Gasson Hall Becomes Stage for BC Idol Competition

Friday night, Gasson Hall's Irish Room was packed to the point of standing room only with students and faculty to witness not only the crowning of the next BC Idol, but to support the efforts of two charities – the Oasis Foundation and the Ewing's Sarcoma Research Foundation.

Freshmen and sophomores from the Emerging Leader Program (ELP) organized the sixth annual installment of the competition, which has become an increasingly popular event on campus.

The charities together raised a combined $1,211. The Oasis Coalition is the founder of the first book club for homeless persons in the United States and is based in Boston.  The Ewing's Sarcoma Research Foundation is supported by Mark Herzlich, GA&S '12, who was unexpectedly diagnosed with the disease last year and has since recovered.
"The founders of the Oasis Coalition are a priest, a lawyer, and a homeless man," said Kelley McKenna, facilitator for the ELP and LSOE '12. "They came in and talked to ELP and moved us with their story and what they're trying to do. They have a good idea of what they want to do, so we thought it would be best just to give them funds instead of buying them books."

McKenna said that after Herzlich's battle with Ewing's Sarcoma became public, it seemed appropriate to raise funds for the research foundation. "We thought that this could be something we could do to help," she said.

The winner of the competition, chosen by audience vote, was Patrick Vale, A&S '13, who said he originally auditioned on a whim. "It was very spur of the moment," Vale said. "I just saw the sign in the Quad and I thought, ‘Why not?'"

Vale said that more than anything, it was important for him to have a strong support system present at the competition. "My biggest preparation was just trying to motivate my friends to come." He said that the night itself was very exciting and, because of the charitable nature of the event, it was "something cool to be a part of."

Vale won by singing his rendition of "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5. "It's what I sang when I impulsively went into the audition," he said.  Vale said he is still unsure about what he will do with his newfound fame, but he said that he will uphold the integrity of the BC Idol title. "With my crown I don't know what changes I'll implement," he said. "But it feels good."

Auditions for the contest were held in the fall and spring and were judged by members of the ELP. "We had to narrow down the nearly 20 auditions to 11 acts," McKenna said. "All of the contestants did a very good job."

The event itself consisted of an hour and a half of music. As the votes were counted following the main acts, Dennis Carr, BC's resident "piano kid" and A&S '11, played popular tunes on his signature instrument. The raucous crowd stayed enthused until the end of the night, cheering for every act.

The judges' panel consisted of three Jesuits, Rev. Don MacMillan, S.J.; Rev. Ross Romero, S.J.; and Rev. Richard McGowan, S.J; who offered their wry commentary and encouragement after the performances of each contestant.

The top three acts were recognized for their talent with prizes. Vale received a gift certificate to the restaurant Fire and Ice, and the two runners-up received Chipotle gift certificates and Boston Bruins tickets.