By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD – The finals of the 10th Freehold Idol talent competition will get underway tonight, Aug. 17, at the Monmouth County Hall of Records plaza, Main Street, Freehold Borough. Members of the public are invited to come and watch the singers go for the top prize in their age group.
The age groups are 10 to 15 years old, 16 to 22 years old, and 23 years old and over. During the preliminary phase of the competition, contestants sing for the judges with the goal of obtaining the highest score in their age group on the night they compete so they may advance to the finals.
A winner will be selected from each age group.
Tonight, Aug. 17, the finals will be held for the 16 to 22 age group and the 23-and-over age group. On Aug. 24, the finals will be held for the 10 to 15 age group. The competition will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Hall of Records plaza. In case of rain, the finals will take place in the American Hotel, 18 E Main St.
According to the Freehold Idol organizers, the finalists in the 23-and-over age group are Jennifer Niemi, 24, of Old Bridge, Christopher Corbin, 70, of North Plainfield, Natalie Pomerantz Hyman, 33, of Freehold, Ashley Loksa, 26, of Freehold, Michael Marano, 59, of Tannersville, Pa., Barney Guagliardo, 67, of Manalapan, and Shannan Gonzales, 46, of Freehold.
The finalists in the 16 to 22 age group are Gabe Greenwood, 18, of Princeton, Christina Gallego, 21, of Freehold, Melissa Parisi, 19, of Marlton, Joselyne Roman, 18, of Manalapan, Danielle Evangelista, 20, of Manalapan, Christina Nini, 18, of Princeton, Brianna Payne, 21, of Hazlet, Kristin Morosoff, 19, of Tinton Falls, and Rachelle Legrand, 20, of Marlboro.
The finalists in the 10 to 15 age group are Gilliam Scott, 14, of Princeton, Gabby Clinque, 15, of Freehold, Olivia Copello, 13, of Manalapan, Cassidy Westerlaund, 15, of Old Bridge, Alexis Mathis, 15, of Mullica Township, Noel Fullman, 13, of Brick Township, Megan Jenkins, 15, of Bridgewater, Riley Martin, 15, of Freehold, Ava DiLouie, 12, of Middletown, Reignn Acedera, 11, of Ocean Township, Joseph Shein, 13, of Freehold Township, and Jacqueline Smith, 14, of Howell.
“Our 10th season has been another outstanding display of talent and we are thankful to our sponsors, particularly iPlay America,” said Jeffrey Friedman, Downtown Freehold’s business advocate.
The judges of the Freehold Idol competition are Stephen Rubino, Lee Ottman and Jo Wymer.
Rubino, who is serving his fifth year as a judge, views his position as a way to give back to the community and share his musical knowledge.
“The competition is great,” Rubino said. “We have people who come from all over the state … and we get a lot of talent.”
“I love being a judge,” Ottman said. “There is true talent here and it’s awesome seeing the really young kids who have these great voices and the possibility of having a great career.”
Serving his sixth year as a judge, Ottman also spoke about older contestants who show up for Freehold Idol. He said the mature individuals continue to enjoy singing.
“Being a judge is really something I enjoy devoting my time to,” said Wymer, who is serving her ninth year as a judge. “There is a lot of talent out there and we have had winners go on to have national recognition.”
Among the winners Wymer mentioned was Jacquie Lee, who won the 2012 Freehold Idol competition in the 10 to 15 age group. Lee appeared on the fifth season of “The Voice” in 2013 and finished second.
