17-year-old Kaylee Annable first sang on stage in the fourth grade.  Ever since then, she has continued to enjoy performing and has expanded her horizons into musical theater.  This young performer has appeared in numerous plays and musical productions around Northwest Indiana, including Les Miserables and Godspell.  She has also performed with the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra.  As if she wasn't already busy enough, this upcoming senior is involved in the Chesterton High School speech and debate program and is a member of the Chesterton High School show choirs. Kaylee would love to be involved with music the rest of her life and wishes to study musical theater in college.  She would like to thank the following people:  Mr. Kelly, her speech coach, for believing in her and teaching her to be funny; Mr. Brush, her show choir director, for giving her some great opportunities; the LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra for this concert and for working so hard to make it a success; and her family, who always support her - especially her late grandfather, Frank Michl.  "I love you, grandpa."

Clarissa Bowers is a senior at Chesterton High School.  Upon graduation, she will attend Ball State University as a secondary education major with an emphasis in English and theatre.  During her high school years, she has been a member of Chesterton's elite show choirs, the Drifters, an all-girl choir, and the Sandpipers, a large, mixed ensemble. As a frequent soloist in both show choirs, Clarissa was awarded Best Female Soloist at the Norwell Show Choir Invitational earlier this spring.  Clarissa has sung her entire life.  One of the first songs she ever performed was "All God's Critters Have a Place in the Choir" when she was just three!  But it took many years of auditions before she finally participated in her first singing competition.  Since then, she has performed regularly at the Duneland Exchange Club Show, the Popcorn Festival Talent Show and other events, placing or winning a number of times.  Clarissa's passion is also the stage.  In addition to productions at Chesterton High School, she has performed as an actress in several regional theatre productions including with the Michigan City Footlight Players and The Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso.  Some of her many credits include roles in Footloose, Godspell, The Wizard of Oz, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Clarissa is more excited than she can say to perform on the stage tonight for all of you!

Amanda Haack is a seventh grader at St. Peter Lutheran School in North Judson, IN. She has been singing since she was three years old and has performed in several North Judson-San Pierre High School musical productions and on the Memorial Opera House stage in Valparaiso. Most recently, Amanda was the lead in Dreamcatcher at the Opera House and was a member of their Children’s Choir in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  This year Amanda received a Gold Medal representing her school at the Indiana State School Music Association competition in Indianapolis. She is the youngest member of the St. Peter Lutheran Church’s adult choir and has recently performed with the Mustard Seed Band, a local contemporary Christian group. She has played basketball for the St. Peter Wildcats since fourth grade and participates in numerous academic competitions throughout the school year.  Amanda spends time on the family farm with her nine-year-old brother, Ryan.  On the farm, she enjoys serenading her horse, Reggie, as well as tending to two rescue calves, Oliver and Mary Elizabeth, and snuggling with her all-too-fuzzy cat, Emily. She is excited and honored to be selected to participate in this event and thanks her wonderful voice teacher, generous sponsors, and everyone who supports the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra.

Alex Jeffers began performing at the age of six with the Missoula Children’s Theatre as the Lead Sheep in Beauty Lou and the Country Beast, a Fox in Snow White and Wallybird in Hansel and Gretel.  She has also performed in the Elkhart Elco Theatre’s production of Oliver, the Maxinkuckee Players’ production of Annie, the Elkhart Civic Theatre’s production of Captain Bree and Her Lady Pirates held at the Bristol Opera House, and was Dill in the Culver Academies’ production of To Kill a Mockingbird. She has played piano for four years, sings in her church’s youth choir and performs vocally in nursing homes as well as on a local radio station.  In 2006, she took first place in the 4-H talent show performing a duet with her older sister. A young “horse whisperer”, Alex loves horses and horseback riding, both Western and English. She also enjoys soccer, softball, and volleyball and adores her cats. A nature girl, she loves camping and traveling. She is so excited to have this rare opportunity to perform with an orchestra and wants to thank her family and Hoosier Star for making this possible.

Emmie Lo (age 8) was born at home in Glen Ellyn, IL.  She moved to New Buffalo, MI when she was four years old.  Glad to live a “vacation life” all year round, Emmie enjoys climbing dunes with her dad, eating ice cream with her big sister and three little brothers, as well as drinking English breakfast tea and reading books with her mom.  She performs stories and songs at schools across Michiana with her mentor, Kathleen Zmuda, of Long Beach, IN.  She performed her own songs at the Lubeznik Center, as well as co-narrated Peter and the Wolf with the Monday Nite Musicale group at the Michigan City Public Library.  She is currently studying viola with Ms. King-MacDonald.  Emmie listens to country music, loves musical theater, and recently discovered Techno-Pop.  She can often be found creating her own songs while in the car or kitchen.  When asked what the best thing is about Hoosier Star, Emmie tells everyone, “I get to be on a real stage and sing with the orchestra!”

