Here are the participants in the LAST Semifinal of this season, in order of performance. Also, to allow more contestants, we will have judge voting only! The audience will not vote, but bring your friends and family to root you on.

1. ERIN HARDY is a junior at Cy Creek. This will be Erin’s second attempt at the Culture Shapers Competition. She’s very excited to give it one last try before the finals. She is heavily involved in the theatre department at her school. Erin has received a role in the U.I.L One Act Play which will compete at Zone later on in March. Erin is also a International Thespian qualifier (2 years running) and will be traveling to Nebraska in the summer to compete in Duet Musical. She recently received a 1 on her solo and small ensemble at the U.I.L Solo and Ensemble Choir competition in January. Her family and friends have been a huge inspiration throughout the years. She would like to thank them and her voice teacher Ms.Paul and Mr. Landrey for their help.
2. REBECCA BLANDA is a junior at Cy-Creek and has a deep passion for musical theatre which she has possessed since she was 6 years old. She has been in over 25 productions including Sister Mary Leo in Nunsense and Jasmine and Belle. Currently, she is playing Clara is her school’s UIL play “The Magic Fire.” She also loves spending time at her church at its senior high Bible study. She would like to thank her family and friends for all of their support. She will be singing “Big Time”.
3. CAITLIN READER is a junior at Klein Oak. She placed 3rd in last month’s YVOH competition. She is an honor student in the International Baccalaureate Program. She is also an active Thespian in Varsity Drama and the Top Mixed Choir. Caitlin participates in both high school and community theater, at Playhouse 1960 and Houston Family Arts Center. She has been in more than 20 theatrical productions. She would like to thank her family for their support and Culture Shapers for this wonderful opportunity to perform. She will be singing, “Gimme Gimme”.
4. REBECCA NAOMI MOYES is a junior and attends St.Thomas’ Episcopal School, Houston. She has performed in over 30 musicals with favorite roles including Erzulie (Once On This Island), Liesl (Sound of Music), Baby Louise (Gypsy), and Eliza Doolittle (My Fair Lady). Most recently she was thrilled to be selected to audition on Broadway for the lead role of Eponine in Les Miserables, in New York for Maria in West Side Story and in Los Angeles by Disney for Jasmine in Aladdin. Rebecca also writes her own lyrics and has recorded two of her own songs. She is a true “triple threat”, having appeared as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and as the principal dancer in the productions, Awakening, Stages, and Fosse. She will be singing “Astonishing” from Little Women.
5. AARON BURNS is a sophomore at Cy Woods. He loves music and theatre, but feels better suited to singing. He’s always been singing, but what really helped him excel was taking voice lessons from Robert Collett. He will be singing “I Can See It” from The Fantastiks.
6. NATHAN CHESSER is a junior at Tomball High School, Nathan is passionate about music and theatre. He is in varsity production - the THS AP drama class, and chorale - the THS AP choir class. Nathan’s theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, The Crucible, Give My Regards to Broadway, Triangle Factory Fire Project, Macbeth, Spoon River Anthology, and currently in production with HFAC: High School Musical (in the role of Chad). Nathan is also lead singer of the band which recently won 1st place in the band category at the Tomball High School Talent Show. He plans to attend college and major in music and theatre. He will be singing ‘Maria’, from ‘West Side Story’.
7. TAYLOR BRYAN is a senior at Cy Creek high school. She has been a member with Applause Theatre Company for 11 years and has performed Les Miserable, While Childhood Slept and many others. She is a member of the Cypress Creek Silverados Drill team. Other activities she enjoys are hanging out with friends, shopping, dancing, and Young Life. She is looking forward to this experience and excited to hear all the amazing voices! She will be singing “Hopelessly Devoted”.
8. ANTHONY CAHOON is a senior at College Park High School. He recently made the All-State Choir and has been in region/district choirs for the past three years. Anthony also plays tennis and ping-pong and is really good at Nintendo Wii. He will be singing “Anthem” from Chess.
