43
Shining brightly
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
YOUNGSTOWN
Dressed in black and backed by a three-piece band, eight contestants belted out classic tunes such as Nat King Cole’s “Smile” and Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight.”
For the five young women and three young men, it was the last chance to convince judges they should be the DeYor Singing Star.
The competition Sunday in Powers Auditorium was the fourth and final round in the competition presented by the DeYor Performing Arts Center.
After the last song was sung and the judges deliberated, 17-year-old Natalie Sprouse of Columbiana was chosen the winner.
She will receive $5,000, perform with Easy Street Productions in “Legends” at the Singing Star Celebration Dinner and Performance at the DeYor on Nov. 13, and will have the chance to perform with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra.
“I’m excited. I didn’t know it was going to happen, but I’m very, very happy,” Sprouse said.
She entered the competition at the urging of her aunt.
“I thought it would be a good opportunity to get myself out there,” Sprouse said.
She sang “Smile,” “River Deep, Mountain High” and “America the Beautiful.”
“I picked the songs that really meant a lot to me, that had feeling behind them,” she said.
The high school junior is looking forward to the next steps as winner of the competition. She will use the prize money to complete a CD of original songs. Sprouse has been singing since she was 3 years old and plans to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter/composer.
“I listened to her quality and her feel, and when she sang that song, “Smile,” to me it was very emotional. It very much touched me,” said Anthony DeFrank, a musician from Boardman, and one of the judges of the final stage of the competition.
Kristen Ruchtie, 21, of Canfield didn’t expect to find herself in the final round.
“I’m flattered that I’m here,” she said. “And I feel really blessed that I’m here.”
Ruchtie was one of 20 semifinalists chosen by judges at the initial audition. Those 20 sang at a competition at Southern Park Mall in Niles solely for the purpose of choosing a people’s choice winner. Eight finalists then were chosen by judges in a semifinal round. The people’s choice winner was to also compete in Sunday’s event but did not attend.
Though contestants sang songs of their own choosing in the earlier stages of the competition, the finalists were given a list of eight songs to choose from. They each sang three.
Though she didn’t know any of the songs on the list, except “America the Beautiful,” Ruchtie found some she believed she could sing while staying true to her own style.
“I’m just happy I remembered the words,” she said. “I feel good. I feel like I did what I could. So I feel good about it.”
Rosie Jo Neddy of Canfield attended the event to support her best friend, contestant Nate Pecchia.
“I think it’s really cool that they’re showcasing some of the talent in the area,” Neddy said. “It’s always amazing how much talent there is in such a small town, to me.”