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The Indiana Daily Student

arts

Campus Superstar competition stages semifinal round at Buskirk-Chumley

Arts Filler

Clad in a black suit, a contestant stepped up to a microphone to sing Michael Bublé’s “You & I” as three judges listened from a panel beside him. Behind him was a silver star with the words “Campus Superstar” written in purple.

“In my mind, we can conquer the world,” he sang, as audience members hollered.

Campus Superstar is a vocal talent competition open to students from any college or university in Indiana. The semifinal competition took place Sunday evening at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. The finals will take place April 9 at the Toby Theater in the 
Indianapolis Museum of Art.

After Sunday’s semifinal round, judges narrowed the field of contestants down from 20 from across eight campuses to ten. Attendee Corey Jeffries’ daughter, Taira Beverly-Jeffries, was one of the semifinalists.

“She’s been practicing all day,” Jeffries said. “I’m excited to see her up on that stage.”

Each contestant only had 90 seconds to show off their talent to their judges and win a spot in the finals. But Jeffries said he wasn’t worried. Jeffries said when his daughter is on stage, she becomes a different person.

“She can be quiet, but when she gets on that stage, she just has a fire,” Jeffries said. “She has an amazing enthusiasm. You can see how much work she puts into this.”

Attendee Juan Rivera was a Campus Superstar contestant in 2013. Now he said he is just excited to see the new contestants’ talent and hard work pay off on stage.

He said he also loves the variety of genres represented in Campus Superstar every year.

“You get opera and rock and just everything in between,” Rivera said. “It’s interesting to see that wide array of genres.”

Terri Stephany, mother of contestant Leigha Stephany, said while viewers gain from the entertainment value of the performances, the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center will also benefit from the event.

The funds raised by the $5 entry fees go toward supporting the Hillel Center in efforts to develop diversity at IU.

“We are dedicated to developing a strong Jewish community and supporting the leaders of tomorrow,” said Sue Silberberg, rabbi at the Hillel Center.

While the Hillel Center and the audience benefit, Stephany said the competitors have the most to gain from the experience.

She said she hopes her own daughter will be able to gain skill and an understanding of her own abilities by competing.

“I want to see her shine,” Stephany said. “I want her to leave that stage with 
confidence in her voice.”

Ten of the current semifinalists were chosen to move onto the final round for a chance to win the $5,000 first-place prize.

From there, judges cut the pool down to five contestants, and the audience chooses the final winner. The audience choice from the semifinals will also automatically move on to the finals.

As a result, Rivera said it is important for the contestants to connect with the audience in order to earn their slot in the finals.

“This isn’t the auditions when you’re just trying to impress the judges,” Rivera said. “This is real. This is about working the audience and winning them over.”

He said the first step to winning over the audience is to have the vocal skill. The next step is to have 
personality.

“It’s the semifinals, so everyone here can sing,” he said. “What makes you stand out is your 
personality.”

As an audience member, Jeffries said he is looking for personality, but he mostly wants to see how much effort contestants put into preparing. He said he wants to see enthusiasm.

“Just get up on that stage and give it your all,” Jeffries said. “Don’t hold back. This is your chance to show 
everyone what you’ve got.”

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