Leslie Ann Lopez is a fourth grader in the Lake Central School Corporation. Her favorite subjects are science and art, but most of all, she loves to sing in front of a live audience! Because her mom enjoys playing the piano, a few years ago she encouraged Leslie and her younger sisters to sing along when she played her favorite show tunes. Since then, Leslie has appeared in various musical productions with the Crown Point Community Theatre and the Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso. Her last two roles were in The Music Man as Amaryllis and in Mirette as Claire. Leslie is a 2007 NiSource Young People’s Competition winner and performed at the Northwest Indiana Symphony season opening concert this past September. She likes to sing all genres of music, and also takes piano and dance lessons. In her spare time, Leslie illustrates her own stories, writes poetry, and loves to act out comic skits with her younger sisters. She sings with her church choir and is a cantor at St. Michael’s Church. Leslie would like to thank her parents, sisters, grandparents, and teachers for supporting her in her lessons, rehearsals, and performances throughout the year.

Jessie Balding grew up in St. Joseph County, IN. In 1991 she moved to Lake County, IN, where she continues to live. Jessi has served as the piano accompanist for all the choirs at Edison Jr. /Sr. High School for the past six years.  She loves working with kids and making a difference in their lives.  Having started playing piano at age six, Jessi knows how important it is to start young. This fall she will attend Valparaiso University to work on a degree in elementary music education.  Jessi would love to thank her parents for all of the painstaking hours of practice and lessons as well as the many expenses they have endured. She states, “I would never be here if not for you!  Thank You!

John Bello was born in December of 1953, in Clinton, IN.  After moving around the state for several years, John’s family settled in the La Porte area in the mid- 1960s.  He and his wife, Donna, met in 1972 and have been married for almost 35 years.  They have two married sons, Kelly and Nicholas, and five grandchildren.  After serving honorably for six years in the United States Air Force, John and family returned to La Porte, and he took a position with the Federal Aviation Administration in South Bend, where he has been for the past 28 years.  John caught “the singing bug” when he was in the second or third grade, performing his first solo in a grade school Christmas show.  He doesn’t remember what he sang, but he does remember the spotlight in his face and the feeling that he had.  He graduated from La Porte High School in 1971 and was active in music and theater during his high school years.  He thanks his parents for the gift of voice that they gave him and credits his high school music teacher, Mr. Eddie Burk, for helping him develop his ability as a singer.  “Mr. Burk taught me how to sing.”  John enjoys performing and has been involved, along with his wife and sons, in several productions at the La Porte Little Theatre.  Those productions include South Pacific, Godspell, (once as Judas and once as Jesus), Oliver and Pippin (with son Nicholas), The Fantasticks, Little Shop of Horrors (voice of the plant), Carousel, and The Music Man.  Two of his favorites were Side by Side by Sondheim and Showstoppers I.  John states, “Because of my experiences at the Little Theatre, I have met many wonderful and very talented people.”

For the most part, Tess Bowers considers herself a late bloomer and a closet extrovert!  As a teenager, she had dreams of becoming an actress on Broadway, but major stage fright put a damper on that ambition.  Instead, Tess followed her heart in another direction and raised two beautiful girls.  Her daughter, Clarissa, joins her in this awesome event tonight.  Tess’ mother was a gifted musician, and she remembers her house being filled with her mother’s singing throughout her childhood.  It is truly a blessing now, for when both of her equally talented daughters are at home, they have one of their infrequent and impromptu sing-a-longs!  Over the last decade, Tess found her calling by singing with the Porter County band (4AO) For Amusement Only.  While they take their musicianship seriously, this band is all about fun and performs mostly at charitable events or for friends.  Last year, Tess also participated in Duneland's first adult summer choir.  Tess put her academic dreams on hold until her kids were in school. Once she made the plunge, however, she gave it everything; and in 1999, Tess graduated from Purdue North Central with a perfect 4.0 GPA.  In May of this year, Tess graduated from Ball State University with her master's degree in elementary education alongside her daughter, Jennifer!  Tess currently teaches kindergarten in the Michigan City Area Schools and considers herself very blessed to be teaching our youngest learners.  Stepping on this stage tonight is one of the biggest thrills of her life and fulfills a lifelong dream of performing in this type of venue.  Up next - acting!  Last year, she acted in two major films as an extra.  These films were Fred Claus and the upcoming Batman film, The Dark Knight. For this reason Tess states, “See you at the movies!!!”

