Photo Flash: Julia Goodwin Wins 2013 Great American Songbook Vocal Competition

Julia Goodwin is the 2013 winner of the Great American Songbook Vocal Academy and Competition. The 15-year-old is from Baldwinsville, New York. During the finals concert on July 26, she sang two American standards: "Dream A Little Dream of Me," and "Feeling Good." Scroll down for photos of Goodwin and the other finalists!

As the first place winner she receives $3,000 and the chance of a lifetime: the opportunity to perform with two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award nominated entertainer and founder of the Feinstein Initiative, Michael Feinstein. The first place winner will serve as the Great American Songbook Youth Ambassador for one year and will have opportunities to perform throughout the year.

Goodwin, who began singing as a toddler, will be a sophomore at CW Baker High School in Baldwinsville, New York. She has sung tunes from the Songbook by Etta James, among others, and has come to have a deep appreciation for the impact these songs continue to have on music today. She enjoys how music and singing alike can alter a mood and bring cheer to other people as well. She is also a lacrosse player and involved in chorus.

Goodwin joined nine other high school vocalists at the week-long academy and competition, held in the Indiana city of Carmel. The annual event is sponsored by the Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Initiative and is the only U.S. competition dedicated solely to the music from Broadway, Hollywood musicals and the Tin Pan Alley era of the early to mid-twentieth century.

"Through this competition, we are reaching a new generation to teach this music and the American history that inspired and influenced these composers," said Michael Feinstein, the Initiative's founder and noted American Songbook ambassador.

The second place winner, Kyrie Courter, Chicago, will receive $2000. The third place position was a tie, with winners, Sam Pomales, Springboro, Ohio, and, Melinda Rodriguez, Miami, FL, both receiving $1500 toward continuing music education. The finalists for 2013 were selected from regional competitions from 22 states - Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. The regional competitions were held May-June 2013 and included a full day of workshops followed by an evening performance. Two finalists were selected in each region.

The finalists included: Brittany Bauerly Dubuque, IA Dubuque Hempstead High School; Kyrie Courter Chicago, IL Chicago High School for the Arts; Morgan Rose Berkeley, CA Berkeley High School; Grace Wipfli Ottawa Hills, OH Ottawa Hills High School; Julia Goodwin Baldwinsville, NY CW Baker High School; Maya Jacobson Clearwater, FL Berkeley Prep; Brandon Ocasio Astoria, NY LaGuardia Arts High School; Sam Pomales Springboro, OH Home school; Melinda Rodriguez Miami, FL Miami Arts Charter School; and Emma Roos San Francisco, CA St. Ignatius College Prep.

The 10 finalists convened at the Feinstein Initiative's headquarters in Carmel, IN, July 21-26, 2013, to participate in a five-day academy on interpreting and performing the music of the Great American Songbook. Five-time Grammy nominee, Michael Feinstein, and other top music industry professionals will conduct workshops and master classes throughout the week. The final competition performance was held in the 1,600 seat Palladium Concert Hall at the Center for the Performing Arts.

Judges and mentors included Michael Feinstein, Jane Monheit, Sandi Patty, Sylvia McNair, Jim Caruso, Dr. Kathleen Hacker.