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The Borderless Arts TN Young Soloist Competition will be shown as a performance on Oct. 30 on our website. At that time, you can see the special guests and find the results of who wins this year’s crown.

However, you get to vote too!!! There will be an award for the Fan Favorite. Votes will be gathered from Oct. 12-16 by:
1) Reading about each of the finalists below
2) Clicking on their entry to view their performance
3) Submit your vote by going to this link  https://form.jotform.com/202836864228058

So….let’s meet the finalists!

Andrew Braach 

Click here to hear Andrew’s entry: https://youtu.be/FEaGzIEJSYA

Andrew was born and raised in Murfreesboro, TN. He is 18 years old and a 2020 high school graduate. He embraces being on the autism spectrum and seeks to be an example. Andrew is a member of People First TN and serves on the Transportation Committee. He wants to use his experience with low vision to help others. Andrew is a YouTuber and an avid Transformers fan and collector. His passion is classic country music, and he hopes his strong, rich voice will reintroduce the old styles of country music that he loves. He wants to give the old sound a new voice. He has been featured in Breaking Ground magazine, in the “I am Determined!” project by Able Voices, and on local radio. He has sung at various venues in Montana and middle Tennessee and hopes to one day entertain on the Grand Ole Opry.

Andrew’s Mentor was: Joe Loesch

Joe is an award-winning spoken word producer, voice actor, and coach. Joe has produced over five hundred audiobooks, voiced dozens of national commercial ads, audiobooks, corporate narrations and cartoons for the Disney channel. He       produces the Baby Looney Tunes sound-books. Joe teaches voice acting online with VoiceOverXtra.com and in Nashville for Alan Dysert’s The Actor’s School. Joe also performs in The Road Crew which is the band for Route 66.

Austin Anthony

Click here to hear Austin’s entry:https://youtu.be/konGkaZKqBg

Austin Anthony is a 20-year-old student at Southwest Community college in Memphis, TN. He graduated from Overton High School for the Performing and Creative Arts in 2019. Austin is no stranger to the stage! He loves to sing and has performed in many musical theater productions, including Mary Poppins, Legally Blonde and Sister Act. Today, Austin brings you another musical theater gem, singing “Who I’d Be” from Shrek the Musical. In this number, Shrek tells his friend Donkey who he would be if he didn’t have to be an ogre.

Austin’s Mentor was: Alison Brazil

Alison Brazil is an international singer-songwriter, violinist, dancer, and educator who has toured her unique blend of soul, folk, pop and Latin music in North, Central and South America, as well as throughout Asia. She has witnessed the power of the arts to tear down walls and build bridges as a performer, and during 10 years of teaching, in Honduras and Metro Nashville Public Schools. Alison Brazil credits her spiritual foundation of hope for her power to connect, inspire, and energize audiences and learners.

Drew Basham

Click here to hear Drew’s entry:https://youtu.be/RdWJ_pxh_Ss

Drew was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. He has always had a passion for music. Drew began playing piano at 9 years old and started performing at 13. He plays the piano, guitar, drums, and has written a couple of songs. Drew plays the keyboard in the worship band at Compassion Church and is also the accompanist for SENSE Theatre. Drew has played at various venues in and around Nashville, including The Nashville Symphony, Cheekwood, and in The Gulch, among others. He is currently featured in the “I Am Determined” exhibit at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center in partnership with AbleVoices TN.

   Drew’s Mentor was: Serg Sanchez

Serg Sanchez is a Florida born singer, songwriter, producer, mix engineer and vocal coach based in Nashville. He is currently managed by Hard 8 Working Group (Billie Eilish, Daughtry, All Time Low, Michelle Branch). Sanchez is the vocalist for the rock band Atom Smash, formerly signed to Jive Records. Along with an extensive touring background, the bands music has topped the rock charts around the world. Music written by Sanchez has reached over 40 million streams and has been featured on CBS, ESPN, WWE and more. Sanchez and his production partner Brandon Blanchard have produced songs for artists such as: Morgan Wallen (Big Loud Records), Carson Beyer (Hard 8 Working Group), Spazz Cardigan(Capitol records), Chuck Adams(300 Records), and Maddie Walker (American Idol). In 2020 Sanchez released a version of the hymn “I surrender all”.

