If you go:What: ‘Cuse Idol auditionsWhere: Jabberwocky CafeWhen: 7 p.m.How Much: Free

When the American Idol crew begins touring the United States for the seventh season auditions, Syracuse won’t likely be one of their stops. But students striving for the fame of Taylor Hicks or the infamy of William Hung will get their chance in a campus-wide version of the hit reality competition.

University Union and First Year Players will be holding auditions for the first-ever ‘Cuse Idol on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Jabberwocky Caf, followed by callbacks on Thursday.

Marlene Goldenberg, vice president of Student Association, explained where the idea came from.

‘A few of us were sitting around, talking about the show,’ she said, ‘when one of us said, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to do at Syracuse?”

Students will audition with a prepared one-minute a cappella song, and if the judges like them enough, they will receive a ticket to the callbacks. After callbacks, the judges will cut the contestants down to 15.

‘The first night, we will only be focusing on the vocals,’ Goldenberg said. ‘But for the callbacks, they will also be evaluated for showmanship and stage presence.’

While the final judging categories have yet to be decided, Goldenberg said that they will likely include vocals, preparedness, style and stage presence.

The final competition will be held on Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Goldstein Auditorium. All 15 will get a chance to sing, and then judges, including one College of Visual and Performing Arts professor who teaches vocal performance, will narrow the contestants down to five. The final winner will be decided by a vote from the audience.

While the auditions will be a cappella, Goldenberg said that they are working with a karaoke company to provide backing tracks for the final performances.

The competition is open to all students, whether or not they are studying vocal performance in VPA.

‘There are many talented people who decided not to major in vocals,’ Goldenberg said. ‘It will be good to give a chance to majors and non-majors.’

Published on September 17, 2007 at 12:00 pm