9. MICHAEL CHIAVONE is a sophomore at Klein high and another Robert Collett student. He has been doing theatre since the 5th grade and hopes to pursue it as a career. His Most recent roles include: Michael Darling in Peter Pan, And chorus members in both Crazy For You and Oklahoma! Michael will be singing a song from the musical A CLASS ACT called, Self Portrait.
10. MEG SCHNEIDER is a senior at Klein high, Meg was most recently seen as “Laurey” in “Oklahoma!” This past summer she was an apprentice at The Broadway Theatre Project in Tampa, FL. Meg has been a TMEA All State ranked singer for the past two years. She placed first in the 2006 NATS singing competition, classical category. A student of the Jody Haas Voice Studio, Meg plans to major in Musical Theatre. She will sing “Life with Harold”.
11. ROBIN VAN ZANDT is a junior at Elkins High School. Her theater credits include The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy), Annie (Molly) and High School Musical. At Elkins, Robin is a member of their top jazz choir, Knightbeats, who performs numerous gigs throughout Houston and produces a CD every year. Robin has been selected for the All-Region choir 5 years in a row and has received superior ratings four years in a row for her solos at the UIL Solo & Ensemble competition, allowing her to advance onto state both years of high school. Robin helps lead worship at her church in the Wired Youth Band and studies voice with Suzanne Van Velson. She will be singing “I Want To Go To Hollywood”.
12. KATHLEEN CALLAGHAN is a senior at Cy Creek. Kathleen has recently been seen in Nunsense (as Sister Hubert) and in Grease (as Jan). She has taken part in 2 national advancing group musicals and is currently working on CyCreek’s UIL show, The Magic Fire. Kathleen would like to put her passions to use by working with at-risk children doing social work through opening her own community theater.
13. BRITTANY THAXTON is a 17 year old senior at Klein High School. She was in the Dec. culture shapers competition where she won third place and now can’t get enough! Brittany is very active at playhouse 1960 and just finished the musical “Oklahoma” at her school. She has been dancing for the past thirteen years and singing for the past two. Brittany tries to stay involved with her church and wants to thank her family,friends, and amazing voice teacher for all of their tremendous support.
14. CHANDLER ROBERTS is a homeschooled junior. She is happy to be returning to the YVOH stage. She has done musical theatre since the age of 9 in shows such as The Wizard of Oz (Dorothy) , The Sound of Music (Liesl), Aladdin at ACT@TUTS (Narrator), and Les Miserables at Main Street Theatre. Her next performance will be in Children of Eden at Masquerade Theatre. She sings weekly at Champion Forest Baptist Church, and she was part of a houston-based independent film production company, CrossWind Productions, for two years, having the opportunity to play a supporting role in the film, The Saber.
15. ROBERT ABASOLO is a junior at Klein Forest. This is his first year in choir, but he has been in theatre since the 5th grade. This is his first year in Varsity for both theatre and choir. He is this year’s social coordinator for the drama dept at KF. His favorite role was recently playing Snoopy for his high school musical “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”. Recently he was in this years region choir as a Tenor 2. He plans on pursuing music after high school whether it’s musical theatre or professional guitarist.
16. ANNA PRICE is a senior at Klein Oak High School and this is her first time doing Culture Shapers. She is heavily involved in theater and choir at her school and recently performed in the musical Into the Woods as the Baker’s Wife and in February sang as a member of the Texas All-State Mixed Choir. She has danced for the past 13 years and plans on majoring in either vocal performance or musical theater! She would like to thank her parents, friends, and voice teacher Ms. Sandra Peterson for guiding her through her senior year! She will be singing “The Girl In 14G”.
17. SUZANNE GREGORY is a senior at Klein Oak. She has performed in 3 school musicals, most recently as Cinderella in Into The Woods. She was the lead at Houston Grand Opera Camp in 2006, and is in Chamber Choir and Show Choir at Klein Oak. She has trained at TUTS and with the AD Players 2 summers while playing the flute and being heavily involved in her church. She will be singing Mr. Snow from Carousel.