February 2011

By Lauren Parfidi

Do you want to be discovered?

Mercy College is holding auditions for aspiring performers to compete in a singing competition. Many contestants heard about it through the internet and through other people.

“I found out about the contest from one of my friends. She posted the link on my Facebook wall, and I checked it out and got to work on a song to sing for it,” says contestant Sara Leach.

The winner of the competition will receive a professionally produced album with a producer, engineer, and studio time. The winner will also have promotion distribution support through the Discovered recording label.

What more would an aspiring singer want?

“It’s a great opportunity, and I am very glad my friend spotted it and let me know about it! I am going to work hard to reach for my dreams and this contest is just another great contribution to the person I am hoping to become,” says Leach.

Auditions are being held now until March 15. To become a contestant, male and females from ages 14-26 can log on to www.Mercy.edu and click, “Enter Now.” Contestants then will upload an audio or video clip of their talent.

Half of the voting criteria is based on total votes from users who vote for the singer’s entry online, and the other half is based on a panel of judges.

The judges who are chosen are successful industry executives, producers, and songwriters. Barry Eastman is a Grammy award winning multi-platinum producer and engineer. Nina Ossoff is a songwriter for former American Idol contestants such as Daughtry. Lastly, Prof. Paul Steinman has over 15 years as a sound mixer for numerous bands and television productions, including over 350 shows for The Late Show with David Letterman. He is also the Director of the Music Industry and Technology program at Mercy College.

The top 20 contestants will compete for a place in the finale. The finale will consist of 10 contestants performing live in April.

The singers who are selected to perform live cannot have a contract with a talent representation, current music recording contract, and any contract agreements that would prohibit the singer from fully participating.