Journey Bank is pleased to announce the top 14 finalists from local area high schools who will perform at the 15th Annual Journey Bank Teen Star Musical Competition. The live finale is set for Sunday, June 1, 2025, at Commonwealth University – Bloomsburg, Haas Auditorium at 2:00 p.m. Doors open at 1:00 p.m. Tickets to the event are $5 in advance at any of Journey Bank’s 22 branch locations and $7 at the door the day of the show. The Bank donates all ticket proceeds to the music departments at the finalists’ high schools. This year, cinema comes to the stage with a “Movie Hits & Oscar Glitz” theme. All the contestants will be performing hits from their favorite movies.
More than 60 high school vocalists came out to auditions and vied for 14 coveted spots at the Journey Bank Teen Star Musical Competition finale. Chosen by a panel of independent audition judges, the 2025 Journey Bank Teen Star finalists are:
– Wilmar Lewis – Benton Area High School – Senior
– Leah Hill – Loyalsock Township High School – Senior
– Emily Shapeero – Central Columbia High School – Senior
– Jack Kendron – Berwick Area Senior High School – Senior
– Kyla Brookhart – Danville Area High School – Senior
– Jaslin Shand – Williamsport Area High School – Sophomore
– Camille Cunningham – Columbia County Christian School – Junior
– Taryn Davenport – Central Columbia High School – Sophomore
– Jack Fetzer – Jersey Shore Senior High School – Junior
– Izzy Butters – Loyalsock Township High School – Senior
– Jace Traugh – Central Columbia High School – Sophomore
– Sutton Blauser – Meadowbrook Christian School – Freshman
– Chas Rosler – Central Columbia High School – Freshman
– Erika Traupman – Bloomsburg Area High School – Senior
Modeled after the American Idol® TV show, Teen Star is a musical competition among local area high school students. Journey Bank sponsors this award-winning community event each year to give high school students a unique platform to showcase their talents, to support the music programs at our area schools, and to promote the performing arts in our community.
Auditions were open to any freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior who attends a high school in Columbia, Montour, or Lycoming County or in the Warrior Run School District. The competition also invited contestants who are high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors who permanently reside in Columbia, Montour, or Lycoming County or in the Warrior Run School District, but attend another school outside of Columbia, Montour, or Lycoming County or the Warrior Run School District, or are home-schooled or enrolled in a cyber-school.
At the finale, the 14 chosen teens perform for the audience and a panel of three judges from the music and entertainment industries. The show begins with each finalist performing and then receiving comments from the judges. After all 14 perform, the judges will choose three to compete with a second song. The audience will then get an “audience save” where they will text their vote for a fourth finalist. From these four, the judges will choose the 2025 Journey Bank Teen Star. The top prize is $2,000, with second, third and fourth place finishers receiving $1,000, $750, and $350, respectively. All other finalists receive $100.
Over the past 14 years, hundreds of talented high school students have stepped up to audition. Since the show’s debut in 2011, the Bank has awarded $70,000 in prize money and donated more than $51,000 in ticket proceeds to the music programs at our local high schools.
Visit the Journey Bank Teen Star Musical Competition’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/journeybankteenstar and the Bank’s website at http://www.journeybank.com for more information.
About Journey Bank
For over 125 years, Journey Bank has stood as a beacon of financial trust and expertise in local communities throughout Central PA. Journey Bank represents the combined legacies and strengths of two local community banks—First Columbia Bank and Muncy Bank. The combined bank, together with its 300 dedicated employees, brings a shared commitment to delivering banking excellence to customers with convenient access to 22 community offices across a five-county area that includes Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, and Clinton counties. With more than $1.6 billion in assets as of March 31, 2025, Journey Bank offers a full complement of banking, trust, and financial services to more than 50,000 individuals, families, businesses, and municipalities. Member FDIC.
