Post by admin on Sept 4, 2008 15:56:28 GMT -5
www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080904/NEWS01/809040465/1285/LOCAL09
FREEHOLD — If the Freehold Idol competition had been based on fan fervor alone, Fred Bourne would have won, hands down.
"I love my son . . . He blows my mind," said Bourne's father, Fred Bourne Sr., one of several family members and friends who came out to support the young singer last week.
The junior Bourne was one of 10 singers who competed Aug. 21 in the finale of the second annual Freehold Idol competition, hosted by the Freehold Center Partnership. The contest was open to state residents between the ages of 16 and 27.
The 10 singers were chosen during weekly competitions held in the borough this summer, beginning in June. Three finalists were unable to attend for personal reasons, according to the partnership's chief operations officer, Jayne Carr.
The contestants all were vying for the first-place prize — $500 and free studio time at Monmouth County Academy of Musical Arts in Marlboro.
So excited was Bourne Sr. for his son's performance at last month's finale that he printed up a dozen brightly colored T-shirts proclaiming, "Freddie Next Freehold Idol" and "Vote for Freddie" to drum up support.
"I even gave the ice cream man a T-shirt!" Bourne Sr. said.
For his engaging performance of "Chasing Cars" by the band Snow Patrol, the curly-haired teen — who jumped off stage mid-song to serenade the judges and the audience — was awarded third place and $100.
"I feel good that I actually got in the top three," said Bourne, who lives in Jackson. "I'm really glad I did it (the competition)."
The judges awarded second place to Kelly Carvin, a 21-year-old from Yardville who stood out by performing one of her own songs.
But it was a Brielle teen who made the biggest impression on the Idol judges last week. After hearing from all the performers, the judges declared 17-year-old Cara Smith this year's Freehold Idol.
"Cara's got a combination of voice, style, delivery and uniqueness that nobody . . . had quite that combination of," said David Singer, one of the competition's three judges. Singer is a local business owner and a board member of the Freehold Center Partnership.
"She is a pure singer. She's very compelling to watch," said Joe Orlando, another judge and co-owner of the Monmouth County Academy of Musical Arts. His business partner, Donna Topinka, also judged the contest.
Smith, who sang "I'm Like a Bird" by Nelly Furtado, was stunned after winning.
"I'm so shocked. . . . I thought I did really bad. I walked off stage in a slump," Smith said as friends and family approached to congratulate her.
Smith has been singing since she was a child, she said, and now performs with the Young People's Chorus of New York City, which, according to its Web site, has performed on three continents. The group recently sang at Yankee Stadium for Pope Benedict XVI's first papal visit to the United States and won three gold medals in the 2008 Choir Olympics in Graz, Austria.
Smith, who prefers jazz and folk music, plans to use her studio time to record an original song, she said. She will probably put the $500 toward voice lessons, she said.
Smith credited her loved ones last week for encouraging her dream of succeeding as a singer.
"I have a very, very strong support group," she said. "I owe it all to my friends."
Kim Predham: (732) 308-7752 or kpredham@app.com
FREEHOLD — If the Freehold Idol competition had been based on fan fervor alone, Fred Bourne would have won, hands down.
"I love my son . . . He blows my mind," said Bourne's father, Fred Bourne Sr., one of several family members and friends who came out to support the young singer last week.
The junior Bourne was one of 10 singers who competed Aug. 21 in the finale of the second annual Freehold Idol competition, hosted by the Freehold Center Partnership. The contest was open to state residents between the ages of 16 and 27.
The 10 singers were chosen during weekly competitions held in the borough this summer, beginning in June. Three finalists were unable to attend for personal reasons, according to the partnership's chief operations officer, Jayne Carr.
The contestants all were vying for the first-place prize — $500 and free studio time at Monmouth County Academy of Musical Arts in Marlboro.
So excited was Bourne Sr. for his son's performance at last month's finale that he printed up a dozen brightly colored T-shirts proclaiming, "Freddie Next Freehold Idol" and "Vote for Freddie" to drum up support.
"I even gave the ice cream man a T-shirt!" Bourne Sr. said.
For his engaging performance of "Chasing Cars" by the band Snow Patrol, the curly-haired teen — who jumped off stage mid-song to serenade the judges and the audience — was awarded third place and $100.
"I feel good that I actually got in the top three," said Bourne, who lives in Jackson. "I'm really glad I did it (the competition)."
The judges awarded second place to Kelly Carvin, a 21-year-old from Yardville who stood out by performing one of her own songs.
But it was a Brielle teen who made the biggest impression on the Idol judges last week. After hearing from all the performers, the judges declared 17-year-old Cara Smith this year's Freehold Idol.
"Cara's got a combination of voice, style, delivery and uniqueness that nobody . . . had quite that combination of," said David Singer, one of the competition's three judges. Singer is a local business owner and a board member of the Freehold Center Partnership.
"She is a pure singer. She's very compelling to watch," said Joe Orlando, another judge and co-owner of the Monmouth County Academy of Musical Arts. His business partner, Donna Topinka, also judged the contest.
Smith, who sang "I'm Like a Bird" by Nelly Furtado, was stunned after winning.
"I'm so shocked. . . . I thought I did really bad. I walked off stage in a slump," Smith said as friends and family approached to congratulate her.
Smith has been singing since she was a child, she said, and now performs with the Young People's Chorus of New York City, which, according to its Web site, has performed on three continents. The group recently sang at Yankee Stadium for Pope Benedict XVI's first papal visit to the United States and won three gold medals in the 2008 Choir Olympics in Graz, Austria.
Smith, who prefers jazz and folk music, plans to use her studio time to record an original song, she said. She will probably put the $500 toward voice lessons, she said.
Smith credited her loved ones last week for encouraging her dream of succeeding as a singer.
"I have a very, very strong support group," she said. "I owe it all to my friends."
Kim Predham: (732) 308-7752 or kpredham@app.com
