There was no shortage of talent at the Wellesley Idol semi-finals on Tuesday night.
Opening the 162nd Wellesley-North Easthope Fall Fair, young singers tackled everything from One Direction to Eva Cassidy, with the hopes of making it on to the final round.
Judges whittled the seven singers down to just three, who will compete for the ultimate title of 2015 Wellesley Idol at the Apple Butter and Cheese Festival on September 26. Byron Shantz, Kalina Seifried and JP Sunga commended all the participants for their performances, and offered some general advice to the group.
“Sharing your art with your voice, with your instrument, it’s daunting, it’s terrifying, and it’s magical. And it’s much like an onion, you’re peeling back layers and layers of who you are. I’ve seen several of these people come back year after year and holy cow. They’re getting better and better and better,” Shantz said.
![Brooke Bauer, Taylor Kelly and Paige Warner are moving on to the final round of Wellesley Idol at the Apple Butter and Cheese Festival, after wowing the judges on Tuesday night.[Whitney Neilson / The Observer]](https://www.observerxtra.com/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/post_news_idol.jpg)
As someone’s who’s been making music for 25 years, he said he’s encouraged by the talent in this young group. Before announcing the finalists, they advised all the participants to keep singing and enjoying what they do.
Seifried offered advice for singers going to the final round and those thinking of coming back next year.
“We’d like you guys to think about song choices, about your vocal range, knowing where you are really comfortable and then pushing yourself just a little bit past that,” Seifried said. “Really understanding the maturity of the song and the meaning of the song and really grabbing on to that. We want you guys to think about audience connection, so working on your confidence, your stage presence, and your comfort level on stage.”
She said confidence on stage comes from taking every opportunity to perform, whether it’s on stage, in a choir, or busking on a street corner.
They selected Taylor Kelly, Paige Warner and Brooke Bauer to move on to the finals. Their musical styles range from rock to folk to Broadway. It’ll be a tough choice for the judges to choose a winner, as all three have some serious pipes and bring a unique sound to the stage.
The audience also voted on a fan favourite, Jessie MacDonald, who will perform in the finals. Prizes for the top three are $500, $300, and $200, respectively. The fan favourite will receive $125.
Bauer put on a show with Naughty from Matilda the Musical.
“We like to tag her as Broadway Brooke. She’s this tiny person, but such a powerhouse presence on the stage. That’s what she has going for her, so we’re really excited to see how she can elevate that to bring more of herself out at the ABC Festival. She’s just one small package of small entertainment,” Sunga said in an interview after the winners were announced.
Warner sang Autumn Leaves by Eva Cassidy, and accompanied herself on guitar. She was selected as the fan favourite and made it to the finals in the 2013 Wellesley Idol.
“She’s obviously a born entertainer. She has crazy stage presence. She held the whole room in the palm of her hand. She just had to sing those first few notes and she captivated everyone. She’s just super talented. And I think that presence for me was the main reason she needed to go on to the next round,” Seifried said.
Kelly performed Ironic by Alanis Morissette. She made it to the semi-finals last year, but wasn’t selected to move on to the finals.
“Her vocal quality is awesome. She’s got great control over her voice and we want to see her break out of her shell and gain some more confidence and really entertain us. But the goods are there. We’re excited for the next round,” Seifried said.
The finalists hit the stage at the ABC Festival on September 26 at 2 p.m.
