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By Pamela Bond
Hopeful singers will face the bright lights of stardom or the sting of rejection as they audition for Memorial High School’s version of “American Idol.”
Four students auditioned for “MHS Idol” at the senior campus on Monday and seven auditioned for the show at the Stroman campus on Tuesday. Make-up auditions for anyone who may have missed the first two will be at 4 p.m. today in room IT-110 on the senior campus.
Those who made it through the auditions will be contacted today or Friday and will attend callbacks on Friday, April 25. The final performance will be at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 9, in room 101 of the Stroman Campus.
Last year, at the first “MHS Idol,” 12 students performed. The event is the only fundraiser for Positive Reinforcement Opportunities, a group of high school students who mentor at Mitchell Guidance Center.
“We want to keep them out of trouble so they’ll be able to succeed when they come back to Memorial,” said senior Savanah Alvarez, who formed the group in the summer of 2006.
Three PRO members judge the auditions: Alvarez, president of the group; vice president Elizabeth Rodriquez; and JoAnn Henkel. For the final competition, three judges from outside the high school will be chosen. Contestants are judged on their selection, knowledge of the material and entertainment.
“They were really open and gave me good advice,” said Tori Chumchal, a 15-year-old freshman. “They were not like Simon.” Simon Cowell is the sometimes sarcastic “American Idol” judge.
Chumchal said she likes to sing and has been in choir since sixth grade. She was the first to audition on Tuesday with LeAnn Rimes’“How Do I Live.”
“I kind of feel a connection with it, in a weird way,” Chumcal said. “I just found out about the audition today so I didn’t have time to prepare. I’ve been singing this song since I was a kid.”
Marisella Pulido, a 14-year-old freshman, and Alyssa Salazar, a 17-year-old junior, impressed the judges with their duet “Volver, Volver.”
“They just mainly smiled, and when one judge was like, ‘Wow,’I was like, ‘Thank you,’” Pulido said. “It’s a good song to harmonize with. We just found out about it today, so this was our first time to sing it together.”
Both are in the high school’s mariachi group and are already planning what to wear if they sing at the final performance.
“We were not nervous at all,”Pulido said. “The next song we’d want to sing is ‘Amore de los Dos.’ The whole song is in harmony.”
Pamela Bond is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-580-6578 or pbond@vicad.com, or comment on this story at .