Dennis Floyd is a 50-year-old devoted husband, father, and grandfather from Westville, IN.  It was at the late age of 43 that Dennis showcased his hidden talent as he sang on stage for the first time in his church. Dennis' favorite artists, Third Day and MercyMe, hail from the contemporary Christian genre.  He also is "a little bit country" and enjoys Vince Gil and Hank Williams, Jr.  Dennis is a captain with the East Chicago Fire Department where he has a passion for critical incident stress relief.  He enjoys working in the yard, collecting fire service memorabilia, playing guitar, and spending time with his family.  He is actively involved in ministry at Valparaiso Nazarene Church where he currently sits on the leadership team and enjoys singing with the vocal team. When asked who Dennis feels is his own "star", he quickly responds, "My father.  I am the man that I am because of him."  He credits his mom, who has a beautiful voice, for his singing ability.  Friends of Dennis have given him the nickname MacGyver.  They say, "Just give him a paperclip, chewing gum, and a tube sock, and Dennis can fix anything!"  He is absolutely thrilled to be a part of this event and thanks Hoosier Star and the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra for this great opportunity.

Brian Phillips was born in Indianapolis and grew up in Carmel, IN. He graduated from Carmel High School where he performed for three years with the Carmel Ambassadors Show Choir. Brian is a graduate of Indiana State University with a B.S. in Criminology. At Indiana State, he also performed for three years with the Sycamore Singers.  A twelve-year veteran of the La Porte Police Department, he serves as a Corporal on the day shift. Brian is an ILEA certified Sr. Instructor, a Patrol Rifle Instructor, and the La Porte Police Department Sr. Firearms’ Instructor.  Brian has kept very busy since returning to the stage for Hoosier Star in 2006. Working with musicians he met at Hoosier Star, Brian recorded a CD in 2007. The CD, titled “Tribute”, is a benefit recording to raise money for Indiana C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors) and the N.L.E.O.M.F. (The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund). To date, the CD had produced nearly $10,000.00. In conjunction with the release of Tribute, Brian started Hoosier Heroes Inc., a non-profit corporation designed to support and raise money for the families of police officers and other emergency service personnel killed in the line of duty. On May 10^th, Hoosier Heroes Inc. held its first-ever fundraiser, HEROSONG 2008. HEROSONG 2008 was a successful concert that featured performances by Brian and other police officers from around the state as well as the contemporary Christian band, Big Daddy Weave. This past May, for National Police Week, Brian was chosen to perform his original song, Why Do Heroes Have to Die?, on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol for the 27^th Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Day service. Brian would like to thank his wife, Julie, and his children, Mason, Morgan, and Spencer for their love and support.

Jeff Robinson Jeff Robinson has performed for nearly 33 years, with his first public appearance occurring at the age of eight at his grandmother’s church.  Jeff’s love of music was inspired at an early age with fond memories of listening to his grandmother play the organ and to his father, James, sing barbershop with his friends.   At the age of nine, Jeff learned to play the trumpet; and at age 12, he received his first guitar, which he taught himself to play.  Jeff attended New Prairie High School where he was a member of the concert band, jazz band, marching band, a cappella chorus, and swing choir.  His senior year he won 10 first place vocalist awards at the regional division and went on to win 10 more first place awards at the state level.  Jeff also starred in the musicals Oklahoma, Damn Yankees, and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.  Formerly the president and student director of the New Prairie Music Department, Jeff won the John Phillip Sousa Award, the highest award obtainable in Indiana high school music, in 1984.  Jeff remains actively involved in local music and has performed in many different musical groups throughout northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan.  He has also opened for national recording artists 38 Special and Savoy Brown.  Currently, Jeff regularly performs with his band, The Flys, with his acoustical act, 2 Man Group, as well as with The Robinson Brothers: A Tribute to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.  Jeff’s biggest fan, his wife Ann, is the love of his life and supports him in everything he does.  Jeff is thankful for being blessed with a wonderful family and this opportunity to fulfill one of his biggest dreams - performing with a full orchestra.