Montana's Got Talent Statewide Showcase

Entertainers Showcase Concert launches Professional Training for Serious Artists

Member of one of Montana's Premiere Musical Families launches 1st Annual Montana's Got Talent Showcase
Promoting the State's first online Music Academy "The Starlight Academy"
dedicated to professional training for serious Artists and creating music curriculum for rural schools

Halladay Quist, daughter of Montana Hall of Fame Entertainer, Rob Quist, and Founder and CEO of Montana's Got Talent will be showcasing 15 of the best regional entertainers at the Wachholz College Center in Kalispell on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available online at www.WCCMT.org or call (406) 756-1400. Participating artists were selected from video auditions from over 80 applicants from every corner of the state. The 15 Finalists who will be performing at the event are Mandy May Blest from Anaconda, Beau Akimbo from Missoula, Benny Weag from Polson, Desiree Roberson from Kalispell, Cash Muretta from Great Falls, Drew Landry from Browning, Max Brayley from Whitefish, Mindy Cochran and Mariah Gladstone from Kalispell and Babb, Emma Zeider from Bigfork, Cash Dean from Lakeside, Amanda Stewart from Bozeman, Fusion by Dance Elements from Kalispell, Wyatt Johnson from Helena, Off in the Woods from Polson and Joe Martinez from Woods Bay.

Contestants for the Event include artists chosen by Blake Shelton for his team on NBC's hit show "The Voice", artists who have toured nationally and internationally, dancers, aerialists, bands, comedians, and Singer/Songwriters. The artists will be competing for a $5000 Grand Prize, a chance to open for a Major Act at Abayance Bay Concert Venue, a demo from Beargrass Recording Studio and 2 tickets to next years Under the Big Sky Festival.

Fans will have a chance to vote for their favorite artist by going to www.montanasgottalent.com/finalists to donate for the coveted People's Choice Award. All Proceeds will go towards Starlight Academy which will be an online platform dedicated to cover all aspects of professional training for serious artists, including audition tips, promo, musical training by professionals, performance critiques and eventually will be able to provide online music classes for rural schools in Montana who cannot afford music teachers. Halladay Quist, the founder of Starlight Academy, has been a music teacher in rural schools and is developing a program to provide a musical curriculum for all small schools in Montana.

Halladay Quist, voted this year's Best of the Flathead for her music, has performed in Europe, LA, Seattle, Nashville and Austin. She grew up in Creston where the family room was a room with her father's numerous instruments hanging on the wall in an environment of songwriting, performance and touring. In her words, "I grew up believing in the power and magic of music because I saw music change people's lives, taking people away from their challenges to a place of joy and laughter and dance. Music and Dance connect us in ways that nothing else does. I look forward to the opportunity to take music and music education to new levels with a professional platform to make music education and promotion universal."

Judges for the event feature many luminaries in the Music Industry including Hilary Williams, Singer/Songwriter and grand-daughter of Hank Williams whose latest album was hailed by Rolling Stone Magazine Rolling Stone magazine as a "triumphant new album"; Dustin Brayley, a member of the multi-platinum Trans-Siberian Orchestra as a lead singer/guitar player. In 2017 he was inducted into the Rock Godz Hall of Fame in Los Angeles; Rob Quist, one of the first inductees into the University of Montana School of Music Hall of Honors, winner of the Governor's Award for the Arts and recently inducted into the Montana Hall of Fame with Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament. Rob has toured nationally and internationally with Mission Mountain Wood Band and Rob Quist and Great Northern; Meredith Patterson has performed at the highest levels of the entertainment industry for 25 years. On Broadway, starring as Judy Haynes in WHITE CHRISTMAS, as Peggy Sawyer in 42ND ST (2001 Tony Award Winning Revival), co-starring in Julie Taymor's play THE GREEN BIRD (Broadway Cast Album), and in Madison Square Garden's A CHRISTMAS CAROL. She has also appeared in numerous Film and TV productions and was Channing Tatum's tap couch in Hail Ceasar; Clif Loftin who has worked in production at PACE Entertainment on tours for some of the world's most successful entertainers, including Tina Turner, Madonna, U2, Guns and Roses, Metallica, and STING. Throughout his tenure in production, Loftin traveled the world, rolling out arena and stadium productions and building robust networks within the entertainment and music industries; and Flathead Valley music legend John Dunnigan who has charmed audiences and played every major venue in the state for 40 years.