The Music of Prince. was this year’s theme for the 9th annual DC-CAPital Stars that took place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the Eisenhower Theater followed by a gala reception and old fashion Throw Down Party in the Nations Gallery featuring ‘The Source’ band.
The event featured a Celebrity Judge Idol-Style Competition including Patti Austin, Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter; Hinton Battle, Tony Award-winning dancer, singer, choreographer, producer, writer; Lana “MC Lyte” Moorer, Lyricist, DJ, Hip Hop pioneer, inspirational speaker; and well-known local radio legend Donnie Simpson, Radio One disc jockey, TV personality, R&B Music Hall of Fame inductee, who brought his Gangster Hat with gold chains to the show!
Ten finalists including twin tap dancers Max and Sam Heimowitz who judges thought was a flashback performance, Duke Ellington senior vocalist Rio Castenada Guthreau who delivered a powerful Broadway quality show tune , and Angela Chiles another vocalist from Ballou with a voice and personality that filled the theater.
But the traditional vocalists were shut out and the winners: were an eclectic and surprising group of over-the-top musical performers, and an original song writer and rapper from Southeast’s Thurgood Marshall Academy. First prize went to pianist Andrew Price, 17, a senior at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, who won the $10,000 college scholarship grand prize.
The second prize winner vocal-rap artist Myah Parker, 17, a senior at Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School, won a $6,000 college scholarship; and the third prize went to steel drum player Niara Lara, 17, a senior at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, won a $4,000 college scholarship.
The DC College Access Program’s (DC-CAP) major annual fundraiser event raised $750,000 was raised thanks to the generosity of The Boeing Company; His Excellency Yousef Al Otaiba, The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States; and Ted & Lynn Leonsis/Leonsis Foundation/Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation. (c) 2017 malcolm Lewis Barnes
