Huntington Music Idol Crowns Champs
There was laughter and tears, tension and cheers during last Friday night's Huntington Music Idol finals in the Huntington High School auditorium. A crowd of 360 cheered on 35 contestants in the competition. Anna Schiffmacher, Madeline Shea and Nicholas Freiman won the top awards.
The final round of the competition featured 17 students from Huntington High School students and 18 from J. Taylor Finley Middle School taking turns performing on stage.
The event was coordinated by Lisa Leonardi a Huntington music teacher and orchestra director. Proceeds from the evening will be devoted to Huntington High School orchestra scholarships.
Ms. Schiffmacher won the high school division after belting out a stunning rendition of I'm Going Down. Capturing the middle school division was Ms. Shea, who sang Skyscraper "so beautifully," Ms. Leonardi said.
Mr. Freiman earned the Best Entertainer Award. He had the audience in an uproar when he invited his girlfriend, Adelia Witt on stage and asked her to the prom in front of the crowd.
Each of the performers brought their "A" game. "The audience was very appreciative," Ms. Leonardi said. "It was an upbeat night of live entertainment that left everyone with a big smile on their face."
Judges consisted of Music Idol employees, who were dispersed throughout the audience. They compared notes after the final performance and reached a decision as the crowd sat on their each of its seats.
A contingent of fans from Woodhull Intermediate School was in the house to watch teacher Paul Esposito treat them to a memorable performance of Reign O'ver Me. Huntington Music Idol organizers are exploring the possibility of allowing Woodhull sixth graders to enter the competition next year.
This year's competition drew 90 performers to the qualifying round. With that much interest, it seems a sure bet that Huntington Music Idol contestants will once again take the stage in 2014.