GL_031617

glenviewlantern.com news
the glenview lantern | March 16, 2017 | 3
Glenview’s Got Talent raises $40,000 for D34
Neil Milbert
Freelance Reporter
Nobody who came to
St. John Brebeuf Church
in Niles to see Glenview’s
Got Talent on Saturday,
March 11, had any regrets
about missing “Saturday
Night Live.”
Not only was the local
talent show a smashing
success artistically, it was
a financial success as well,
raising more than $40,000
for the Glenview Education
Foundation to fund
Glenview School District
34 education grants.
Cathy Cunningham and
Jennifer Kramer were the
co-chairs of the inaugural
event, which was an outgrowth
of the 2015 Dancing
With the Local Stars
benefit for the Glenview
Education Foundation.
“In October we were
asking interested acts
to send in videos so we
could select the 12 for the
show,” Cunningham said.
“Then, starting Feb. 5, we
gave a little taste by putting
videos of [up to] two
minutes on the District 34
website. Farah Patt, who
is a senior at Glenbrook
South, helped create all
but one video. Acts also
were posted on social media
outside Glenview and
people could vote for their
favorites by making online
credit card donations.”
Voting continued on the
night of the performances
with both cash and online
credit card donations.
Three trophies were presented:
Critic’s Choice,
consensus selection of the
three guest judges; People’s
Choice, the act that raised
the most money through
online and on-site contributions;
and Best of Show, the
audience favorite.
Earning both the Critic’s
Choice and People’s
Choice trophies for its
rousing rendition of The
Beatles’ “Hey Jude” was
Brass Backwards, a brass
quintet made up of Dave
Morris and Aaron Wojcik
on trumpet, Melissa Read
on horn, Greg Wojcik on
trombone, and Jim Baumstark
on tuba.
A drumline youth band
consisting of District 34
students made a spirited
appearance at the end of
the performance, evoking
a standing ovation from
the audience.
“Amazing interpretation
of the tune, and then the
youth band coming in,”
said judge Matvey Kostukovsky,
cofounder and director
of music and audio
production at Terra Sounds
School of Music and Arts.
“Fantastic,” added judge
Ann Marie Shipstad, cultural
arts manager for the
Glenview Park District.
“You guys stayed in character
and the band coming
in at the end was just incredible.”
The Best of Show trophy
went to Pat & Cat Unplugged,
the acoustic singing
duet of Pat Garvey and
Catherine Rolfes, for their
version of The Civil Wars’
“Barton Hollow.”
“That was a captivating
performance — lots of
emotion and a really sound
rhythmic foundation,” judge
Mark Maranto, instructional
supervisor for fine arts at
Glenbrook South, told Garvey
and Rolfes.
“Loved it, loved it,” Kostukovsky
added. “I could
listen to that forever.”
Performing musical solos
were blues singer Katlyn
Swanson, jazz singer
Kaylee Durow and singer/
songwriter Alex Pataky.
Other solo acts were
performed by stand-up
comic English John (John
Howard); Zero Gravity comedian
and juggler Chris
Matsakis; and Catherine
Rolfes’ husband, Tom
Rolfes, a comedian with
the rare talent of speaking
backwards.
The concluding act was
The Happy Dancers, a
Dancing with the 2015 Local
Stars revival featuring
eight individuals prominent
in the community.
Taking part in the reunion
Complimentary Renovation Consultation
Please see D34, 9
Elliott From, of Artbeat Live, puts the finishing touches on his Blackhawks painting
during Glenview’s Got Talent on Saturday, March 11, at St. John Brebeuf Church in
Niles. Carlos Alvarez/22nd Century Media
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