Idol Will Be Narrowed To Three Tonight
By NICHOLAS L. DEAN
8/6/2007 - BEMUS POINT — Half of the singers who perform at Chautauqua Lake Idol tonight will be cut, leaving the contest with its three finalists for 2007.
After four evenings at The Floating Stage in Bemus Point, this year's regional vocal competition is winding down — and organizer SE93 has nothing but the best left in the game.
The third of three theme nights, tonight's round of competition is entitled ''Remember When...'' and will feature songs from years past. For the theme night, contestants must sing a song from the year of their birth, or high school or college graduation.
''Did I think I was going to make it this far? Not really, but I've enjoyed it,'' said Rich Beatty on Friday night. ''It's been a lot of fun. I've learned a lot and made a lot of new friends throughout this competition.''
Naming last week's ''Christmas In July'' theme week as his favorite performance so far, Beatty joked about having to sing disco and complemented the seven other contestants still in the competition. Responding to complaints and criticisms which have been posted recently in the forums on www.ChautauquaIdol.com, Beatty said he hopes people will look at the positives of the event and not linger on who beat who.
''This is an event that's supposed to bring the community together, so all we're asking is that people enjoy it and support all of the singers in the competition,'' Beatty said. ''''My whole philosophy has been to have fun with it and that's all I'm doing,''
In addition to Beatty, Andrea Bragg, Ben Blood, Michael Valvo, Lydia Marks and Parris Williams are slated to perform tonight.
Now in its fourth year, Chautauqua Lake Idol was created and is organized each year by WWSE 93.3 FM — a Media One Group radio station.
''This is definitely the top eight we've had in four years, it's the most talent I've ever seen,'' said Andrew Hill, host of the event and SE93 on-air personality, after last week's competition. ''I really hate to see any of them go, but we're offering them an opportunity to get better.''
Music for all Chautauqua Lake Idol events is provided by John Cross and the Babalu Band. Cross, who is Cassadaga Valley High School's director of bands, has served as music director for the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival and has provided music scoring and performed with Paula Poundstone, Ellen DeGeneres, the Smother's Brothers, Bob Newhart and Lucie Arnez. In addition to being a featured soloist and arranger with the Bemus Bay Pops Orchestra and the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra, Cross has performed in jazz clubs from Chicago to New Orleans and is the founder and conductor of the Chautauqua Concert Band. Joining him onstage this year is Mark Alpaugh on keyboards, guitarist Jim Karapontso and drummer Jim Foti.
''There are many reasons our shows have been so successful these past four summers, and that's because of the amazing group John puts together each year,'' Hill said of Cross and the Babalu Band. ''The singers are great, but they wouldn't be as good without the professional sound we have behind them.''
Chautauqua Lake Idol events begin at 6:30 p.m. and typically run two hours. With four rounds of competition completed, only two remain — tonight's ''Remember When...'' event and the final competition on Monday, Aug 20.
After four evenings at The Floating Stage in Bemus Point, this year's regional vocal competition is winding down — and organizer SE93 has nothing but the best left in the game.
The third of three theme nights, tonight's round of competition is entitled ''Remember When...'' and will feature songs from years past. For the theme night, contestants must sing a song from the year of their birth, or high school or college graduation.
''Did I think I was going to make it this far? Not really, but I've enjoyed it,'' said Rich Beatty on Friday night. ''It's been a lot of fun. I've learned a lot and made a lot of new friends throughout this competition.''
Naming last week's ''Christmas In July'' theme week as his favorite performance so far, Beatty joked about having to sing disco and complemented the seven other contestants still in the competition. Responding to complaints and criticisms which have been posted recently in the forums on www.ChautauquaIdol.com, Beatty said he hopes people will look at the positives of the event and not linger on who beat who.
''This is an event that's supposed to bring the community together, so all we're asking is that people enjoy it and support all of the singers in the competition,'' Beatty said. ''''My whole philosophy has been to have fun with it and that's all I'm doing,''
In addition to Beatty, Andrea Bragg, Ben Blood, Michael Valvo, Lydia Marks and Parris Williams are slated to perform tonight.
Now in its fourth year, Chautauqua Lake Idol was created and is organized each year by WWSE 93.3 FM — a Media One Group radio station.
''This is definitely the top eight we've had in four years, it's the most talent I've ever seen,'' said Andrew Hill, host of the event and SE93 on-air personality, after last week's competition. ''I really hate to see any of them go, but we're offering them an opportunity to get better.''
Music for all Chautauqua Lake Idol events is provided by John Cross and the Babalu Band. Cross, who is Cassadaga Valley High School's director of bands, has served as music director for the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival and has provided music scoring and performed with Paula Poundstone, Ellen DeGeneres, the Smother's Brothers, Bob Newhart and Lucie Arnez. In addition to being a featured soloist and arranger with the Bemus Bay Pops Orchestra and the Erie Philharmonic Orchestra, Cross has performed in jazz clubs from Chicago to New Orleans and is the founder and conductor of the Chautauqua Concert Band. Joining him onstage this year is Mark Alpaugh on keyboards, guitarist Jim Karapontso and drummer Jim Foti.
''There are many reasons our shows have been so successful these past four summers, and that's because of the amazing group John puts together each year,'' Hill said of Cross and the Babalu Band. ''The singers are great, but they wouldn't be as good without the professional sound we have behind them.''
Chautauqua Lake Idol events begin at 6:30 p.m. and typically run two hours. With four rounds of competition completed, only two remain — tonight's ''Remember When...'' event and the final competition on Monday, Aug 20.
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