PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2025
Contact: Mary K. Baxter
development@hocoarts.org
(410) 313-2787
Eight Local Performing Artists Will Compete for Rising Star at the 28th Annual Celebration of the Arts
ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Eight local performing artists will participate in the Rising Star Performing Arts Competition as part of the Howard County Arts Council’s 28th annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County on Saturday, October 25, 2025, from 6-10pm at the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center at Howard Community College.
The Rising Star Performing Arts Competition showcases performers aged 18-35 who live, work, train, or perform in Howard County. Following the performances, the audience will cast their votes for the winner of the $5,000 prize.
This year’s Rising Stars are:
Rachel Cahoon
Rachel Cahoon is a musical theatre performer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from Point Park University. She has previously performed with Next Stop Theatre, Gretna Theatre, Media Theatre, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and starred in multiple productions at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. She plans to continue pursuing her acting career at Toby’s and around the DMV.
Emily Tate Daniel
Emily Tate Daniel is an American soprano on the rise. This season, she performs opera scenes in Mosset, France; sings a concert of arias at The Hague Central Library; and portrays Nedda in Pagliacci with Greve Opera. Previous performances include the title role in Luisa Miller with Verismo Opera, Alice (cover) in Falstaff with Opera San José, Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte with Asheville Lyric Opera, and Micaëla (cover) in Carmen with Long Island Opera. A Maryland native, Emily is an alumna of the Peabody Conservatory, and she currently coaches her repertoire with Joy Schreier, a coach in Laurel, Maryland.
Danielle Delgado
Danielle Delgado’s passion for music began at a young age, singing alongside her mother who instilled in her a deep pride for her Latina heritage. Danielle believes in using music to celebrate culture and build community. She has performed in various vocal styles including musical theater, contemporary, and jazz, but is most passionate about sharing traditional Mexican music. She currently works in Howard County doing sales and marketing for The Little Gym of Columbia, where she previously served as Assistant Gym Director. Her dream is to one day form a full mariachi group to share her cultural pride with more audiences of all backgrounds.
Kelly Dornan
Kelly Dornan is a ballet dancer from Howard County, Maryland, receiving early training in Columbia and Ellicott City. While a student at Glenelg High School she attend the Washington School of Ballet’s Professional Training Program on scholarship studying with esteemed teachers Kee Juan Han, Kristina Windom, and Vladimir Djouloukhadze. As a student, she performed with The Washington Ballet in Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker and George Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes. Kelly has danced with Colorado Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, and Boulder Ballet; in new works by Andrea Schermoly, Caili Quan, and Sidra Bell; performed at Vail Dance Festival alongside principal dancers from American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet; and has recently begun dancing for Lexington Ballet in Kentucky.
Toby Ichniowski
Toby Ichniowski is a vocalist who completed their Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at Towson University and is now working towards their Master of Music at Temple University. Originally from Baltimore, MD, Toby’s past operatic experience includes playing Adele in Die Fledermaus, Rose Maybud in Ruddigore, Fanny in La cambiale di matrimonio, and covering Le Prince in Cendrillon and Aline in The Sorcerer. They have also performed in scenes as Bess from Breaking the Waves and Frasquita from Carmen.
Robert Rocheteau
Robert Rocheteau is a contemporary classical musician with a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Maryland. A percussionist, Robert is based in Columbia, Maryland, and known for diverse and engaging performances. He has started teaching percussion at Gettysburg College, teaching private students in Howard County, and building up a full-time performance calendar. Recent highlights include performances in Washington DC at the Fête de la Musique Festival at the French Embassy, the Sound Scene Festival at the Hirschorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and performances at the Kennedy Center.
Jaylin Smith
Jaylin Smith is an Honors Junior double majoring in Theatre and English at McDaniel College. Performing since age ten, Jaylin has trained at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and worked as a Musical Theatre Repertoire Coach. She received the Ben Vassiliev Memorial Scholarship, Celonia B. Walden Award for the Performing Arts, and the Outstanding Theatre Arts Student in Acting and Performance Awards upon graduating from Centennial High School in 2022. Her recent roles include Oscar Wilde in Gross Indecency and Margot in Legally Blonde. With a deep passion for performance education, she hopes to one day found a performing arts center for underprivileged children.
Lynique Webster
Lynique Webster completed her Bachelor of Music in Choral Music Education at the University of Maryland, College Park. While at the University of Maryland she sang with the mixed vocal ensemble, Faux Paz. She’s recognized as a standout soloist in both live performances and recorded media and is featured on the ensemble’s release Lithium. Currently, Lynique is a choral music educator at Oakland Mills and Clarksville Middle Schools in Howard County while also serving as a worship leader at the Interdenominational Church of God. She is also a performer with Bachelor Boys Band and Sound Society band, and is a founding member in the six-person vocal band NOMADIC.
About the Celebration of the Arts
Begin the best night of the year with a reception where 15 to 20 local culinary sponsors will showcase their finest foods. Pile your plate high and enjoy the Art Auction featuring work by local and regional artists. Then, at 8pm, guests take their seats for the Rising Star Performing Arts Competition and the presentation of the Howie Awards. Eight talented, local finalists will vie for the audience vote for the $5,000 Rising Star award! In between dazzling performances, the 2025 Howie Awards will be presented to an Outstanding Artist, Arts Educator, and Community Supporter of the Arts in recognition of their contributions to the arts community in Howard County.
Tickets are on sale now and available for $50 and $100. For more information about the Celebration of the Arts and the Howard County Arts Council, please visit hocoarts.org/celebration or call (410) 313-2787.