Eric Mather-Burks

Click here to hear Eric’s entry https://youtu.be/Qj1p6pxqCHI

Eric Mather-Burks is a Nashville native. He enjoys playing traditional and classical music. His main instruments are piano and mountain dulcimer. Most of his compositions fall into the classical range. Highlights include: the world’s first sonata for mountain dulcimer and piano, Sonata in C for Piano, and Parade for marching band. Last year Eric played a sonata movement. This year Eric is presenting his own composition in the style of Romantic era program music: “Thunderstorm”. He is presently focusing on his music and math studies at Nashville State Community College.

     Eric’s Mentor was: Elliott McClain

Praised as having “exceptional talent”, young American pianist Elliott McClain is known for his improvisational skills and expressive playing style. As a recent college graduate, Elliott has already performed as a soloist in distinguished venues and performance centers including a Millennium Stage performance at the Kennedy Center. As member of the pop trio Lake Rise Place, Elliott has also performed at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Ryman Auditorium, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, and Ford Theatre at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.  Blind since birth, Elliott began playing the piano at the age of 4. His earliest influences came from his uncle’s record collection, live radio, and live performance recordings of the late 90’s. These influences can be heard in Elliott’s playing in both session and performance work today. Elliott is Tennessee’s ONLY International Young Soloist winner.

Maggie Perry

Click here to hear Maggie’s entryhttps://youtu.be/6IfhsXGhrsc

Maggie Perry has been singing since before she can remember. As a little girl she said that it was the angels that taught her to sing. Maggie has sung and played the piano at venues throughout Middle Tennessee and beyond, including restaurants, churches, theatrical productions, shopping centers, parks, fairs, and several Borderless Arts events. She also sang in the Nashville Children’s Choir for seven years, and she has sung with her church choir for six years. At the age of 12 in 2018, Maggie competed in her first Young Soloist competition and ended up taking third place. Since that time, she has had the opportunity to perform in an entertainment showcase in Los Angeles as well as in an international choral festival in Costa Rica.

Maggie has also appeared in several music videos, including four she produced with Ann and Randy Dorman. For each of these videos, she created the story, designed the set, and appeared as the star singer. In addition, Maggie released her first CD of Christian songs this year, and she was interviewed by media producer, Pepper Jay. The interview, her bio, and other materials appeared as a feature article in the Sidebeat Music online magazine. Maggie’s taste in music extends to many genres, but her primary passions have always been musical theater and faith-based songs. She says that music should be inspirational and carry a strong, positive message.

Maggie’s Mentor was: Lizzy McAvoy

Lizzy McAvoy is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and The Girl In The Apron. She left her hometown of Newark, Ohio at age 16 to pursue her music dreams in Nashville TN. Lizzy signed her first deal at age 18 with Major Bob Music and began producing her own records. At age 21, she signed her second deal with Universal Music Publishing Group; penning close to 400 songs in 4 years. Lizzy has been professionally doing music for over 10 years and has accumulated over 25 outside recordings with various artists. Her most notable recordings are “BRAVE” off Lizzy’s latest record, Be Brave, which was chosen for CMT’s Artist Discovery spending 12 weeks in the top 10 and 3 weeks at #2, “Borrowed Time” recorded by country duo, Thompson Square, and featured in the Major Motion Picture Nicholas Spark’s The Best of Me, “Love On A Maybe” written with and recorded by renowned and award winning artist Jo Dee Messina.

Other Mentors

Thanks to our two other mentors who were willing to step in where needed to include Les Kerr and Tammy Vice.

Special Thanks

Thank you to all of our mentors for assisting our finalists

Thank you to OmniSound Studios who will serve as judges to select the winner

Thank you to Pete Weber of the Nashville Predators and MTSU speech students for serving as hosts for the evening.

Thank you to special guests Gaelynn Lea and Joy McDonald as well as a shout out from the Oak Ridge Boys

Thank you to Boone Productions for putting together the video performance and to Irene Williams for creating the link for the Fan Favorite Voting.

Last, but certainly not least….thank you to our financial supporters of this program:
Diane and Dr. David Black
First Horizon Bank Foundation

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