Senior Ava Rhine will participate in the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition finals with a guitar act. The Finals will take place on March 24 at Fox Theatre.
Rhine’s interest in music began in seventh grade when she purchased a guitar. She also plays the violin which she began when she joined orchestra in high school and she said she practices often.
“I practice in my bedroom probably two hours a day,” Rhine said.
The procedure to enter the competition begins with auditions, where Rhine said her participation in the show ended last year.
“[There were] two rounds of auditions,” Rhine said “I actually auditioned last year and didn’t even make it to the semi-finals round, but I tried it again this year and made it to the finals.”
According to the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition website, “the annual Competition provides high school students the opportunity to celebrate their passion, dedication, and love of the performing arts while competing for scholarships.” As each act has its special purpose, Rhine says she hoped to motivate her audience.
“I hope to inspire the audience to maybe learn the guitar and introduce them to more modern solo acoustic guitar playing, which isn’t as well known,” Rhine said.
The guitar can be played in different styles and techniques. The strumming technique is used frequently, so to separate her act from others, Rhine said she uses a unique one.
“The technique I use is very different. It’s called fingerstyle guitar, it’s more modern,” Rhine said.
Rhine said being a finalist causes a mix of emotions.
“It feels motivating; it kind of shows that people think I am performance-worthy. Like I’m good enough to perform on stage, it just feels, really nice,” Rhine said.
She will perform “The Future” By Luka Stricagnoli whom she is inspired by. The unique style she will perform is called lap tapping, a style that was performed by rock and blues guitarists in 1965.
“I lay it on my lap horizontally and then I tap it, creating harmonic sounds,” she said.
As a striving musician, Rhine has her ups and downs. Before going on stage, Rhine said she still gets nervous.
“I just pretend I’m still in my bedroom practicing. I pretend like I’m the only one there even though people are watching,” Rhine said.