By Terry Jacoby/weloveannarbor.com
Amanda Epperson has been involved in FutureStarts all four years of high school but Saturday the Pioneer senior will hit the stage as a performer for the first time. She was in Rising Stars for two years, and then last year, she got the opportunity to host at the Power Center.
“This is my fourth year in Future Stars but my first time competing,” she says. “Every year has been a really unique experience, but it’s always been my favorite show of the year. I love seeing how the performances evolve.”
Epperson will be singing “No Scrubs,” by TLC and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” by the Temptations. “They’re both really fun group numbers that I think the crowd will really enjoy,” she says.
Like many of the other FutureStars, Epperson is excited to be back in Schreiber Auditorium this year. “It’s been a few years since we’ve been able to have it here and the experience of being back in my home theatre is unmatched,” she says. “Competing in Future Stars is really different from past experiences, but everyone is so supportive and it’s been fun pushing myself to try something new.”
Amanda, 17, the daughter of Amy Valade and Claude Epperson, first stepped onto a stage in the first grade with her two best friends. “I sang ‘Call Me Maybe,’ by Carly Rae Jepsen at our school’s talent show,” she says. “Ever since then, I’ve been involved in music and I’ve grown to really love to sing.”
Most of Epperson’s experience has been in choir but she has been in a few PTG productions, including “Into the Woods,” “Les Mis 1&2,” and the three previous FutureStars competitions.
“I really love being on stage with my friends and working together to make one sound,” she says. “In both of my songs I sing the alto harmony and it’s just really special for me to add depth to our sound and hear how everything comes together.”
Epperson has kept herself busy during her four years at Pioneer. She has been involved in the school’s choir where she is the choir council president and also a part of an extracurricular acapella group called Harmony. She also is in her third year of competing in DECA, a business competition, and hopes to pursue business in the future.
“This fall I’ll be studying marketing management but have not committed to a school yet,” she says. “I plan on joining the university choir and will keep singing for as long as I can.”
FutureStars 2023
Show Date: Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 pm
Location: Schreiber Auditorium, Pioneer High School (601 West Stadium Boulevard)
Reserved Seating Tickets on sale now: https://www.showtix4u.com/events/ptg
$15 Students/65+ Seniors/Pioneer Staff $20 Adults
Historically, FutureStars tickets sell out so advance purchase is encouraged. If there are tickets available, the box office will be open one hour prior to the performance.
For more information about PTG, visit https://a2ptguild.org
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