Seniors Got Talent Knoxville

2023 Seniors Got Talent Knoxville Winners!

1st Place & People's Choice

Corkey Miller

Comedian, Age 63

2nd Place

Sandy & the Sandsation Dancers

Dance Group, Ages 66-77

3rd Place

The Tennessee Jewels

Singing, Dancing, & Twirling Group, Ages 67-78

See what Seniors Got Talent Knoxville is all about

Enjoy a video of the full Morning Pointe Seniors Got Talent Knoxville, TN 2023 show.

Join us November 12 at the Bijou Theatre for the 2024 show!

For more fun, watch a behind the scenes reel from the 2023 show!

Host

Ted Hall

Evening anchor & managing editor for WVLT-TV Channel 8

Ted Hall is thrilled to call East Tennessee home…again.

He is the evening anchor and managing editor for WVLT-TV channel 8.

Ted moved to Knoxville in 1988 to be the weekend sports anchor at WBIR-TV.

After nearly 20 years on the air in various jobs, he left to be the main anchor at WXIA-TV in Atlanta.

8 years later, he decided he and his family really wanted to be back where all 3 of his kids, with wife Lesa, were born.

Judge

W. James Taylor

2021 Knoxville Seniors Got Talent Winner

Taylor, born and raised in Knoxville’s Lonsdale Homes neighborhood, is an award-winning pastel artist. He is an instructor at the Knoxville Museum of Art, a mayor-appointed member of the Knoxville Arts Committee (2016-2023), and a former board member of the Fountain City Art Center. His gallery — Geneva Galleries Inc. (named for his mother Geneva) — is located in The Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville. Taylor is also an award-winning singer/songwriter. The winner of the 2021 Morning Pointe Seniors Got Talent Knoxville (Knoxville’s first Morning Point-sponsored Seniors Got Talent), he has served a judge for the 2022 competition, and, based on his first-place Seniors Got Talent performance, will be among performers in NBC’s America’s Got Talent 2023 competition.

Judge

Nathan McGhee

General Manager for the Bijou Theatre

Nathan McGhee, an East Tennessee native, serves as the General Manager for the historic Bijou Theatre. In this role, Nathan oversees over 180 shows, educational initiatives, and community events a year where highlights have recently included David Sedaris, Lindsey Buckingham, Hasan Minhaj, Mavis Staples, Jason Isbell and more!

Nathan has spent over 15 years working with nonprofits with a focus on the arts, events, and education. Before his grand Bijou adventure, McGhee served as the Education Director for the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley where he created the Humane Education for Youth Program. He also served as the Project Specialist/Education Director for the Rose Center Council for the Arts where he developed the YouthWorks afterschool program which saw, on average, 500 students per week who studied all realms of the arts. At the Rose Center, he also co-managed the Mountain Makins Festival (Top 20 Event in the Southeast, Best Festival in East Tennessee, and the Kaleidoscope Award). As a proud advocate for the arts, he has also served on the board of directors for the Tennessee Stage Company, Encore Theatrical Company, the Morristown Theatre Guild, and Flying Anvil Theatre.

Judge

Danielle Farrell

Business Woman, Author, Dancer, and Director

Danielle Farrell is a business woman, minister of dance, professional entertainer licensed realtor and a self published Children’s Author.

She began exploring her passion for dance by joining her church dance programs, local school dance teams as well as training at a local dance studio. She became an elite competitive dancer receiving awards both regionally and nationally competing all over the South. Danielle has also competed as well as performed in Disney World’s International Dance Competition as well as the New Year’s Eve Parade held in London England with The Walker Valley High Color guard. After graduating high school, she became a member of the Oral Roberts University Dance Team and Dance Department in Tulsa, Oklahoma

In her adult professional dance career, Danielle signed with a talent agency located in Nashville, Tennessee and has worked as a professional dancer and model on sets including, Krystal’s “Square Talk,” Jon Pardi’s “Heartache Medication,” and the Breland Chevy Commercial “Don’t Touch My Truck,” to name a few.

