SILER CITY, N.C. — Showcase contestants have been selected for Sing and Play ’26, the eighth-annual music competition hitting the stage later this month at Jordan-Matthews High School in Siler City.
The showcase concert on February 19 at 6:30 p.m. highlights talented student musicians throughout the area and raises money for JMArts, the Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to provide what student artists need to excel.
General admission is $5 per person and includes one vote in each age-based competition. Tickets will be available at the door.
Judges Greg Burriss, Gina Harrison and Sandra Lopez selected 18 musical acts during open auditions to perform in separate elementary, middle and high school competitions. Winners will be selected by audience vote and each winning act receives a $50 cash prize.
Elementary contestants are Charlie Lutterloh of Pittsboro Elementary School, Riley Mason of J.S. Waters School, Mariah McCrimmon of Virginia Cross Elementary and home school student Amelia Parker.
Middle school contestants include Emilia Culton, Eleanor Hueske and August Olsen, all solo acts from Margaret B. Pollard Middle School, as well as Avery Murphy of Chatham Middle School and Paisley Pieper of George Moses Horton Middle School.
The competition will conclude with nine high school performances. Four acts represent Chatham Early College — Tori Adams, Leesie Frosio Nelson, Kayle Maxfield and the duet of Emilia Smith Pumalpa and Evienne Swihart. Three are from Jordan-Matthews — Evan Andrews, Keylor and the Chipettes and Los Bakers. And rounding out the high school roster will be Josephine Chen of Woods Charter School and Zachary Klingel of Seaforth High School.
Members of Keylor and the Chipettes are Hernan Cortez, Griselda Escobar Umanzor, Titiana Eliana Escobar Umanzor, Sarah Preciado and Keylor Ureña-Seceña.
Members of Los Bakers are Uriel Figueroa Sandoval, Daniel Hernandez, Ismael Martinez Lara and Shawn Roblero Morales.
This year’s showcase also will feature guest performances by two of last year’s champions: Madilyn Brown of Bonlee School, winner of the elementary competition, and the duet of Avery Jenkins and Craven Smithwick from Margaret B. Pollard Middle, who won the middle-school competition.
The showcase concert will be cohosted by Jordan-Matthews actor-musicians Delaney Fuquay and Hunter Scott.
“I’m excited to see so many different schools and musical genres represented in this year’s Sing and Play,” said JMArts President Rose Pate, who noted that performers from outside Chatham also were eligible. “These talented young people love making music and we’re proud to share their efforts with our community.”
All money raised each year is used by JMArts for educational projects, including its flagship JMArts Scholars. Since being launched in 2012, the JMArts Scholars program has awarded 113 scholarships to 79 students for intensive study over the summer, usually at weeklong, residential workshops offered on university campuses. JMArts Scholars develop their talent, explore artistic options before making their college decisions and bring what they learn back to share with other Jordan-Matthews students.
This year, the money will be used to fund the JMArts-Summer Soria Mora Scholarship to remember the Jordan-Matthews High School musician who passed away earlier this year.
More information about “Sing and Play” performers will be published on JMArts social media. Details about JMArts and other events scheduled for this season are online at jmarts.org.
# # # #
Madilyn Brown, a student at Bonlee School, won last year's elementary competition and will return to perform as a guest artist for “Sing and Play ’26” on February 19 at Jordan-Matthews High School. The annual event was created as a performance opportunity for student musicians and a fundraiser for JMArts. (Photo by Chip Pate)
Last year’s middle school champions, Avery Jenkins and Craven Smithwick, will return to the stage as guest artists for “Sing and Play ’26” on February 19 at Jordan-Matthews High School. The musicians from Margaret B. Pollard Middle School will provide entertainment while votes in this year’s competition are being counted. (Photo by Chip Pate)
