Morristown’s Got Talent–and then some. Meet this year’s contestants

morristown's got talent 2011
The 2011 finalists for Morristown's Got Talent! Photo by Kevin Coughlin
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By Vicki Birmingham

Pity the judges. They are going to have their hands full next month at the fourth annual Morristown’s Got Talent! show.

Sixteen acts will compete on Feb. 23 for a $1,000 top prize. The show is a fundraiser for special projects in the Morris School District; last year’s edition packed the Community Theatre and raised $30,000. Ticket sales start on Jan. 21.

Emcees this year are Bill Bromberg and Johnny D. Those poor judges?  Blaire Reinhard, a singer-songwriter and Morristown High School alum; Jonathon Pierce, production director of the Community Theatre; opera soprano Karen Notare; and Guy Adami, a panelist on CNBC’s Fast Money.

More than 70 acts tried out for the competition, which was open to anyone who lives, works or attends school in Morristown, Morris Township or Morris Plains. Fran Rossoff of the Morris Educational Foundation said organizers wanted to trim the roster to 14 acts, but realized there was “no way” after seeing how much talent turned out.

The finalists sat down with us on Saturday, and here they are. Stay tuned for video, too.

morristown's got talent 2011
The 2011 finalists for Morristown's Got Talent! Photo by Kevin Coughlin

Robert Matarazzo

rpobert matarazzo
Robert Matarazzo. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

A resident of Cranford, Robert Matarazzo works at the new AT&T store on the Green, where he first heard about Morristown’s Got Talent. A singer, songwriter, and touring artist for 25 years, he’s trying his hand at competition for the first time. “It’s been terrific,” Matarrazo says, “It’s been everything I thought it would be so far.” Though he’s the jokester in the group of 16 finalists– wisecracking and pulling faces during the group picture– Matarazzo will be a crooner, not a comedian. He will perform Crying by Roy Orbison.  Matarazzo has been playing guitar “longer than I’d like to admit.” When pressed, he admits that means three decades. “I think I’m the oldest guy in the competition,” he says with a shake of his head. At 44, Matarazzo is one of the oldest competitors, but also one of the most energetic. “There’s a lot of really good talent,” he says. But as an old pro, he’s not nervous for the final showdown. He’s ready to go.

Stasz and Junia Klinge-Loy

junia and stasz klinge-loy
Junia and Stasz Klinge-Loy. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

Nineteen-year-old Stasz Klinge-Loy and his 14-year-old sister Junia are all smiles in the media room. Though their family is originally from Puerto Rico and Stasz was born in Madrid, they’ve been residents of Morristown for the past 15 years. Stasz now is a student at the Mannes Conservatory of Music, after studying for six years at Julliard. Junia is being home-schooled, in what she describes as a musical household. The two will be performing a piano and violin duet that they found on YouTube. The piece, by Victor Borge, was an improvised encore played at a concert. The brother-sister pair thought it was a fun version, and wanted to try creating their own. Though this is their first competition, the two have been playing together for almost five years. “I just came in, like, why not?” Stasz says of their decision to audition. Though their name for Morristown’s Got Talent! simply will be ‘Stasz and Junia,’ Junia smiles and says she would have preferred “The Dynamic Duo.” “More like ‘The Un-dynamic Duo,’” Stasz says with a laugh. “Our main goal is not winning,” Junia says, but “just enjoying the experience.” Stasz’s biggest fear for the big show? “I don’t know what they’re going to feed us!”

Anne Marie and her Morristown Angels

Anne Marie and her Morristown Angels
Anne Marie and her Morristown Angels. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

After her solo act was laid low by laryngitis last year, Anne Marie Jarka-Hajjar rallied her singing troops for a second try. The “Morristown Angels” are Kaitlyn Gallagher, 9; Stephanie Rudgers, 12; Haley Georgen, 11; Gabi Grella, 12; Emma Wong, 10; and Brianna Edson, 12. The girls are all students at the Assumption School and friends of Jarka-Hajjar. The singing group was only formed six weeks ago, but they’ve been practicing in Jarka-Hajjar’s home every Sunday and after school to prepare. They will be performing the Glee cast version of Home from the musical The Wiz. The girls are all excited, but they raise their hands politely when asked how they feel about the experience. “It’s fun to work with all of them and hang out all the time,” says Gallagher.  “It’s an amazing opportunity for these girls,” Jarka-Hajjar interjects. “We’re going to cherish every moment.”

Danny Dones

Danny Dones
Danny Dones. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

Danny Dones, a junior at Morristown High School, has tried out for Morristown’s Got Talent! three times and was a finalist last year but did not win. He’s back with a new song and renewed confidence. Dones has performed in every MHS production since his freshman year, and he says the shows helped prepare him for the larger stage by giving him experience and “people-dealing devices.” He looks forward to more exposure and audience feedback from Morristown’s Got Talent! “After the last show I had people coming up to me five months later to congratulate me. I was like, thanks, that was a long time ago!” This time around, Dones will be singing Desperado by the Eagles, which his dad picked for him. “At first I was thinking, oh great, another dad song,” Dones laughs. After high school, Dones hopes to attend either Brown University or Ithaca College to study music, sound recording and English. For now, he has his eyes set on Feb. 23 at the Community Theatre. “It’s a lot of fun and I don’t really get nervous,” he says. “They had really good food last year and people asked how I could eat right before performing. Oh, please, I’m not going to give up food!” Spoken like a true teenaged boy, Danny.

