Freshman wins first Rebels Got Talent competition

Posted on Oct 24 2013 - 7:42am by Kayla Carpenter

_DSC8297

More than 70 students attended the first ever Rebels Got Talent held in the Grove on Wednesday night.

The Student Activities Association sponsored the event, which included nine performances from Ole Miss students.

“We think that Rebels Got Talent had a great turnout,”said Fritz Valerio, Student Activities Association co-director of entertainment. “We will definitely continue to do this.”

A variety of acts were performed on the Grove stage including cover songs, original songs, and puppetry.

Ole Miss freshman Chase Moore performed the song “Ordinary People” by John Legend and was chosen as the 2013 Rebels Got Talent winner.

Moore, a Horn Lake native, has been singing since he was in the fourth grade.

“Since I was young I have sung with my family, at church, at weddings, at my former high school and even at birthday parties,” Moore said. “I am not shy about getting in front of people, I just do not tell everybody that I sing.”

Moore is a part of the University Chorus and Gospel Choir at Ole Miss.

“God blessed me with this talent and I am thankful that I get to use it to represent where I am from, the organizations I am in and the University of Mississippi,” he said. “I am excited to be the first ever winner of Rebels got talent and I plan to use this gift for the rest of my life.

Freshman journalism major Bella Ernst performed a song that she wrote herself and played the guitar.

“I have always wanted to perform my own music,” Ernst said. “I write a lot of original songs. Being able to perform your own song in front of people is like telling a story.”

Freshmen Kelsey Jackson attended Rebels got Talent to check out the many performers.

“I think it is important to support people and their talents,” Jackson said.

Miss University Caroline Conerly, 2013 Ole Miss Idol Yasmin Glover and Ricky Burkhead, director of percussion studies, served as judges for the competition.