By: Maria Monteros
Ten of Trevecca’s best singers will compete in Boone Convocation Center on Nov. 28 and Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. for the title of this year’s Trojan Idol.
Trojan Idol is a campus-wide singing competition held every year where audience members vote on who gets to advance to the next stages of the competition and ultimately the winner.
A panel of judges selected 10 contestants out of 48 students from the auditions held last month.
For students across different academic departments, Trojan Idol is a way to showcase their talents at a university located in the music city, said Shelby Morrison, ASB director of social life.
“Our university is Nashville, so we have a lot of talent that comes into this school,” she said. “There’s no minimum requirement, basically. Anyone can audition. It’s not like you have to have a degree or be studying music or be a professional.”
Morrison knows exactly how contestants feel. During her freshmen year, she was one of them.
“Having had experienced Trojan Idol from the inside is helping me want to create it to be the best that it can be on the outside like in all the little details because I know how big of an impact it had on my experience,” she said.
The event coordinating team began preparing two months ago which gave them room to include a surprise element.
Each contestant is asked to prepare three songs, one for the first night and two for the second night if they make it to the top five and top two.
What people don’t realize is the amount of work the house band does, said Morrison.
Blake Winchester, junior marketing major, and his band members will be playing up to 40 songs during the event.
“I would describe it as one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences just because it’s extremely difficult but is equally as awesome,” he said
As the band lead, Winchester’s first step was finding talents of his own to play with him. Since then, each rehearsal was spent making charts and learning at least five songs.
Between the first and second night, the band has to learn 10 songs within a 12-hour period. But Winchester said the band is talented and dedicated enough to make it possible.
“[The contestants] picked the songs that they’re singing so I want us to be able to pull off
their songs in the way that they want,” he said. “I want, for us as a band, to feel accomplished and see the work that we’ve done get put to life in the show.”
Trevecca has invited former “The Voice” contestant Joe Kirk and alumni DeMetri Moon-Nance, musician and Energy team skater for the Nashville Predators. A third judge will be present at the event due to some changes.
“You have so many wonderful people audition that it is really hard to narrow it down to 10 people, because in a perfect world I would just have everyone participate,” said Morrison. “When we send out the official list, we let everyone know that we encourage them to audition again.”
Admission to the event is free and it will also be available through live stream. However, only those that are present at the event can cast their vote.
