Homan Hall

Historic Homan Hall plays host to many events throughout the year. Everything from dinner theater to live music and quite a bit in between!

Piano Wars 2014 Finale Held September 26, and the Winner Is...

With a sold-out crowd, Homan Hall Performing Arts Center hosted the Finale of Piano Wars 2014 on September 26. Finalist from the three rounds of competition included Seventeen year old Zachary Elfrink of Leopold, MO, Seasoned Pianist and Webster University Instructor Mr. Ron Bryant, and Life-Long St. Louis based Pianist Patty Becker (better known as Piano Patty!). Unfortunately, Ron Bryant had to forfeit the competition due to scheduling conflict, which narrowed the competition down to just Elfrink and Becker. The evening began with a delicious meal prepared and served by Durso Hills, and delightfully fun desserts individually crafted by 4C-Sons Cakes.

With Professional Judges Nancy Derton, Scott Monteith and Brian Derton critiquing each performance for technical ability, stage presence, familiarity and ensuring that the selection qualified for the genre. Meanwhile, the audience was busy forming their own opinion, which weighed in at 60% of the artists overall score. The artists were at their best, with each having their own unique ability to play up to the audience as they announced their selections.

Emcee and Host, Denny Ward, kept the audience entertained as he injected pater and interacted with the performers. As a special addition to the evening, St. Louis based vocalist Robert Breig, who is no stranger to the vocal stage in many venues across the country, took center stage accompanied by Marquand native Rocky Tucker, and brought the house to its feet with a riveting performance of Bridge Over Troubled Waters. (Breig and Tucker are scheduled to perform at Homan Hall in April of 2015.)

With scores running neck-to-neck, Elfrink continually grabbed the audience with his youthful charm and excellence stage presence, while Becker dazzled them with her seasoned skill at the piano. For the final genre, Inspirational/Religious, each artist had chosen a Patriotic theme, which moved the crowd, but did not exactly thrill the professional judges. As final numbers were tallied, Saxophonist Gerry Huggins took the stage to entertain the audience. Huggins, a California native, currently resides in Madison County and plays many venues across the region, including Durso Hills Bistro & Winery. At the close of the evening, with final scores announced the 2014 Winner was Ms. Patty Becker, by a narrow 12 point variance. Piano Patty received a $300.00 cash prize along with the title of 2014 Piano Wars Champion, while Zach Elfrink as runner up received a $200.00 cash prize. Piano Wars is funded in part by MACAA (Missouri Association of Community Arts Agencies) and MAC (Missouri Arts Council), and is a part of the annual series at Homan Hall Performing Arts Center. For more information, please visit the Marquand website (www.marquandmo.org) or follow the organization on FaceBook. Homan Hall Performing Arts Center is owned and operated by Marquand Development Corporation, a 501c3 Non-Profit with a mission statement that includes Historic Preservation, Community Revitalization and promotion of The Arts.