Currently, Danielle Farrell is Co- Owner and Artistic Director of Raw Art Dance & Entertainment Performance Academy located in Cleveland Tennessee along with her younger sister, Gabrielle Farrell. The RAD team focuses on educating and enhancing young students into artists of excellence through the fine arts with the Gospel of Christ at the center. Established in 2013, The Farrell sisters have made a great impact on the youth using dance and arts to minister to this generation and celebrated a decade of business last September! Raw Art Dance has won numerous competitive awards and titles as well as received invitations to dance in Disney World and has had students perform in the Magic Kingdom’s Parade!

During the pandemic in 2020, Danielle decided to begin another career in Real Estate and is currently brokered with Realty One Group Experts in Chattanooga TN! She coined the title, “The Dancing Realtor,” meshing her entertainment background along with her real estate career! She enjoys assisting her clients while keeping true to her fun personality!

In May of 2023, Danielle completed and published her very first children’s book, “Dancing for The King,” a story about three young ladies overcoming obstacles to achieve their dreams of dancing for The Great King! Her book is available online through Amazon, Apple Books, and Barnes and Noble as well as local book stores such as White Wing, The Ship Store, and her dance studio Raw Art Dance and Entertainment!

Danielle acknowledges that every facade of business is different yet enjoys helping people especially the youth. All her achievements are impossible without God her Heavenly Father, Her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and her supportive family.

Judge

Cecilia Wright

Board-certified music therapist, educator, and musician based in Knoxville, Tennessee

Cecilia Wright received a BA in Music at the University of Tennessee and a MM in Music Therapy at the University of Kentucky. Her graduate research focused on supporting diverse LGBTQ+ clients and colleagues through increased educational opportunities for music therapy students. Previously, Cecilia provided contracted music therapy services for students with disabilities in Lexington, Kentucky, within the public school system. Her current clinical work includes music therapy groups to support adults with dementia in residential living, adults in recovery from substance use disorders, elementary school students in under-resourced communities, and adults with Parkinson’s Disease and their care partners. Additionally, she provides therapeutic music experiences at community events as part of the “Music is Healing” program, sponsored by Hope in the Hills.

She currently produces and hosts the podcast “Pass the Mic: Creating a Stage for Change” for the Tennessee Theatre. Cecilia was a contributing artist on the Grammy-nominated album Long Violent History by Tyler Childers, toured nationally with Lucette in support of Sturgill Simpson, and has toured and recorded with a wide variety of local and regional artists including the Lonetones, RB Morris, and Warren Byrom. In recent years, she has toured and recorded with Kentucky-based songwriter Senora May, including performing at the 2023 Newport Folk Festival.

Judge

Dino Cartwright

Actor/Voice-Over Artist

Erin Donovan is an avid mountain biker and world traveler. She serves as the Board President of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club in Knoxville, Tennessee. She is also involved with the club’s Joy Ride and Trail Building committees and is a third year Specialized Ambassador. Erin is an Emmy and Associated Press award-winning journalist and works as a social and digital media consultant. She brings expertise in video, photography, multimedia and a passion for digital storytelling to local and national clients. When she’s not riding her bike, she is a dedicated community volunteer and is a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Federal Re-Entry Program in Knoxville. You can also catch her on the big stage MCing for special events and lending her comedic talents to local live broadcasts.

Our Sponsors

What Happened at the 2023 Show

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE 2023 SHOW:

On November 14th, 2023, 11 Seniors performed in the Big Show “Seniors Got Talent” at The Bijou Theatre.

Congratulations to all contestants for a superb performance!

3rd place goes to The Tennessee Jewels, 67-78, singing, dancing and twirling group, who performed a medley of “Tennessee Waltz” and “Rocky Top.”

2nd place goes to Sandy and the Sandsation Dancers, 66-77, performing “Last Dance.”

People’s Choice Award AND 1st place with the $500 grand prize went to the hilarious Corkey Miller, a 63-year-old comedian! She got the crowd laughing with her original routine.

All proceeds benefit the work of the Morning Pointe Foundation, providing nursing scholarships and caregiver support programs.

Audition Info

Tuesday, September 24

Locations: Morning Pointe of Powell

Times: 6-7 PM (During Family Night)

Addresses: 7700 Dannaher Drive, Powell, TN 37849

Phone: (865) 686-5771