Windham County's Got Talent 2024

S T N E S E R P

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Latchis Theatre, 50 Main St., Brattleboro, Vt. 6:30-8:30p.m.

w Wildcat e h t t g a in M is i r h ig t G Elizabe loran Band e l a v Doug r ’H e O Cristo n s e e ir M i a r S ir B Wohl Buckley Marcotte

livia O ie l s u s J e T k a ic Kendr y Just the d o v a S a l o Kennedy Darra t r m a r g e C BO s Tip Ban Perna Brown Ad m Cornerstone Sponsors

Saturday, January 20, 2024 | Windham County’s Got Talent

Meet our MC

Warren Cort Dews Jr. Warren Cort Dews Jr. was born and raised in the Bronx, N.Y. A noted singer in his church’s choir and throughout the community, Warren loved to praise the Lord with his powerful and melodious voice.

Warren was a well-known singer in his junior high school in the Bronx. His talent garnered him acceptance into the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan. The school is also known as the “Fame” school as it served as inspiration for the hit 1980s television show. In 1987, Warren performed on stage with Patti LaBelle and the late Billy Preston. He later went on to work with the late Jam Master Jay, a member of the groundbreaking group, Run-DMC. In 1993, he started singing secular music with his group and was signed to Atlantic Records. In 2019, Warren founded Dews Management Inc (DMI) in which he helps manage and work with many singers, actors and other talented people to share their gifts with the world.

He currently works with artists/friends such as Ayana George-Jackson who is currently on Broadway playing the role of Katherine Jackson, mother of Michael Jackson in the musical, MJ.

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Professionally, Warren is now VP of Capital Region Independent Media. The company owns seven newspapers and over 20 magazines and websites. He is also CEO of Wallit and co-owner of the FireHouse Cafe & Bistro in Adams, Mass, as well as the well known restaurant, Bigg Daddy’s, that opened at MASS MoCA in the Spring of 2023.

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Warren earned a bachelor’s degree from Virginia State University and is currently working on his Master of Divinity. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and St. John Lodge #10 Masonic Organization. Additionally, Warren serves on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of the Berkshires, The Brien Center, Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Black Economic Council, NorthEast Association of Communication Executives(N.E.A.C.E.) and a slew of other groups that help the community and people at large.

He lives in the beautiful Berkshires of western Massachusetts with his wife, Roberta, and their three children; son, Warren III, 19; son, West, 15; and daughter, Kennedy, 12.

Meet our judges Chris Lewis

I love my job! Can you imagine getting up every day to new challenges and the joy of helping people find their dreams? Growing up in the small family oriented community of Swan’s Island, Maine, ethics and hard work were taught and expected. Education and service were the top priorities when I joined Brattleboro Area Realty 35 years ago building on a base of good values.

I am passionate about my clients, love learning new ways to help and love seeing the smiles when we have found the right match! I believe in our community and appreciate the outstanding support and recognition it has given my wonderful career. Service is always with a smile and excitement for my clients. Most years, a local top producer, I hold CRS, CBR GRI certifications, Broker licenses in both VT and NH, VFHA, Partner in Affordable Housing, the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce Certificate of Merit, and the Reformer Best of the Best awards. I love our mantra “Raising the BAR in Real Estate”. It says it all.

David Hiller David Hiller is co-owner of Whetstone Brands; Whetstone Station Brewery, Kampfires Campground, The Rollin’ Stone Food Truck and The River Garden Marketplace, all in and around Brattleboro. David has amassed over 35 years of Restaurant and Inn experience; the early part spent managing California Hard Rock Cafes. In the early 2000s, David rebuilt the Three Mountain Inn, in Jamaica, VT, into a four-diamond rated, Wine Spectator Award winning Country Inn and Restaurant.

In 2012, after a stint with Gordan Ramsey and Hotel Hell, David and his business partners, Tim and Amy, bought the Riverview Café, which they saw as an opportunity to put their skills and knowledge to the test. They created the Whetstone Station Brewery, a unique experience, to provide locals and visitors a lively spot to meet up and enjoy fine craft beverages.