Camille Bourland

Camille Bourland
Camille Bourland. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

Regardless of the outcome next month, Camille Bourland wins the award for most persistent competitor. The singing eighth grader has auditioned for all four years of Morristown’s Got Talent!, and she finally made it in this year. “I think my voice has matured,” the precocious 13-year-old says. “I was also more confident.” She has previously competed in the Frelinghuysen Middle School talent shows, and came in 3rd place last year. Bourland says she’s excited to join the high school drama program next year because it’s “a lot more professional.”  In the upcoming competition, she’ll be performing Can You Feel the Love Tonight? from the Broadway musical The Lion King. “I’m just a tad bit nervous,” she says with a smile, “But I want to be on Broadway one day!”

Dane Michael Glynn

Dane Michael Glynn
Dane Michael Glynn. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

Dane Michael Glynn, only 16 years old, already is the picture of professionalism.  He has the air of someone with far more experience than the typical teenager. The Morristown High School sophomore studies at the Linda Benanti Voice Studio in Kinnelon.

“My teachers there taught me so much about my voice,” Glynn says. Following high school, Glynn hopes to attend the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and “after that, I’m hitting the city.”

This is his second time competing in Morristown’s Got Talent! and he’s excited.  Glynn will sing the classical Italian art song Caro Mio Ben.

Dermot McPeake

Dermot McPeake
Dermot McPeake. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

Twenty-two-year-old Dermot McPeake is both the tallest and most foreign contestant. The 6-foot-6 Irishman is working in Morristown at an internship with CIE Tours.
He may be new to the country, but he is certainly not new to competing.  The singer competed on the hit TV talent shows X-Factor and Ireland’s Got Talent. Fittingly, McPeake saw the flyer for Morristown’s Got Talent! at the Dublin Pub. Noticing the smirk this proclamation produces, he quickly clarifies he was just walking past, not frequenting.  McPeake returns to Ireland this summer to finish his degree in business at the University of Ulster at Jordanstown. Then McPeake hopes to move back to the US and break into the music business. “Just be yourself,” is his advice to aspiring singers. “Don’t try to be someone else.” McPeake will sing Use Somebody by Kings of Leon.

Jasmin and Lauren

Jasmin and Lauren
Jasmin Serrano and Lauren Schulman. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

Jasmin Serrano and Lauren Schulman, both residents of Wayne, have been friends for 10 years and a duet for two, since Schulman began playing guitar. Both women are self-taught, though Serrano says her mother was always very “gung-ho” about her singing. “My mom is the Simon Cowell of my life,” she quips. While this will be Schulman’s first competition, Serrano has sung in talent shows on her own. “I won my first talent show in kindergarten,” she says, laughing. “I sang Mariah Carey.” As for this contest, Serrano says they “don’t even think about winning.” Schulman chimes in: “I just want to have fun.”  Serrano works at Zebu Forno in Morristown and says she loves Morristown “because it’s so town-ie.” Schulman is employed at the Post Office but assures fellow competitors: “I won’t go Postal on you!”  The two say they found a perfect stage name by accident, and too late, after the auditions. They asked a friend over the phone for a name suggestion, and he mumbled something that sounded like “Words by a Villain.”  The name stuck. To anyone thinking of auditioning next year, the pair offers these words: “Relax, be yourself, and have fun!”

Peter Smith Irish Dancers

Peter Smith Irish Dancers
The Peter Smith Irish Dancers. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

Dancers Courtney Bizub, 21, and Meghan Epperly, 26, herd a group of dancers into the media room. Bright starched dresses bob with one exception. Eleven-year-old Hugh Grennan, the sole boy in the group, wears a bright satin vest and says he likes be “the one and only.” Grennan and his friend and fellow dancer, 10-year-old Anna Skelton, auditioned for Morristown’s Got Talent! last year but came up short. This time, they’ve come with back-up. The act has grown to 13 members: Lindsay Whelan, 8; Meghan Geschwindt, 10; Meghan Dunne, 9; Emily Goss, 17; Robyn Roesing, 16; Jackie Doddy, 14; Christina Ledford, 9; Claire Fagan, 10; Jessica Vanblerk, 7; plus Grennan, Skelton, Bizub, and Epperly. This is the first time a group from the Peter Smith School of Irish Dance has made it into the competition, and Bizub says it’s been “interesting trying to work with all the different levels of dance experience.”  Nobody will doze off when this troupe kicks up its heels!

Catherine Rothweiler

Catherine Rothweiler
Catherine Rothweiler. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

Catherine Rothweiler, a 2008 Morristown High School graduate, always has been musical. At MHS she was president of the Thespian Society, a member of the Music Honor Society and orchestra, and the head cheerleader. This is her first time auditioning for Morristown’s Got Talent!  A friend sent her a link to an article about the show. Rothweiler has an associate’s degree in music and performing from County College of Morris, and is studying writing, editing, and publishing at Kean University. She will be singing The Girl in 14G by Jeanine Tesori and Kristin Chenoweth. Rothweiler keeps her lungs in shape by jogging, inflating balloons and breathing with books on her stomach.

