American Traditions Competition Kicks-off 20th Anniversary


Celebrating two decades of great American music, The American Traditions Competition kicked-off its 2012-13 season May14th in Reynolds Square by announcing its new Artistic Consultant Vale Rideout, unveiling its 20th anniversary logo and artwork.

The organization honored the legacy of its past winners by selecting Rideout, the 2006 Oxnard Gold Medalist as its new artistic consultant. The event was held at 5:30 p.m. in Reynolds Square in historic Savannah. The public was invited to an evening of great music and refreshments. The competition’s new logo created by Scott Decker and its signature artwork created by local Fine Artist Albert Seidl was also unveiled.

Originally from Colorado, Rideout decided to become an entertainer after playing the role of a goblin in the Hobbit in fifth grade. He has excelled as an opera and classical singer and says his involvement with the ATC has helped to broaden his musical repertoire. He travels more than 150 days each year sharing his musical gifts here and abroad; and lives with his wife Nicole in Stroudsburg, Pa.

“I am honored to accept this position,’’ said Rideout of his new post with the American Traditions Competition. Unlike other singing competitions in the country, he said, the ATC “allows singers to make music that is honest, moving and true.’’

Founded by the late Benjamin Oxnard, Stuart Gordon and Barbara Murphy, the American Traditions Competition was part of Savannah Onstage Festival. That festival grew into the Savannah Music Festival. In 2010, The American Traditions Competition became a tax exempt nonprofit organization. The competition will be held from Jan. 15-19, 2013 at venues in historic Savannah.

Beckett Spreng, the new chair of the Board of Directors, says the “foresight that Ben and Stuart had when they saw an interest for the competition in this community’’ should be applauded.

“We cannot forget to include the contributions of Barbara Murphy. The excitement we still have is reflective in the comments we receive from the past winners. We are so excited about continuing our legacy.”



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.