BELLOWS FALLS — The first round of auditions for Southern Vermont Idol will occur on Saturday, April 23, at the event's new home in Bellows Falls at The Moose Lodge, 59 Westminster St. Participants should use the auditorium stage entrance on Henry Street, which will be marked.
Youth and adults will audition in different time slots. Youth ages 6-12 are scheduled between 2 and 4 p.m., and adults and teenagers 13-and-over from 6 to 8 p.m. Contestants may perform a song of their choosing and provide their own CD, email an MP3 file with paid registration, or perform a cappella.
Online registration is urged, but walk-ins are accepted. The registration fee per audition is $10 for youth and $30 for adults. Contestants may audition on all three dates - April 23, May 14, and June 18 - in order for the highest score to count toward determining who will compete.
New this year is audience participation in determining who will go through to the event. Audience paid admission comes with a voting ballot, and audience votes will count for 75 percent of the total score. Audience ticket prices can be purchased online or at the door at a cost of $10 General Admissions, $5 Seniors (62 and over), and free for youth 12 and under.
Twenty adult and 12 youth contestants will be notified of results no later than June 25. The event competition begins on Saturday, July 9, and continues on July 16, 23, 30. The finale is on Friday, Aug. 5. The adult grand prize is $1,500. Four adults and four youth will receive prizes, awarded at the Aug. 5 finale.
For 12 years, the premiere amateur singing competition known as Keene Idol was a signature event in Keene, N.H. In 2016, producer Susan MacNeil, who has relocated to Bellows Falls, will present the 13th year of the event under its new name.
For the purposes of this event, “amateur” is defined as a performer who engages in singing occasionally, paid or unpaid, rather than as a sole profession.
Net proceeds benefit the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project (RAMP), which is celebrating 20 years of commitment to integrating the arts into the long-term sustainability of the community.