Written by: John Boyle, FCSN Voices Youth Reporter
Graphics By: Christy Ma, FCSN Voices Graphic Artist

Going on for 10 years now, FCSN has once again held its annual talent show auditions this year. Ranging from singing, dancing, and instruments to martial arts and comedy acts, our auditioners really succeeded on stage! Before I get into the details of these wonderful performances, let me first give you some background of how this talent show was founded in the first place.

Founded in 2012, FCSN’s talent show was originally an in-house talent show exclusively for FCSN’s clients and their families. Because the competition instantly gained popularity and captured the interests of the wider special needs community, FCSN decided to expand the showcase, extending an open invitation to individuals and groups outside the FCSN community in 2015. Although the show’s occurrence was challenged by the onset of the global pandemic, FCSN’s organizers did not lose confidence – they transformed the talent showcase into an amazing experience over Zoom, attracting talented individuals from different parts of the world, such as Japan and Mexico. For the first time in the history of the organization, the organization managed to unite diverse talents from around the world.

The talent showcase was established so that it could serve as a motivation and as an empowerment for brilliant individuals to pursue their abilities. The show’s organizers wanted to end the stigma and negative stereotypes surrounding the special needs community in order to achieve a more understanding society. While I was at the auditions, I was touched to see individuals play Mozart, Clementi, and other famous composers on the piano. Thanks to these talent showcases, special needs individuals have opportunities to find jobs through their talents.

This year’s talent show had a slate of excellent judges including Lisa Kelinbub, Gabriel Rogin, Jody Wilfong, a Board-Certified Music Therapist, Yi-Shan Yang, and Javier Zaldivar. Equally important, FCSN staff members and many volunteers organized and supported smooth auditions.  

I personally think that every auditioner was amazing during this talent showcase, with their enchanting voices and skilled performances in the arts. During the show, Amy Qian and Lawrence Wang performed a duet vocal “Enchanting Odyssey” from the movie Aladdin. Their attire perfectly captured the Arabian essence of the enchanting music: Amy wore a two-piece blue dress with decorating gold coins that jingled and shone on top of a pair of billowy pants and Lawrence wore a long sleeved yellow Arabic attire. The pair sang “A Whole New World,” reacting the scene of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine singing on their magic carpet ride.

The dance “Kung Fu Pandas” was extremely amusing and cute. These cute performers were Lily Therdsteerasukdi, Naya Yap, Hasan Nsour, Jacob Santos, Fleance Tuscano, and Marvin Wang. Clad in panda costumes, the performers threw punches to the beat of the song playing. The formation of the dance ensured that every performer was seen by the judges and was able to show off their talent.

Another equally impressive performance was the flute and piano “The Melodic Duo,” performed by Ting-Ting Yang and Darren Ko. Ting-Ting, who played the flute, and Darren, who played the piano synchronized the harmony and beats with one another smoothly. The pair also performed a traditional and famous Chinese folk song “Kang Ding love song” (康定情歌).

And if duos were not amazing enough, we also had groups of auditioners in a choir! When I closed my eyes, I could not tell whether or not they were professionals! Mixing up the genre, soloist Chris Koraltan sang a rap song, using powerful and sharp movements to show his passion while he was singing. I was very happy to see Evan Gelesic along with others perform the vocal and dance “I Can’t Help Myself.” With so many talented performers, it was difficult for the judges to make a final decision, and I believe everyone’s performance was outstanding.

We now have the results of the audition listed in the table below:

Finalists	Honorable Mentions
The Warehouse Band – Instrumental & Vocal ​	Andrew Quach – Piano
Cello Duet – Cello​	Bob Gao – Piano
The Melodic Duo – Flute & Piano​	Phat Mao – Piano
Genre Hoppers – Piano & Soprano Duo​	Frank Prenot – Vocal
Keerat Sharma – ​Piano	Kung Fu Pandas – Dance
Enchanting Odyssey – ​Vocal	Margaret Luo – Vocal
Chris Koraltan – ​Vocal	Faaris Amin – Piano
Amy Qing – ​Vocal	Kirrishea Parico – Dance
Harmonic Heartbeats – ​Choir	Magoon Brothers – Vocal
Oh My My – Vocal & Dance​
Clarissa Kowalski – ​Aerial Hoop Dance

Now that the auditions are over, the final talent show will take place on April 13, 2024. I cannot wait to witness another stunning performance again soon! You can get the information and tickets for the show here: https://www.specialneedstalentshowcase.org/.