David knows a thing or two about talent too, and while he is still a practicing musician, he knew better than to attempt a career in music. His wife is a professional circus performer so he has had the opportunity to be around some talented and unique individuals. However, being smart enough to recognize his limitations, he’s content to sticking to the business of food and beverage … but he’s certainly not afraid to share his opinions!

David and his wife Allison enjoy travel, the outdoors, music festivals and visiting the occasional brewery. David can be reached at david@whetstonebrands.com

David Eddy David Eddy has been the customer service supervisor at Fulflex for the past 9 years. He graduated from SUNY ESF with a degree in Environmental Biology and has always had a passion for the environment since a young age from growing up in the Adirondacks with his father being an outdoors guide. He has always loved working with customers since around the age of 10, working with his mother in the family’s outdoor hunting and fishing store connected to his childhood home. After graduating, he moved to be with his girlfriend (now wife) to Brattleboro, VT in 2011. He currently lives across the river in Chesterfield, NH with his wonderful wife, Michelle, and their awesome daughter, Alice.

Kristen Ziter Taylor Kristen Ziter Taylor is owner/broker of Brattleboro Area Realty. Being a native of the town, Kristen loves owning a business in her hometown. Her real estate company has thrived for 50 years and the BAR team has dedication, perseverance, and a great reputation. Kristen was voted 2018 Remarkable Women’s Entrepreneurial Leader and her firm has been voted Greater Brattleboro’s Best Real Estate Office for 21 years and Best Real Estate Agency by Brattleboro Reformer’s Readers Choice for 7 years. Kristen is married to Ken Taylor and they have two wonderful daughters, Kali and Kennedy. When not working Kristen loves to cook, exercise, and spend time with her dogs. She is thrilled to be a judge and admires all of the contestants for standing on the stage performing. Bring on the talent!

Dan Bacigalupo Just a kid at heart, Dan loves spending time with his family and friends. He has is from Southern Vermont but has traveled and lived in many places around the United States. 5 years ago Dan decided to lay down roots here in Brattleboro, VT. He has been with Brattleboro Subaru since 2019. When he is not working, his favorite thing to do is to spend time outside with his kids Lilly and Jackson.

Matt Meserve

My name is Olivia Dream Savoy, and like my middle name, I have a dream that I am determined to peruse. My dream is to share my love of music as an aspiring musician with the world. By that I mean taking on a career as a lyricist, writing lyrics to songs you would imagine hearing on the radio, and performing my music live. I have been singing my entire life. In 2018 as part of a select choir, I performed the national anthem for the Red Sox at Fenway Park with my former school, Kurn Hattin. Not only do I love to perform, but I love to watch people perform. On March 25 of 2023, I went to my first ever concert in Bangor Maine, to see The Kid Laroi perform live. Although I have known for a very long time that this is what I want to do with my life, seeing Laroi perform made me even more sure about my future. I am driven and aspire to be just like him one day, a selfmade success, and I am more than capable. Thank you for this opportunity.

Matt Meserve has been singing since he could talk. He began performing in local theater and singing solos in youth choirs at the age of 6. In high school he developed a love for Billy Joel and began to study piano to accompany himself. He was a highly decorated singer in high school as well, being the highest scoring tenor at the All-State Music Festival his junior and senior year. During the day, he is a Case Manager at the Vermont Department of Labor, but in weekends and evenings he croons and tickles the ivories. He has been entertaining audiences in Vermont and NH for 20 years. His versatile vocals range between soft ballads, to powerful soul and blues classics. His keyboard skills are the perfect complement to his voice. Fans have grown to love his versions of Billy Joel, Elton John, James Taylor, Van Morrison and more!

Windham County’s Got Talent |Saturday, January 20, 2024

Olivia Savoy

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Saturday, January 20, 2024 | Windham County’s Got Talent

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Darrick Adams Darrick is a longtime karaoke enthusiast who has also performed the National Anthem for the Keene Swamp Bats, Monadnock Marauders, and New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He is also an avid birdwatcher and angler, and a fan of football and baseball.