Imperfect Paradise

Imperfect Paradise
Imperfect Paradise: Adam Slawinski, Ryan Wobs and Nick Mosuriak. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

Though they are the only band competing in Morristown’s Got Talent!, Ryan Wobs, 13, Nick Mosuriak, 13, and Adam Slawinski, 12, have enough energy for at least two bands. Mosuriak, on drums, and Slawinski, on guitar, played together previously. When they decided to bring in Wobs, Mosuriak’s father taught Ryan to play bass–in one day, according to the trio. Thus, Imperfect Paradise came into being six months ago. “We thought of the name brainstorming at a sleepover,” Wobs says. “It basically describes how life is.” Their first gig was at a neighborhood block party, and these Morris Plains Borough School students are excited about their chance to entertain a much larger audience. They are disappointed, however, that they’ll only be able to perform one song. “Once you get up there,” Slawinski says, “You just want to keep going.”

Jenny Shih

Jenny Shih
Jenny Shih. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

Jenny Shih has been playing piano since age five, following in the footsteps of her mother and older brother. No stranger to competition, Shih has won the Music Educators Association of New Jersey annual contest for ten years running. Of Morristown’s Got Talent!, she professes to a little bit of nervousness because of the different format. “For my other competitions, you play in a little room with two or three judges watching you,” Shih says. “It’s a different process here. It’s like a performance and a competition all at once.”  Shih’s advice for aspiring competitors: “Practice a lot. Once you hit the competition date and you’re nervous, you can have a memory breakdown. Also, give yourself a little pressure when you practice. Videotape yourself practicing so it’s like someone is watching you.” All eyes will be watching Shih’s lightning-fast hands when she takes the stage next month to play the first movement of Frederic Chopin’s Sonata Opus 35.

Joey Gatto

Joey Gatto
Joey Gatto. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

Joey Gatto, a junior at Morristown High School, has been beat boxing for the last four years yet isn’t quite sure what got him started. “I only started taking it seriously last year” he says, and after going to the Morristown’s Got Talent! show last year, he thought, “Hey, that sounds fun!” Though this is his first competition, he has performed previously at venues such as The Saint in Asbury Park, Honda Day in Englishtown and at MHS coffeehouses. Following high school, Gatto hopes to study film and film editing in college. But he won’t leave behind the beat boxing. “I’ll do it until I die,” he says.

Keisha Johnson-Mendoza

Keisha Johnson-Mendoza
Keisha Johnson-Mendoza. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

Keisha Johnson-Mendoza, a Morristown High School alumna who resides in Randolph, has been singing all her life but never competitively. She finally decided to audition to challenge herself. “I wanted to step out of the box,” Johnson-Mendoza says. “I’m glad to face my fear of stepping out of my comfort zone.”  Though she’s never had formal training, she sang in choirs as a child and took music courses at the New Jersey City University. Johnson-Mendoza’s job as an analyst was recently outsourced. “But I welcome the rest,” she says. “I would take a job in music in a heartbeat. Even though I have a gospel background, I would love to do voice-overs.” She says her dream job would be as a voice-over singer for Disney films that her six-year-old son could enjoy.

Gloria Bangiola

Gloria Bangiola
Gloria Bangiola. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

“I’ve been singing since the womb,” says Morristown High School senior Gloria Bangiola. This is her first crack at Morristown’s Got Talent!, despite her mother’s encouragement in previous years. “My mom said I should audition,” Bangiola says, “but I didn’t want to look like a diva.” Bangiola, who turns 18 this week, has been singing in Honors choirs and traveling around the country with them since the fourth grade, but this will be her largest audience as a solo act. “Right now it’s too far away to get nervous yet,” she says.  After high school, Bangiola plans to study music and philosophy in college and become a composer, a performer, or a teacher. She’ll be singing If I Loved You by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein with accompaniment from pianist Skip Yingling. “If you decide not to try because you’re afraid you won’t succeed, you guarantee that you won’t succeed,” she says. “Just do it!”

Brad Marullo

Brad Marullo
Brad Marullo. Photo by Vicki Birmingham

Brad Marullo, a fourth- and fifth grade band teacher at the Thomas Jefferson Elementary and Sussex Avenue schools, started playing guitar in high school. Marullo says that his principal first encouraged him to audition for Morristown’s Got Talent!, his first competition. “It’s a great opportunity to give back and for the kids to get to see their teacher play,” he says. “I am nervous. It’s tough to be up there by yourself.” Marullo says that he’s not really in it to win, but more for the community and the experience. He has played in local bars and coffeehouses, but this will be his largest audience to date. Marullo will play an instrumental version of With or Without You by U2.

Vicki Birmingham is a senior at Morristown High School.

MORE COVERAGE OF 2011 MORRISTOWN’S GOT TALENT!

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