Christian Brown, 25, came in second place in last year’s NEPA Sings competition, and dazzled the judges once again with his audition this year, performing “Troublemaker” by Olly Murs.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
Auditions draw powerhouse performers to Think Center
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Emily Nacchio was one of 25 hopeful performers who auditioned Saturday for a chance to make the finals of this year’s NEPA Sings competition, hosted by CASA of Luzerne County.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — Extraordinarily talented vocalists from all walks of life, but with a shared passion for performing, took to the Think Center stage to compete for prizes and studio time as the fifth annual NEPA Sings contest got underway with a round of auditions on Saturday morning.
Hosted by Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Luzerne County, 25 hopefuls stepped in front of an esteemed panel of judges and sang their hearts out, looking for a chance to advance to June’s final round and the big stage at the Moonlite Drive-In in West Wyoming.
“I think it’s awesome, I’m psyched to be here,” said CASA executive director Mary Kay Pivovarnik, overseeing her first NEPA Sings in the executive director role after taking the position last fall. “I’m really excited about this fundraiser, it’s so unique to the area and I think it’s just amazing.”
One of CASA’s signature events and an area staple over the last few years, this year’s NEPA Sings auditions brought back the in-person performances that were dashed last year due to COVID-19, when the competition had to pivot to Zoom auditions.
Each contestant had the chance to impress the NEPA Sings judges with a short snippet from a song of their choosing. The panel of judges included Wendy Hinton from King’s College, Coal Creative’s Samuel O’Connell, local performer Lorenzo Medico and Judge Jennifer Rogers, and the auditions were hosted by Dave Kuharchik.
This year’s batch of contestants featured powerhouse performers from all over the area, some returning NEPA Sings competitors, some first-timers and a whole lot of different experiences in the world of music.
Ingrid Martinez has been singing with her church choir for about a year, and used that experience singing in front of people to her advantage on Saturday, wowing the judges with a song performed in Spanish.
“I’ve got goosebumps,” Martinez said after coming off the stage. “I’m usually in front of people, I see new people every day and I just want to give out what God has given me.”
The lineup of singers grew more and more formidable as the auditions went on, which was pointed out to be a good thing by one of the day’s earlier auditionees, Dakota Lawler.
“I think for a singer, the best thing you could do is get into a room with others and collaborate,” said Lawler, 27, from Wyoming. “I thought this would be a good chance to try and showcase my talent with other good singers.”
Lawler, who works in IT but said that he’s always loved singing for fun, knocked out a rendition of “Jar of Hearts” by Christina Perri for his audition.
“I love to sing things that are super high in my register, just to really show that belting range off,” Lawler explained.
Martinez and Lawler were new faces to the panel of judges; one performer on Saturday was very familiar to the room, as last year’s second-place finalist Christian Brown returned and dazzled the panel once again, this time with “Troublemaker” by Olly Murs.
“I really had a wonderful experience last year, it was one of the coolest things to see myself on screen singing along with nine other extremely talented people,” Brown said. “Just to be a part of something like CASA, where we’re not only performing but giving back to the children, that’s what my life is devoted to.”
The judges will now have the daunting task of narrowing the audition field of 25 singers down to somewhere between 8-10 finalists, who will record their performances and see them on the big screen at the Moonlite Drive-In on June 16. The names of the finalists should be announced sometime this week, according to Pivovarnik.
Tickets for the finals should be on sale soon, and proceeds from ticket sales will benefit CASA, a nonprofit organization that strives to serve as a voice for abused and neglected children in the county court system by pairing them with volunteer advocates.
Multiple performers on Saturday cited the CASA cause as one of their driving reasons for coming out to audition, and Pivovarnik stressed how vital an event like NEPA Sings is to her organization.
“It’s so important for these kids to have that one voice with them from start to finish, which they don’t always get,” Pivovarnik said. “This is such an amazing organization, and to see the kind of community support that we get just blows my mind.”