Rising Sairen

Doug Marcotte

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Tess Bogart

Sairen has been singing and performing on stage since the age of 8 in musical theater and other community events and choirs. This past year she had the opportunity of singing with Public Servant, the house band for the Harvest Festival at Adams Farm hosted by Rock Against Racism Vermont. Since that performances she has been singing alongside the core members in various Vermont venues, and recently formed an acoustic duo called The Violet Confessions, with her friend Bob Cook.

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Hello my name is Doug, aka Dougie Stix, and I’m in recovery from Drugs and Alcohol. My dream is to make it to America’s Got Talent. I saw this come up on my Facebook page today and I wanted to see if there is any way to accommodate my performance. I’m a big advocate for people who are in recovery and would love to have an opportunity to showcase my incredible talent.

Tess Bogart has been performing in front of audiences since her early teens. A senior at BUHS, Tess has performed on stage at the Latchis in past Windham County’s Got Talent! shows as well as school plays and local poetry readings. An avid reader, published poet, member of the 2023 Vermont State Championship bowling team at Brattleboro High School, dancer, animal lover and fulltime myth buster on behalf of people with disabilities; Tess lives in Marlboro with her parents, brother and dog.

Kendra Perna My name is Kendra Perna. I am a 27 year old stay-at-homemom living in Guilford with my husband, our almost 3 year old daughter, 17 month old son, and two dogs. I have been singing for as long as I can remember, and despite my “tone-deafness”, as my mother tells me of, in my early childhood, I began to become serious about it in high school. Attending Northfield Mount Hermon in Gill, Massachusetts, I sang in the choir, the select NMH Singers choir, and took private voice lessons. In addition, I also performed in a couple musicals during my time there. Following my high school graduation, I attended Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia studying Opera and Musical Theatre. My freshman year of college I was cast as Jo March in the musical production of Little Women. I also performed in many recitals and Regional Competitions. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, my time at Hollins was cut short, and I returned home before graduating. Working a few odd jobs, including a short time as a Teller at Brattleboro Savings and Loan, and a Technician at Brattleboro Family Eye Care before settling into my life as a SAHM, the course of my life took me away from performing. I would not change a single thing about how my life has gone, and the blessings of the family I’ve created, but I am thrilled for this opportunity to perform again!

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Julie Cermola

Gigi Birri

Julie Cermola has been singing for as long as she can remember. She has competed in multiple singing competitions over the years, sang in a band, and sings the National Anthem every year for the Connecticut Valley Pee Wee Football League.

It has been a few years since she performed on stage, and in that time, she has been pursuing a degree in business and accounting while working at a local community resource center helping others. She lives in Saxtons River, and you can usually find her snuggled up with her two cats, Weasel and Otter.

Gigi is no stranger to the stage.

She started dancing at four years old and dancing competitively since she was six years old. She is now a senior dancer at Kelly’s Dance Academy and takes Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Ballet, Production, musical theatre and Lyrical. Gigi discovered her passion for singing from a young age as well, and has been more involved with it in the past few years. As an eighth grader, she sings in the choir at Leland and Gray Union High School and is a vocalist in the school’s ‘School of Rock’ band. Gigi also enjoys being part of the Leland and Gray Players and has performed in musicals such as Mamma Mia, The Addams Family, and Mean Girls. When not on stage Gigi enjoys playing basketball, art, and spending time with her two dogs, Piper and Jasper, and cat, Halo.

Brattleboro Area Realty.Com Kristen Ziter Taylor,

Broker/Owner 802-380-6632 kristen@realtyvermont.com

(802) 257-1335

Windham County’s Got Talent |Saturday, January 20, 2024

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Christine Lewis, VT & NH Broker 802-380-2088 chris@realtyvermont.com reformer.com 5

Saturday, January 20, 2024 | Windham County’s Got Talent

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Just the Tip

Wildcat O’Halloran Band

Just the Tip! Has been a band since covid. We all have been working on our talent for many years. Awards for past performance from old bands. We have come from all different backgrounds.

