Logan Mencke

Staff Writer

Logan Mencke | The Collegian | Music major John Phillips won first place in the talent show for his performance of Chopin’s “Ballade #4 in F-minor”.

Lorain County Community College’s Tourism 124 class, along with student senate,  produced ‘LCCC’s Got Talent’, a talent competition that was held at the Spitzer Conference Center on March 28.

Dr. Robert Beckstrom, the Dean of the Division of Arts and Humanities, and the manager of Student Life Selina Gaddis were both selected to be on the panel of judges for the event.  Cody Hyde, a student enrolled in the tourism class that partnered with the Student Senate, was also a judge on the panel.

The show opened with a dance performance from the Lakeshore Ballet Theatre, a school that teaches various styles of dance including hip-hop, jazz funk, Russian ballet, and musical theatre.  Jay Graham, the choreographer for the performance, has opened for famous musical artists such as Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.

In addition to producing the event, two members of the student senate also gave a performance of their own. International student from China and senate financial secretary, Teng Liu, played the viola in a trio with South Korean international students Jude Jeon and Seung Jin Paik.  Together, they performed a piece by French composer Gabriel Faure titled “Sicilienne”.

Jieun (Jinnie) Lee, the event coordinator and international student from South Korea, sang “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston.

After all of the contestants had performed, the judges selected three winners that would receive a cash prize; $50 for third place, $75 for second place, and $100 for first place.  The third place prize was awarded to Hanul (Han) Lee and Seoungjun (Jayce) Lee, both international students from South Korea, for their performance of the song “Home” by Michael Buble.  Ryanne Fury, a music and theater major, won second place for her performance of “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele.

The first place prize went to John Phillips for his performance of Chopin’s “Ballade #4 in F-minor” on piano. Phillips, a music major, was awarded first place due to the high level of difficulty of the piece and the execution.

“Each one of you gave us something special this evening,” said Dr. Beckstrom at the end of the show. “I think it’s unfortunate if we just look at the score at the end and not just remember the beauty of the evening and that be the most important part.”

Tourism 124 is a course that instructs students on the basics of hospitality, conferencing, meeting, and event planning.  The course’s curriculum includes a requirement that students plan, host, and evaluate an event.