Madison Brown Wins Local Talent Hunt Competition

YACM Featured Soloist Madison Brown won the local 2015 Omega Talent Hunt competition held Saturday, March 28 at the Maritime Theater in Vallejo.

Glenn Holbert, a former YACM parent spoke with Kevin Phillips, our Director of Development, to suggest YACM recommend a student for the competition. Mr. Holbert had children who had completed musical training with YACM.

"YACM is a great program," Mr. Holbert said. "My kids are grown now and are doing very well. I credit much of their success to their experience with the Conservatory."

Mr. Phillips spoke with Artistic Director Wanda Cook who recommended Madison Brown for the event. Mrs. Cook contacted other Featured Soloists, but they were not available the day of the competition.

Madison Brown submitted an application and was accepted. She appeared on stage at the Maritime Theater.

"She knocked the cover off the ball!" Mr Holbert said following the competition.

Madison won in the vocal category. She now goes on to compete in the regional competition to be held at the Marriott Hotel in Oakland on May 30.

The regional competition will include contestants from Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Alaska.

If she wins in Oakland she will be invited to compete in the national competion.

"The organization seems very excited about Madison representing them in Oakland," said Madison's mother, Jennifer Brown. "They believe she can go on to qualify at the National level.

"She did a wonderful job representing YACM," Mrs. Brown continued. "To be honest, she was so well trained from YACM and her own hard work that there was not real competition."

The Omega Talent Hunt is an annual event sponsored by the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, a nation organization of professional men.

Notable members of the fraternity past and present include: "Count" Basie, internationally renowned jazz band leader, Ed "Too Tall" Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, Shaquille O'Neil of the Los Angeles Lakers, Otis Smith, General Counsel for General Motors, and Vernon Jordan, Presidential Advisor.