From acapella groups to yo-yoers, a diverse array of talent took the stage at Texas Revue at the newly-renovated Hogg Memorial Auditorium. First hosted in 1920, this century-old tradition highlights a handful of gifted UT students and awards the champion with a $1,500 prize annually.
On Saturday, the Texas Revue talent showcase presented 16 performances. At the end of the night, the judges announced the champion of the 2024 Texas Revue: Leslie Gonzales, a psychology sophomore who stunned the crowd with her captivating vocal performance. Additionally, musical duo James Grabois and Mason Klein received the Audience Choice Award, and diabolo dancer Joy Deng received the Award for Technical Excellence.
A majority of the acts consisted of musical performances from vocalists, singer-songwriters, an electric guitarist, a capella groups and musical duos. Jackson Horvath, a biology sophomore and event coordinator for the Revue, said the artists blew him away with their astonishing talent.
“(We have) some of the best singing I have ever heard in my life,” Horvath said. “These people take your breath away.”
Horvath decided which acts would perform, along with a few others from Texas Traditions, the student organization that coordinated the event. He said that choosing which students to showcase proved to be difficult due to the amount of talent shown during the audition process.
“At a certain point, we can’t have everybody,” Horvath said. “It kind of breaks your heart because these people are really passionate about what they do.”
Emcees Denny Bold, a radio-television-film and astronomy junior, and Joey Verstegen, a physics sophomore, hosted the showcase, introducing the acts and loosening up the crowd with well-timed puns and banter. Verstegen said he initially felt apprehensive to accept the role as co-emcee.
“I realized that the only thing holding me back from it was nerves,” Verstegen said. “(But) I am not the performer in this case. … I just have to provide confidence for other people performing.”
Reginae Collins, a music senior who performed a solo vocal performance at the Revue, said watching the various performances impacted her emotionally.
“(When) you watch this stuff, you get inspired,” Collins said. “You learn new things you didn’t know people could do before.”
Jacob Vasquez, a government senior and singer-songwriter, presented an original piece, “Born by the River,” for the Revue. Vasquez said that as a musician, talent showcases present valuable opportunities to share artistic passions.
“I wanted to just put myself out there more performance-wise,” Vasquez said. “This is a great opportunity to do that.”
Additionally, Vasquez said that the Revue gives students a well-needed break from academic pressures by providing entertainment from talented fellow students.
“It’s good to see people of diverse backgrounds express themselves,” Vasquez said.
Shruthi Dandamudi, a mechanical engineering sophomore and spoken-word poet, performed for the second year in a row at the Revue. She said she values showcasing her poetry and connecting with students who also want to share their art with others.
“It’s a cool experience to see like-minded students and to see how much talent there is within UT,” Shruthi said. “It’s a gift to be able to do that.”