Western Mass favorite blues band for 40 years, the Wildcat O’Halloran band is more active than ever, touring New England and beyond, with a top 100 album on blues radio in the last 2 years … featuring brilliant guitar, contrasted with the stylish harmonica of Ottomatic Slim, adding up to a danceable boogie experience … national Blues Magazine Living Blues said it best “ they don’t have dull in their vocabulary”

Elizabeth Wohl

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Aerialist Elizabeth Wohl is a Brattleborobased opera singer and acrobat. She delights in developing innovative interpretations of beloved classical pieces. She blends aerial acrobatics with well-loved arias to complement each aria’s inherent dramatic arc. She strives to draw audiences into every performance through the alchemy of vocal and aerial arts--inspiring wonder, delight and awe. Elizabeth is delighted to perform again at Windham County’s Got Talent, but has asked to be excluded from eligibility for the prize, because she wants to ensure it goes to a younger artist who will put the prize toward advancing their career or education. Her company, Arc Benders Circus Opera, LLC is producing a full-length show entitled “Soaring: An Evening of Circus and Song” at NextStage in Putney Vermont on March 16th. Ms. Wohl’s one-woman show “Three French Birds,” was hailed as “an audience favorite,” at the 2023 Providence Fringe Festival, and she performs individual aerial-arias separately throughout the New England region for concerts, non-profit fundraising events, and weddings. When she is not singing in the air, you can find her singing on the ground as a soloist with the Barn Opera, Friends of Music at Guilford, the Keene Chorale, and the Windham Philharmonic. Ms. Wohl believes each of us is an artist, and that we shape the world together through every interaction. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to shape the world with you this evening. An active member of her local community, She’s a lawyer, a mom, and the caretaker of an incorrigible labradoodle. You can find her online at www.arcbenderscircusopera.com or on instagram at @soprano_aerials

We are also having the winner from last year,

Lanie Goodwin,

performing again but not as a contestant. She will start the event off with her performance.

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Kennedy Brown Cristo Buckley Cristo has been singing his whole life. He’s constantly creating songs in his head and putting them down in his journal and loves to bring them to life by collaborating with beat makers.

He released his first full length album two summers ago, called “My World.” You can listen to his album through any music platform. His songs are 90s/2000s pop inspired. He’s performed at “Keene Idol” in Keene, New Hampshire as well as “Bennington’s Got Talent” at Bennington College. He also performs at his high school. When Cristo is not singing, he is part of the tennis, cross country and Nordic teams.

He loves to travel, have photoshoots, and recently released a single in hopes to launch his second album this summer.

Kennedy Brown is a Houston city girl who loves talking to new people, experiencing the world, pushing the limits of her body, and, most importantly, laughing!

She grew up competing in dance and gymnastics before moving to Brattleboro straight after high school. She is currently a ProTrack student at The New England Center for Circus Arts, where she studies hand balancing and contortion. Along the way, she discovered clowning (something she would never have considered 5 years ago!) Kennedy dreams of using her gifts to serve others and make life-long memories. When she is not on her hands, she values spending time with her family and painting.

Windham County’s Got Talent |Saturday, January 20, 2024

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Proud To Be A Part of The Brattleboro Community for 41 years

www.fulflex.com

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32 Justin Holden Drive | Brattleboro, Vermont USA | (802) 257-5256

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Saturday, January 20, 2024 | Windham County’s Got Talent reformer.com 8

Official ballot

Below, please mark your choice for the best performer in this year’s Windham County’s Got Talent contest by filling in the circle next to their name. One vote per ballot and one ballot per audience member, please. Ballots will be collected after the final performance.

 1. Cristo Buckley  2. Doug Marcotte

 6. Matthew Meserve

 10. Tess BOgart  11. Julie Cermola

 3. Gigi Birri

 7. Wildcat O’Halloran Band  12. Olivia Savoy

 4. rising Sairen

 8. Darrick Adams

 5. Kennedy Brown

 9. Kendra Perna

 13. Just the Tip Band