March 28, 2024

Hermosa Beach Community Theater hosts Vocal Contest

Ella Trodd

Staff Writer

Youth singers participated in the third annual South Bay Teen Idol Vocal Contest at the Hermosa Beach Community Theatre on May 23rd and May 25th.

The contest was hosted by Freedom4U and Hitchcock Automotive Resources. Freedom4U is a Palos Verdes based, non-profit creative arts organization, that helps teens to discover their passions, according to their website. Hitchcock Automotive Resources is a private car dealership company.

“Freedom4U seems like a great choice in hosting the contest,” Costa Sophomore and choir student Trevor Mahony said. “A lot of teenagers struggle in finding something they are passionate enough about to dedicate their time to, but Freedom4U inspires teens to get involved in their community through music.”

South Bay students between the ages 13-18 were invited to enter. Students entered by privately posting a one minute video to YouTube, then professional music artists judged the videos. They will determine whether or not the singer can perform at the Idol Qualifying Show.

“It is kind of unfortunate that your entry can only be one minute long,” Mahony said. “That is definitely a drawback, because I do not consider 1 minute long enough for a singer to highlight and feature all of their skills.”

The Idol Qualifying Show was on May 23rd at 6:00pm and was also held at the Hermosa Beach Community Theatre. The qualifying show had a $10 admission fee. It was judged by three experienced people in the entertainment field.

“The deadline to enter the contest was May 13th,” Costa Sophomore and choir student Audrey Scott said. “I wish I would have known about it in time to enter and so I could have received feedback from the judges in order to help me improve.”

The singers that made it past the qualifying show had the opportunity to perform again at the South Bay Teen Idol Final Contest on May 25th. The final show had a $15 admission fee.

“While performing in front of the judges and the crowd would be nerve wracking, I think my experience in choir at Costa these past two years would help me to feel well enough prepared for something of this stature,” Mahony said. “I am in Vocal Ensemble, and our concerts often have large amounts of attendees.

The third place winner won a $250 cash award, the second place winner won a $500 cash award, and the first place winner won an entrance into iPOP. iPOP stands for International Presentation of Performers Convention, an organization that helps singers to branch out into acting, specifically through managers and talent agents, according to their website.

“Winning money is a bonus in entering the contest, in addition to the valuable advice from the judges,” Costa Sophomore and choir student Chris Holton said. “Also, the chance of getting into iPOP would have been a risk worth taking, since it can give to way into the entertainment field.”

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