A CU student can call himself the top singer on CU’s campus after winning CU Idol last weekend.
Every year, The Herd, the student arm of the Alumni Association, hosts its own version of “American Idol.” This year marked the 9th anniversary of CU Idol as 10 finalists strutted their stuff on stage.
Shortly after 7 p.m. on Friday night, the Glenn Miller Ballroom was filled with the music of Journey, Carrie Underwood and even Incubus, as contestants exhibited their individual musical prowess during the first round.
Satya Chavez, an 18-year-old theatre major and newcomer to CU, belted out an acoustic version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” while playing piano. As the first contestant to perform, she definitely set the bar high.
The first round consisted of “Contestant’s Choice,” which allowed for quite a bit of creative freedom.
Dave DiGioia, a 20-year-old communication major, sang and played guitar for one of his own songs, “High Horse.” While his performance seemed a bit shaky at the beginning, his singing and songwriting abilities were highlighted and generously applauded by the audience.
Following each performance, audience members rated each performer using their iClickers. However, engineering host and past CU Idol winner, John Runnels, failed to inform students of the voting process during the first two contestants. When Runnels finally explained the logistics students seemed frustrated, but also seemed to understand the singer’s lack of hosting experience.
Aside from blowing a fuse and leaving the audience in the dark for a few minutes, the first round ran fairly smoothly. As the audience waited in anticipation for the second round, which required each contestant to sing a cappella, Runnels showcased his award-winning skills by playing two of his own songs, “Untitled” and “Feel You.”
Following the brief intermission, all 10 contestants performed a second time in hopes of winning the crowd over before elimination.
This round proved to be stronger than the last as each performer shed his or her nervous jitters and took ownership of the stage and the audience.
Tayler Bledsoe, a 19-year-old music composition and film major, got students involved during her a cappella rendition of “Something to Talk About” by Bonnie Raitt. With high energy and impeccable range, Bledsoe’s performance left the audience in a frenzy.
First-time performer and 20-year-old integrative physiology student Beau Wolsky soothed the crowd with his rendition of “Feeling Good” by Michael Bublè. This performance proved to be stronger than the last, as Wolsky appeared to be more comfortable with himself and the audience.
Following yet another brief intermission, during which film studies major Jason Potter and MCD biology major Adam Braverman played their acoustic renditions of Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” and “I Want it That Way” by the Backstreet Boys, the five finalists were announced.
For the last round, the finalists were able to perform in any manner or style they chose.
Bledsoe wowed the crowd once again, playing an original song, “Nadina,” which required her to become a one-woman show. From a kick drum to her left and a shaker on her right foot, Bledsoe’s performance definitely showed her musical ability and multi-dimensionality.
Emily Koeppel, a 20-year-old integrative physiology major, rounded out her soulful set with “If I Ain’t Got You,” by Alicia Keys. As her final song choice, Koeppel brought her own style to the song while maintaining her impeccable range and attitude.
Twenty-two-year-old mechanical engineer Peter Zagone transported the audience back to the ’90s with his acoustic version of Blues Traveler’s “Hook.” Although the song didn’t employ his full range, Zagone took the opportunity to win the audience over with his killer stage presence and musical ease.
Rana Novini, a 23-year-old continuing education student, embodied the range and soul of Lady Gaga during her performance of “Telephone,” and Chavez’s flawless rendition of “At Last” by Etta James won over the crowd.
After the five finalists bid their final farewell, the audience was left in anticipation as judges deliberated and scores were tallied.
The third and second place awards went to Koeppel and Bledsoe, who took home $250 and $500, respectively.
Chavez took home the title of “CU Idol 2011” and a grand prize of $1,000.
She will be giving half of her prize money to CU a cappella group On The Rocks so they can work on recording a new album.
Chavez shared what she would be doing with the other half of the prize money:
“The rest will go toward the ‘Satya needs money for out-of-state tuition’ fund,” Chavez said.
She said she cherished the experience in different ways.
“Getting on stage and performing in front of a few hundred people who came to vote for someone else was nerve-wracking,” Chavez said. “There was so much talent on that stage. Any one of those contestants could have easily won…They were all such genuinely great people that I am honored to have been able to share this experience with them.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Maranda Bodas at Maranda.bodas@colorado.edu.
