 | | | Malia Akazawa Photos Ohlen Alexander
| | | | | | Approximately 40 up-and-coming artists belted out everything from musical theater to American classics, from jazz standards to songs from the top of the Billboard charts at the 7th annual Orinda Idol Finals Sunday, September 9 at the Orinda Theatre. Sponsored by the Orinda Arts Council, awareness of the program's quality has grown over the years, and so has interest in auditioning. This year more than 200 performers, ranging in age from 5 to 18, vied for a spot in the Finals.
Chairman of the event, Stephen Harwood, commented on the quality and purpose of the program, "This is the seventh annual Orinda Idol competition and the talent is through the roof. Every year, we're so impressed with the budding talent in the Lamorinda area. From the littlest kindergartner to the most seasoned high schooler, there are some great singers in our midst. We're just happy to provide a venue in which they can pursue their singing dreams while having a whole lot of fun!"
The following list of group and soloist finalists performed on Sunday by age group:
Soloists:
Kindergarten - Grade 2: Callie Barber, Lucy Berkman, Amelia Chen, Bridget Mills, Claire O'Connor
3rd - 5th Grade: Malia Akazawa, Elizabeth Becker, Isabel Fine, Malin Glade, Taylor Johnson, Jennifer Mcfarlane, Grace Mesenbring, Jackie Patton, Nicole Prozan, Lindsey Wallace
Middle School: Grace Baer, Poppy Bovoso, Lucy Clearwater, Nathan Correll, Mila Lineweaver, Jocelyn Purcell, Kendall Roberts, Eleanor Roeder, Michaela Sasner, Leah Woodcox
High School: Sophie Belinn, Sarah Cain, Mariette Clarisse, Mariette Ebarle, Julia Elliott, Maritza Grillo, Tosca Maltzmann, Carolyn Moore, Amrita Newton, Paige Powell, Hannah Witbeck
Groups:
K-2nd Grade: Monday Blues, Rising Starz, Simply Sisters, Sweet Harmony
6-12th Grade: Frank and Annie, Applause Theatre Company, Emma & Sophie, Fine & Sassy, JnJ, Urban Flare
And the 2012 Orinda Idol winners are:
Soloists K-2: Lucy Berkman
Soloists 3-5: Malia Akazawa
Soloists 6-8: Eleanor Roeder
Soloists 9-12: Maritza Grillo
Groups K-5: Sweet Harmony
Groups 6-12: Urban Flare
Audience Award Winner:
Tosca Maltzman
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA