44°
NORTH SALEM, N.Y. -- The North Salem Madrigals, a high school vocal ensemble under the guidance of Music Director Doug Coates, has been selected as one of the eight semi-finalists competing for the title of talent show champion on MSG Varsitys Talent Show.
The first telecast in the eight-show series is coming up on Sunday, April 15 at 8 p.m. on iO TV Channel 14. The Madrigals will be competing against The B Sharps of Plainview/Old Bethpage. Viewers can start voting for their favorite on Sunday, online at www.MSGVarsityTalentShow.com.
Every computer can vote up to 5,000 times a day. Voting concludes on Thursday, April 19.
Considering Old Bethpage High is three times the size of North Salem, we need all the votes we can get, said Carolyn Loftus, mother of Madrigal Paddy Loftus.
Whoever gets the most votes the first week returns for show five (May 13 at 8 p.m.) to compete against the winner of show two. This process continues to show eight (June 3, 8 p.m.), when the champion will be announced.
We were given a list of 50 songs and we had to narrow it down to three, said sophomore Lauren Talio.
The three songs are My Girl, as performed by The Temptations, Youre My Best Friend, as performed by Queen and Its So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday, as performed by Boyz || Men.
We practiced at least 40 minutes a day for four weeks, said Kim Milano, a junior. The hardest part is trying to act like youre not nervous. You have to act like a TV personality to get people to vote for you.
Senior Natalie Tiffany said that theyre such a big group, they had to work at blending, to become one voice.
My Girl is special because we sing as instruments. I sing the strings, Tiffany said.
The prize for the champion vocal ensemble is a day on Broadway. The group will spend the morning in a workshop, recreating an actual Broadway rehearsal. They will learn about staging, choreography and music from an actual show. In the afternoon they go to see the matinee performance of the show. The trip includes a special theater district lunch and chartered transportation.
MSG Varsity is an Emmy award-winning television network devoted to high school sports, academics and activities through the tri-state area, according to its website.
Click here to follow Daily Voice North Salem and receive free news updates.
