By Lindsey McCarthy
Staff Reporter
On Tuesday, Apr. 17 in the Schine Auditorium, the Residence Hall Association (RHA) presented their annual event, SHU Idol. The event was filled with laughter and displayed the musical talent of five Sacred Heart students.
This year’s contestants included freshman Charlie Fusari, junior Alex Kroudis, junior John Goodnough, sophomore Delaney Lynch and sophomore Minas Kostis.
“I had a great time,” said Fusari. “I wouldn’t have been able to perform without [my] two great friends, Delaney and Minas, performing with me.”
Each contestant sang twice; one song per round that they thought showcased their voices the best. Some of the songs that were sung ranged from “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys, to more classical pieces such as “Ave Maria,” composed by Franz Schubert.
Each contender came from different backgrounds, all with a reason to be competing in SHU Idol. One thing they all had in common was their passion to sing.
“I can’t remember what made me start singing, but I’ve been singing since before I could even remember,” said Kroudis. “I have been in love with it all my life.”
When asked why they auditioned, each participant had a different reason.
“I thought it would be a fun event to do with the SHU community,” said Goodnough.
Last year, Lynch competed and took first place.
“I auditioned last year so why not audition again,” said Lynch.
The panel of judges was composed of three Sacred Heart faculty members: Coordinator of Safety and Security Programs Stephanie Trelli, Campus Minister Devon McCormick, and Assistant Director of Residential Life Gregory Madrid.
The judges individually scored each contestants’ performance, then they totaled up the final amount of points to decide a winner.
“The judges looked for a lot of things, especially when scoring,” said McCormick. “We look for the student’s originality, the difficulty of the piece they chose, stage presence, and their overall performance.”
Each judge also looked for a special ‘spark’ that happens within the students’ performances.
“I look for the student’s creativity,” said Trelli. “How they present themselves on stage—that’s one part I love.”
There were different moments that stood out to Madrid.
“I really love the big moments in the student’s performance,” said Madrid. “It’s the cool moments, like when Charlie went from English to Italian in his second piece, that I enjoy the most.”
Trelli was also impressed with Fusari’s performance. His rendition of “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran was sang in English and Italian.
“Is there anything you can’t do?” said Trelli to Fusari.
The judges agreed that their favorite part of SHU Idol is interacting with the students who audition and the audience members who attend the event.
Throughout the evening, there was also a raffle being run by RHA through Student Life. The prizes consisted of a Lifeprint Photo and Video Printer, Snapchat Spectacles, and three gift cards to local businesses. The gift cards were to Plan B Burger Bar, Colony Grill and Milkcraft.
By the end of the night, each prize was raffled off to audience members, then the winner of SHU Idol was announced: Fusari.
“The entire event was amazing,” said freshman Jen Bailey. “It was such a fun atmosphere to be in and I’m really glad I went to watch.”
