The Voice of Grove City 2023

Cierra Lee - Voice Coach

Cierra Lee is a young artist and teacher who delights in changing lives through music. While in high school and college, she was actively involved, not only musically but also socially with various activities including show choir, opera productions, campus recreation team, peer leading, percussion ensemble, urban dance club, musical theatre productions, and marching band. She was fortunate to attend fun master classes with NYC singers (like Natalie Weiss), and to travel the East Coast performing in prisons.

Blake Soles is a singer/songwriter from Columbus, Ohio who has been performing for 17 years. After a top 3 finish in Ohio Idol, Winner of the Voice of Ohio, and a brief appearance on American Idol, his career took a turn for the better.

He has a new single and music video release on the horizon, and loves to collaborate with other artists to assist them in using their talent to share with the world.

With 30+ yrs of experience in the music & entertainment industry, some have jokingly described him as the artistic interpretation of the well known comic book Kryptonian. Hawc Griffin has contributed his artistic expression over the last couple decades as a music director, song writer, producer, worship leader that has opened several opportunities to share his talents internationally. While occasionally performing with a few well known music industry award winners and managing his own solo efforts, he led his own band “HAWC & the FEW” that later became "FEWXION" to win a couple talents contests building regional exposure. That exposure led him to a 5yr run as co-frontman with LDNL (Lt. Dan's New Legs). Now he's returned his focus & energy back to being solo or with FEWXION under VIBE PILOTS ENTERTAINMENT (VPE).

Rhonda Shappert started a lifetime of performing at age 5. She graduated Cum Laude with a Musical Theater degree from The Ohio State University. As a singer/dancer, she has performed in 15 countries on the Asian, European and North American continents. Rhonda has recorded two music CDs as a contemporary Christian recording artist; is a published author; a certified life coach, speaker and trainer. After her reign as Mrs. Ohio America, she created and is the owner of Winning Through Pageantry, which focuses on developing women’s interview, leadership, and communication skills through pageantry.

Lee is an American gospel music writer , choir director, vocal instructor, professional background vocalist, and recording artist. Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, he grew up under the choir direction of his mother and father. After studying music in New Orleans, LA., he moved to Columbus, Ohio where he would serve as minister of music for churches such as Bible Community Fellowship, and now Union Baptist Church of Urbancrest, OH. Joshua has arranged, conducted, and sang background for artists such as Josh Groban, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Earnest Pugh, Beverly Crawford, Dr. Ron Kenoly, national recording choir Keith Dobbins and Resurrection Mass, citywide Simultaneous Revival Mass Choir of The Baptist Pastors Conference of Columbus and Vicinity, and has two recording projects with former group Anointed Harmony titled Just To know and New Day.

Kelly Letner has been singing her entire life. Born into a musical family, they traveled and sang in many churches, festivals and community events. Her and her sister competed in and won several singing competitions and eventually produce their first album before high school. As her career unfolded, Kelly become one of the first Columbus “City Centertainers“ in the early 90’s working with Disney productions. Later on she worked as a local voice and piano teacher which eventually grew into director of a performing arts team, Judah Live. Currently she serves as musical director at her church

No stranger to the stage, Dylan has been featured on various stages as both a soloist and ensemble. Dylan was featured on Country Music Television's, "CMT Insider" and was offered to perform with the Grammy Awards Foundation at the Best Buy Theatre in New York City. He performs regularly with the vocal ensemble "PureHeart," where he shares the stage with his best friends on various stages throughout Ohio and surrounding states. Dylan graduated from Central Ohio Technical College after studying music and business, serves as the stage show producer of the Miss Ohio's Outstanding Teen program, and is employed with Reynoldsburg City Schools where he leads the theater department. He resides in Zanesville with his wife, Erin.

Jeremy is a Nashville recording artist who spent years in the music industry. He is a singer songwriter who continues to write music for production in Nashville. He is also a local business owner in the great city of Grove City and is proud to be involved in this production as he loves to see the continuing growth of the arts in Grove City.

Dr. Vicki King-Maple is a Telly Award winning director, producer, and scriptwriter. She has produced hundreds of musical variety shows and talent competitions, including Voice of Ohio, Zanesville Has Talent, and the NBC-affiliate televised Y-City Star and Home for the Holidays productions. She has also been involved in the world’s largest scholarship provider to women – the Miss America Organization – for over 30 years; first as an entertainer and contestant at the local and state level in Ohio; then as a local Director and Producer of 3 programs. She is also a vocalist with and manager of two vocal ensembles, PureHeart and Soul Legacy, and she starred in the musical theater production of Marvelous Wonderettes as Cindy Lou. Vicki was a television news anchor and reporter in Ashland, OH, as well as a morning radio personality in Mansfield, OH, and a writer for a series of talent magazines. She travels as a motivational speaker and entertainer and serves as a consultant, trainer, presenter and professional business coach through the firm she founded, Revive with Vicki. Last spring, she published a book dedicated to pursuing your personal and professional purpose.

As a board member of the Grove City Chamber of Commerce, Owner and Director of Belocal Grove City, and an artist and musician himself, Trent created the Voice of Grove City event, with the help of the amazing Chamber staff and many great local sponsors and volunteers, with the purpose of providing singers, throughout Ohio, the opportunity to share their talent and creativity with the world around them during the Arts in the Alley weekend event that has been attended by over 40k each year for over 40 years in the Heart of Grove City.

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Cara Custer is a multi-faceted artist who has been performing for over two decades. Having originally been all about musical theatre and popular music, it was Cara’s experience during her undergrad music program at The University of Tennessee that fueled her passion for classical, opera, and choral music as well. Coming from a family that valued the performing arts, Cara began her vocal training at a young age, which then led to other extraordinary experiences down the road. After college, Cara was accepted to the Manhattan School of Music summer voice program where she was able to work with renown artists (like Victoria Clark) and perform in multiple productions with featured roles and solos. For many years Cara taught private voice lessons and found it very rewarding to help others find confidence and strive for excellence in their skills.  She competed in the Voice of Grove City 2022 and won first place.