'Crème de la crème of talent' on display

DIXON – Dixon High School senior Michael Rivera will perform one last time as part of the Sauk Valley Youth Talent show later this month.

Rivera, 17, of Dixon, will play two piano pieces in the Feb. 26 show at The Next Picture Show in Dixon. He is one of a handful of young people who will showcase their musical talents.

The show is organized by the Kiwanis Club of Dixon. Proceeds from ticket sales create a fine arts scholarship at Sauk Valley Community College.

Hal Weaver is the program’s coordinator and a member of the Kiwanis Club. He said the show was formed to highlight students’ hard work behind the scenes.

Every year, students prepare for the Illinois Music Educators Association conference, he said. The event usually is held downstate or in Chicago.

“There are a lot of students that audition,” he said. “Preparations that students make often go unnoticed.”

Some students will go on to music careers; others won’t.

“These students should have the opportunity to perform for the community,” Weaver said.

The Sauk Valley Youth Talent show will feature students ranging in age from 12 to 17.

“It’s what I would refer to as the crème de la crème of talent,” Weaver said.

Among those performing is 12-year-old Kirsten Tunink, who began playing piano at age 3. The sixth-grader at St. Anne School in Dixon is performing in her second show. She will be playing Für Elise and Arabesque.

“I like being able to do stuff and seeing that I can make music by just playing a simple instrument,” Tunink said. “I like hearing the different songs that I can play.”

Tunink will be joined by first-time performer Ellie Drezen, 17, of Dixon, who will play the flute.

Drezen said Weaver called her, inviting her to perform.

She said the show will be a “really good experience.”

“I know that there’s been various studies done, but music makes people smarter,” Drezen said. “I think music is a really good way also as a release; it’s a really good way to express yourself.”

Attendees should expect a relaxing program, Weaver said. A narrator will introduce the students, their musical instrument, and what they will be performing.