate can currently be found starring as Molly in the Toby's Dinner Theatre production of Ghost.

Samantha McEwen Deininger, 2012 Rising Star

Samantha McEwen Deininger is a proud native of Howard County and a graduate of Howard High School. She trained to be an opera singer at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and later studied in New York at the Ward Acting Studio. Samantha has performed in numerous operas, plays, and musicals throughout the country. She routinely works with her husband, who serves as her personal music director and composer; they also perform together in the band Scotch and Lies. At the beginning of the pandemic, the duo used their home studio to create a free library of religious music for churches across the country to use for online worship.

Mark Edwards, 2016 Rising Star

Guitarist Mark Edwards has been hailed by the Montgomery Advertiser as a player who "transfers to another zone, effortlessly strumming, plucking and picking a variety of classical masterpieces with clarity." Recent performances include Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall and Isaac Stern Auditorium, ArtScape in Baltimore, and Prince George's Philharmonic. From 1998 to present, he has earned 32 top prizes in the United States, Canada, and Thailand, including the 2010 Asia International Guitar Competition and the 2009 Montreal International Guitar Competition. Mark holds a Master of Music Performance/Pedagogy from the Peabody Institute of Music, and a Bachelor of Music, magna cum laude, from Columbus State University.

Gabriel Hightower, 2020 Rising Star

Gabriel Hightower is a cellist from Columbia, Maryland and a resident of Howard County for 22 years. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Maryland, College Park and his Master of Music Degree from Carnegie Mellon University. This past year, Gabriel completed a fellowship with Iris Orchestra in Memphis, TN. He has performed with such groups as the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, Prince George's Philharmonic, Redline String Quartet, Kyle Simpson Jazz Collective, Darlingtonia, and more.

Junghoon Park, 2018 Rising Star

Howard County native Junghoon (John) Park is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County who has studied with Drs. Kristina Suter, Alon Goldstein, and Audrey Andrist to obtain a vast knowledge of repertoire and chamber music. He has participated in prestigious music festivals and competitions, such as the National Music Festival, Wonderlic Competition, and Liszt-Garrison Competition. Junghoon was selected as one of the top 12 live performers in the New York Piano Festival and Competition in 2017. He has been performing solo piano music across the country, including a recent concert tour on the West Coast promoting music by Ukrainian composer Nikolai Kapustin.

In addition to the Rising Star Competition, the Celebration features a reception with culinary delights from local restaurants, a gala art auction, musical performances, and the presentation of the Howie Awards. Dr. Daria J. Willis, president of Howard Community College, will act as Honorary Chair for this year's festivities and Joseph W. Ritsch, Producing Artist Director, Rep Stage, will serve as Event Emcee.  

Tickets are $100 and $50 and available online at hocoarts.org/celebration, by phone at 410-313-ARTS (2787), or in the Howard County Arts Council office at 8510 High Ridge Road, Ellicott City, MD 21043. 

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