Santa Ynez Valley Master Chorale March 26, 2011

PRESS RELEASE
Singers to compete for ‘Valley Idol’
Preliminary round on March 26
Finale on April 9
Amateur and professional singers from the Valley and from all around Santa Barbara County will compete to become this year’s “Valley Idol” in this fourth annual fundraiser for the Santa Ynez Valley Master Chorale.
Co-sponsored by radio station, MIX 96.7 and El Rancho Market, the contest is modeled on television’s “American Idol,” with a panel of professional judges voting and giving feedback, and with audience members buying votes for the singer they support, in place of television viewers calling or texting to support their favorite candidate.
The winner will receive a $500 first prize, the first runner-up will receive $300 and the second runner-up will receive $100 in prizes.
The preliminary round of the contest will be held on Sat., Mar. 26, starting at 8:45 a.m., with in-person registration at 8:15 a.m., at the Parish Hall of the Church at the Crossroads, Hwy. 246 and La Lata Drive in Buellton.
Singers must be age 15 years or older to compete. Individuals, duets and groups of up to four singers may participate. A one-time entry fee of $20 for each individual contestant or each group must accompany the application. (Duets, trios or quartets will pay a total of $20 per group, not per individual.)
During the preliminary round, each contestant will perform one song, no longer than 3 minutes, from any style of music. A keyboard and a CD player will be available. Contestants may bring a music-only or karaoke-style CD, accompany themselves on an instrument, bring their own accompanist, or sing a cappella. No backing vocals will be allowed on the CD accompaniment. All song selections must be family friendly.
“I am so excited to invite all those who love to sing and perform to compete in our annual fundraiser, the Valley Idol,” said Idol coordinator Kay Dominguez. “We are looking for all types of singers, from opera to rock to country. There are so many talented individuals in this area that we are looking forward to a great turnout!”
The judges will determine the twelve finalists who will move on to the final competition on Sat., Apr. 9, beginning at 7 p.m., at the Veterans Memorial Building in Solvang. The judges will provide written comment sheets for each contestant’s performance, both at the preliminaries and at the finale. This year’s professional judges include MIX 96.7 Lynda Kelley, host of “The Morning Show,” award-winning recording artist Ricky Hana, and trumpet soloist Michael Roberts.
At the final competition, each of the twelve finalists will perform one song in each of three rounds. Audience members may purchase votes to vote for their favorite contestant or split their votes among contestants. One dollar will buy one vote. After the first round, the audience will vote for four contestants and the judges will vote for two contestants to narrow the field to six. After the second round, the audience and judges will again vote to eliminate three contestants and leave three finalists. After the final round, the winner and runners up will be determined by a combination of audience votes and the votes of the judges.
For example, last year’s winner, Britni Alleman, did not receive enough votes to move to the second round of the contest on the final night; however, the judges brought her back and she was voted the Valley Idol of 2010 by both audience and judges.
Contestants may download applications on-line at www.syvchorale.org and mail the application and registration fee to: SYV Master Chorale Idol, P.O. Box 1902, Santa Ynez, CA 93460. Applications are also available by calling Domiguez at 686-2624 or 245-2422, and may also be picked up at the Book Loft in Solvang. Participants may also register in-person at the preliminary round between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. on Mar. 26.
Audience members are welcome at the preliminary round; admission is $5 at the door.
Audience admission to the finale is $15 per person at the door. Each ticket entitles the holder to cast $5 worth of votes. More votes may be purchased at the final round.
The Santa Ynez Valley Master Chorale, Youth Chorale and Orchestra is a nonprofit performing-arts group that presents a series of three concerts in May and December each year as well as participating in community events year-round.
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Contact Zora Shinn at 688-7771, zora@shinnlaw.com for more information.
March 1, 2011