by Joshua Michel
Trojan Idol is back and will take place Feb. 26 and Mar. 6, a Friday and Saturday instead of the traditional two Fridays. The competition will feature 10 contestants.
“I’ve been singing since I was a little kid and have never done it competitively, though this would be the perfect setting. I thought this would be a fun way to see how far I could go,” said Thandiwe Nkomazana, a freshman communications major.
Information about the event will be disseminated through the weekly SGA email, on posters and monitors around campus, and on the SGA Instagram, @tnusga.
Trojan Idol is a campus-wide singing competition traditionally held yearly during the fall semester. Audience members can vote on who moves on to the finals and the overall winner across the two-night event. This year, however, the event moved to the spring semester due to strict guidelines placed in Davidson County about gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Planning fall events was difficult, and the decision was not made by me. The administration said it was too tight. Finals were in November, and Trojan Idol had to happen in October so we didn’t have enough time,” said Rachel Thompson, associate student body social life director.
During the fall semester, Trevecca was dealing with spiking COVID-19 cases and navigating their first full semester with new COVID-19 adjustments.
“Now the administration has a semester of experience combatting COVID under its belt. We are used to organizing events while adhering to COVID guidelines,” said Thompson.
Trojan Idol had to take place in February so that Thompson could have room to plan Boonearoo and Friday Night Live, the traditional spring events.
Trevecca students will vote for their favorite singers through live-voting using Trevecca’s live-stream service, Stretch.
Night one of Trojan Idol will be pre-recorded but results will be determined through live-voting. Students can vote by accessing a provided live-voting link using a phone or computer.
“The first night you should be able to pick five contestants, but you can’t vote for the same person five times,” said Thompson.
Five contestants will move on to night two. The top two contestants from night two will face off and a winner will be decided.
All the performances on the first night will be completely acoustic. It is an homage to the way Trojan Idol used to sound.
“It will really showcase the voices of the contestants. It will just be them and one other instrument. The original Trojan Idol was much more like this and I am really excited to get back to this,” said Thompson.
It serves the dual purpose of mitigating the risk of COVID exposure on stage.
“It is also for COVID reasons. Then we aren’t worrying about ten people crossing with the same band members,” said Thompson.
Night two will tentatively be held in-person in Boone Convocation Center for select attendees. Trojan Idol is not a part of Trevecca’s academic curriculum and is considered a social event. Social gatherings larger than eight people require approval from Davidson County.
Randy Kinder, director of events and strategic initiative, office of admissions, has asked
Davidson County for permission to allow 40 people in the building. Kinder is waiting for a response to that request.
Students will earn tickets to the in-person event through a luck-of-the-draw criteria that is to be determined.
Watch parties for night one and two will be held in Benson Auditorium and the dormitory lobbies. The watch parties will have snacks and refreshments provided by each dorm’s resident director and resident assistants. Only eight people will be allowed at each watch party, according to Benji Magana, traditional events coordinator.
“Why wouldn’t Trevecca students want to watch Trojan Idol this year?! There are such talented people that are a part of it and I think it would be worth their time,” said Nkomazana.
