8 area musicians in ‘Ohio Has Talent!’

CHP information

Contestants will once again be competing for prize money in the sixth annual Ohio Has Talent! competition on Saturday, February 9, at 7 p.m. at Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Van Wert.

The benefit show for Community Health Professionals’ Van Wert Inpatient Hospice Center features 20 local and regional performers selected from auditions held in November. Many entrants are from northwest Ohio, but there are also performers from Columbus, Dayton, Fort Wayne, Ind., and Fostoria. Audience votes will decide the winners.

Area contestants include:

Ann Brake is a 16-year-old from Ohio City who has studied dance for more than nine years. She is a returning performer who has a deep love for the art of dance and is considering a career in it.

James Brake – 23, of Ohio City, is a graduate of Lincolnview High School and Bluffton University, with a bachelor’s degree in music education. He began playing piano at a young age, and while in college, studied percussion, piano, voice and composition.

Gabrielle Emerick is a 13-year-old, seventh-grade student at Crestview Middle School where she sings in the choir and is in band and cheerleading. She enjoys singing and has performed at the Van Wert County Fair.

Rachel Green, 15, of Rockford, is a sophomore at Parkway High School. She participates in band, choir, drama club, foreign language club, dance, all-star cheer, and “Flip-Tuck Flyers.” She loves music and has dreams of being a singing performer.

Michaella Johnson is a 12-year-old with a passion for music and reading. She is a sixth grader at Van Wert Middle School, where is a gold card recipient in the Renaissance program. She first competed in OHT when she was six-years-old.

Natalee Rose Patrick, 13, of Delphos, is an eighth grade student at Elida Middle School. She has performed at singing competitions, county fairs and at country music festivals. She has also been in theater productions and studies dance.

Scott Turner is an 18-year-old senior at Van Wert High School. He is a multi-instrumentalist, performing on piano, trumpet, organ, and keyboard percussion. He competed in Ohio Has Talent in 2008 and 2011, and guest-performed an original, memorial composition for Shirissa Seibert at the 2012 show.

Emma Wurst is a 16-year-old sophomore at Delphos Jefferson High School, and second-time performer at Ohio Has Talent. She has taken piano lessons for five years and vocal lessons for four. She also plays trombone in the Lima Area Youth Orchestra.

2012 Ohio Has Talent winner Cameron Jones of Delphos will be performing during the voting tally. View all contestant photos and bios at Community Health Professionals’ Facebook page.

Tickets for the show are available for $10 to $25 through the NPAC ticket office, 419.238.6722, www.npacvw.org or at Community Health Professionals, 419.238.9223, www.ComHealthPro.org.