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Wanke wins Shining Star CLE contest
Junior Maddy Wanke wowed the crowd and the judges to win first place in the inaugural Shining Star CLE singing competition. For her stellar performance, she earned a $10,000 college scholarship and $2,500 for NDCL's music program.
   

SHINING MOMENT: Click the photo above to watch junior Maddy Wanke accept her $10,000 scholarship as the grand prize winner of the Shining Star CLE singing competition.
  
“It was such a surprise, and I’m so humble to have won this,” said Maddy, who competed against hundreds of talented vocalists from all over northeastern Ohio.
   
A series of video and in-person auditions over several months narrowed the field to just 10 finalists, who performed before a crowd of 800 at Playhouse Square's Ohio Theater on October 22. WKYC TV-3 health correspondent Monica Robins emceed the event, which raised $284,000 for Montefiore Foundation's memory care program at its facilities in Beachwood and Bainbridge.
   
As the grand prize winner, Maddy will now have the opportunity to perform with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra at Severance Hall. She and the other finalists will also receive private mentoring sessions with Broadcast Music, Inc., a global music rights management company, to help them achieve their goals of becoming successful singer-songwriters.