Winners of the 2024 Luzerne County and Beyond Got Talent pose for a photo with the judges after the show. top row, from left: Julie Sidoni, Lorenzo Medico, Judith Miller, David Meehan, Caila Klaiss and Mark James Klepaski. bottom row, from left: Ciana Cruz, Olivia Stockage, Apalonia Passetti, Jimmy Stranger, Tatiana Schlifka and Elyssa Pemu.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Third annual Luzerne County … and Beyond Got Talent held
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Luzerne County and Beyond… Got Talent Committee Member and host/producer of WBRE-WYOU PA Live!, Chris Bohinski, provided some vocal entertainment while the votes were counted.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Pittsburge resident Elyssa Pemu, 21, performs Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing’ Sunday at the third annual Luzerne County and Beyond… Got Talent. Pemu was voted third in the audience choice category, winning a cash prize of $250.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Father and son duo, Dudley and Dimitri Craig, perform the jazz classic, ‘Maputo.’
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Tatiana Schlifka, 16, and a student at Scranton Prep, performs a piano tribute to Elton John. Tatiana Schlifka was voted second place in the Audience’s Choice category, winning a cash prize of $500.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Siblings Isabella, 13, Brysen, 10, and Bianca, 9, Barilka perform a Broadway Medley together, with seclections from stage classics like ‘Les Miserables’ and modern hits like ‘Hamilton.’
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
House band MK3 Trio, with Marshall Kornblatt on the piano, Phil Simon on bass, and Pat Marcink on drums, provided live music for the event.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
Luzerne County and Beyond… Got Talent committee members pose for a photo Sunday in th lobby of the F. M. Kirby Center ahead of the third annual Luzerne County and Beyond… Got Talent.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
The raffle table in the lobby of the F. M. Kirby Center was filled with a variety of prizes, all totaling over $3,000. The prizes were donated by indivuuals and businesses from all over Luzerne and Lackawanna County.
Margaret Roarty | Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — Luzerne County… and Beyond Got Talent returned for the third year to the F. M. Kirby Center on Sunday where some of the area’s most talented performers competed for a chance to win several cash prizes.
As with last year’s show, the NEPA Music Teacher Association (NEPMTA) expanded the competition beyond Luzerne County and the 25 finalists that took the stage Sunday hailed from all over Pennsylvania.
“We’re thrilled that it’s expanding,” said Chairperson Andrea Bogusko. “We’re very excited to present a really entertaining, very talented group of finalists this afternoon.”
The competition featured a wide range of artists of all ages, from dancers, vocalists and pianists, and even included father-and-son duo, Dudley and Dimitri Craig, who performed the jazz classic “Maputo” on the guitar and saxophone.
Judges for the event included Cailia Klaiss, Breaking Benjamin founding member Mark James Klepaski, Lorenzo Medico, David Meehan, Judith Miller and WVIA News Director Julie Sidoni.
In the end, Lake-Lehman High School junior Olivia Stockage took home the first place prize of $1,000 in the Judge’s Choice category for her performance of Richard Strauss’s “Heimliche Aufforderung.”
No stranger to the musical theater scene in the area, Stockage also won first place at last year’s NEPA Sings competition.
The audience’s choice for first place went to Jimmy Stranger for his acoustic performance of Johnny Cash’s “Hurt.” Stranger was the second-place winner of the same category in last year’s competition.
Judge’s Choice for second place in the amount of $750 went to Ciana Cruz for her piano performance of Valse in Eb, Op. 83. Tatiana Schlifka, a student at Scranton Prep, was voted second place in the Audience’s Choice category, winning a cash prize of $500, for her piano tribute to Elton John.
Coming in third place for the Judge’s Choice in the amount of $500 was Apalonia Passetti, who won for her vocal performance of “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from the Phanton of the Opera.
Passetti, 14, was only 3 years old when she auditioned for the Rail Riders and has spent the last 11 years honing her craft and performing in local musical theater shows.
“I wasn’t expecting this,” she said after the show. “I’m in shock, but it’s really cool.”
Lastly, 21-year-old Elyssa Pemu, from Pittsburgh, won third place in audience’s choice, winning a cash prize of $250 for her performance of Whitney Houston’s “Nothing.”
Pemu said it was an honor to be voted audience’s choice. It was her first time performing in a venue like the Kirby.
“I’ve always been singing, but a few months ago I decided to start taking lessons and taking it seriously,” she said.
The competition was emceed by state Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, who, in addition to introducing each contestant, provided some entertainment of his own while the votes were being tallied, as did committee member and host/producer of PA Live!, Chris Bohinski.
Raffle Chairperson Lizzie Brezney, with help from her mom, Helene Breznay, helped secure more than $3,000 in raffle prizes for the event.
Money raised from the raffle, as well as ticket sales, will go toward funding college scholarships for students looking to pursue an education in the arts.