Singing in front of a crowd can be nerve-wracking. Singing in front of a crowded room a cappella can be downright terrifying, but 12 Ohio University students braved the stage for a cause last night at Bobcats for Babies’ third annual OU Idol.
“I was definitely nervous tonight,” junior Amanda Stefanik said. “And this sounds really weird, but I just walk around a lot when I’m nervous, and it lets some of that energy out.”
Stefanik will take the stage tonight along with six other finalists. While last night’s performances were a cappella, the final performances will be accompanied by music.
Bobcats for Babies, an OU organization that raises money for March of Dimes, sponsors the competition each year.
“It’s one of our biggest fundraisers,” Chelsea Acock, the group’s president, said. “We raised $500 from OU Idol! alone last year, so we’re hoping to top that this year.”
March of Dimes is a national organization which, according to its mission statement, does research concerning the health of babies and the prevention of premature births.
For Winter Quarter, the Bobcats for Babies’ main focus is OU Idol. Mallory Sauer, the group’s treasurer, organized the prizes, which includes a grand prize of 10 hours of recording time at 3 Elliot Studios. Junior Norm Sommers, another finalist, said that if he wins the recording time he hopes to get his band, 3 Fountain Green, into the studio.
“I don’t know if that’s allowed,” Sommers said. “But it’d be cool to get in the studio and record some of our original songs.”
The winner and two runner-ups will be chosen by a panel of three judges. The panel is made up of senior and former OU Idol winner Aaron Cox; Dr. Patricia Pease, a voice professor at OU; and Carissa Patterson, a graduate student studying voice. Cox and Pease have both judged in the past.
“We’re looking for enthusiasm,passion, communication and that certain ‘je ne sais quoi,’” Pease said.
In the audition round, the judges alone decided who would advance, but the audience will have a say in tonight’s final, Acock said.
Quenna Stewart, Andrew Fowler, Kelle Carney, Kirstie Zontini and Anna Grossman will join Stefanik and Sommers tonight to compete in the final round. The seven finalists will take the stage at 7 p.m. in Baker Theater.
