SILER CITY, N.C. — Greg Burriss, a musician and pastor of Rocky River Baptist Church near Siler City, has been named director of Sing and Play ’19, the second-annual musical competition sponsored by JMArts, the Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation.
Sing and Play highlights talent in separate divisions for elementary, middle and high school musicians — either vocalists or instrumentalists, who may perform individually or in small ensembles. Contestants must be students attending a public, private or home school in North Carolina.
Winners will be selected by audience vote during a showcase concert on Feb. 21 at Jordan-Matthews High School, with auditions being held on Feb. 5. Each of the three winning acts receives a $50 cash prize.
Burriss served as an audition judge during the inaugural Sing and Play earlier this year. He is a vocalist and mandolin player for the New Direction bluegrass band and performs frequently at Rocky River Baptist Church. He also is an actor who appeared locally in Temple Theatre’s 2008 production of “Footloose."
“We are very much looking forward to our second-annual competition,” Burriss said. "Last year, we had tremendous talent in the show from young people in our area. We’re inviting all of the singers and instrumentalists among students in Chatham County and beyond to come out and show us what you can do!”
Last year’s winners were Kaitlyn Evans of Chatham Charter School, Edith Soto of Chatham Middle School and Corrine Collison of Jordan-Matthews High School.
Sing and Play raises money used by JMArts to help high school artists thrive. More about the foundation and competition is available online at JMArts.org.
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Greg Burriss, right, consults with Joey Walden while judging auditions during Sing and Play ’18 in February. Burriss has been named director of Sing and Play ’19, the second-annual musical competition scheduled for February at Jordan-Matthews High School.