Gilson gave the final regular performance of the 14th annual Taste of Talent vocal competition Sunday evening.
But they committed to do it and they didn't look back.
"Once we figured it out, I looked at mt mom and was like, 'what do you want me to do? I don't want to make you drive three hours if you don't want to,' but she has always taught me that once you commit to something there's no going back," Gilson said. "So we drove three hours for six weeks." It was worth the trip. |
Each week she would prepare a new song, but singing them all while keeping to a practice schedule careful not to wear out her voice, she said. On Saturday, after being named one of the four finalists, Gilson still had two songs to polish for her final day, but she and her mom stayed over in Franklin in a hotel. She didn't rehearse her final two songs that night, but on Sunday they asked the hotel staff if it would be allowed to practice in the room. "After everybody left, they let me sing," she said.
The Juniata High School senior thanked Franklin for their kindness and support right from the start. "It was just my mom and I and I know we didn't vote me through."
"I'm just so proud," her mom said. "She has worked so hard. Even over COVID she kept taking voice lessons over the computer and she practices all the time. This is what she just loves."
Taste of Talent winners 2010 Lyric McCommons 2011 Kevin Downey 2012 Rachel Mellor and Hunter Cook 2013 Lauren Snyder 2014 Nathaniel Licht 2015 Bailey Jones 2016 Randy Morehead 2017 Lauren Skelley 2018 Connor Raymond 2019 Joey Lillard and Joni Zacherl 2020 Gloria Mancilla-Balog 2021 Ian Best and Scott Gressley 2022 Kaleb Beichner 2023 Lexie Gilson |