“I always dreamed of singing on the main stage.”

Dreams and inspiration are a common theme as we catch up with our former Teen Talent Showcase stars. For Fin White, that dream turned to reality in 2018. In a duet that year with Taliah Black, and again as a solo act in 2019, Fin featured catchy lyrics and a memorable, heartfelt stage presence.

Fin first became aware of the Music Festival in middle school. “I had only just begun to develop my guitar and songwriting skills. Even as a kid, I saw the festival as a fantastic source of accessible live music.”

Music filled Fin’s high school days, with time and energy going to marching band as well as classical and jazz...

Sometimes you can just watch a dream unfold. It sure seemed that way, sipping coffee with 2018 OHMF scholarship recipient Jordan George.

For a guy with so much on tap, Jordan was remarkably composed. He’s in the home stretch for his Master’s at WSU. A final recital looms, featuring (we are not making this up) a tuba’s take on a piece originally written for violin. When he flips his tassel on the first Saturday in May, and tucks that MA in Music under his arm… then what?

Auditions.

Jordan’s goal is an orchestral tuba position in a large city symphony. It isn’t hard to envision this confident young man getting exactly what he wants. And it all started right...

We caught up this month with Rosahlee, a former 4-time Teen Talent Showcase star at the festival. Rosahlee has since returned to our stage twice as an adult.

Rosahlee was in middle school when a teacher first showed her a poster for our Teen Talent Showcase. Looking back at that day, she says “I always wanted a chance to play music on a big festival stage. This was a great opportunity to do something I had dreamed of. I was very excited to perform my music in front of such a large audience!”

Rosahlee was also a competitive figure skater and loved the performance aspect. “Playing my own music live was still new and slightly nerve-racking to me, but being up on stage felt lik...