20 Local Teens Chosen for South Bay Teen Idol Semi-Finals

Teens from all over the Bay Area descended on the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center on January 10, 2016 in the hopes of being crowned the South Bay’s next Teen Idol. The winner will receive a $2,500 scholarship and their school will receive a $500 donation for their music department. These hopeful teenagers had one minute to impress the judges with their vocal talents by singing a song of their choice a capella. Twenty vocalists were selected from the auditions and advanced into the semi-finals stage of the competition. For more information, visit www.apjcc.org/idol

The talented singers will compete head to head at the Semi-final Show on Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 7:00pm at the JCC. Each participant will perform in one of four group numbers and one solo. The vocalists promise to deliver a fantastic show and are currently going through rehearsals in an attempt to make it to the TOP 10. The TOP 10 will then compete at the Final Show on Saturday, April 2, 2016.

This year’s 20 semi-finalists are:
• Alexia Ledesma - Castillero Middle School
• Ashley Hall - Homestead High School
• Ayushi Prusty - Irvington High School
• Caity Redfern - Archbishop Mitty High School
• Devon Schreiner - Los Gatos High School
• Emma Gerson - Los Gatos High School
• Esmi Pistelak - Pinewood School
• Kristen Champlin - Morningstar Academy (home school)
• Meghan Perna - Los Altos High School
• Michael Padilla - Evergreen High School
• Monica Evans - Valley Christian Middle School
• Nicole Baranchuk - Westmont High School
• Rithika Meka - Leland High School
• Sabrina Kazemipour - Pinewood School
• Samantha Gundotra - Fisher Middle School
• Sheetal Rao - Monta Vista High School
• Shreya Sanjeevaiah - Silver Creek High School
• Summer Blu Lambert - Los Gatos High School
• Varsha Horantur - Redwood Middle School
• Zeno Norris - Soquel High School

Three local music heavyweights will be judging the competition. The judges’ names will be announced soon.

In addition to the $2,500 grand prize and $500 school donation, second and third place winners will also receive prize money. Additionally, and most importantly for burgeoning talent, all contestants will have developed connections in the highly competitive music industry.

Seating for both the finals and the semi-finals is limited to 375 people. Admission for the semifinals is $10 for adults and $5 for students with a canned food donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank. Without a canned food item, tickets go up to $20 for adults and $10 for students. Children ages 5 and under are admitted free if they sit on a parent’s lap.

Tickets are available online at http://www.apjcc.org/idol and will also be available at the door, if seats are still available.

For more information please contact Diana Schnabel at the JCC, diana@apjcc.org or
408.357.7402.

About the JCC
The Addison-Penzak JCC of Silicon Valley (www.apjcc.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community center and is open to people of all faiths and backgrounds.

Its programs and services include a state-of-the-art Fitness Center, Aquatics Center, and Tennis Complex, full gymnasium, highly regarded APJCC Preschool, summer camps and after-school programs, adult education, art exhibits and cultural events, and social and enrichment programs for children, teenagers, adults and seniors.
The Addison-Penzak JCC is a beneficiary of the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley and is affiliated with the JCC Association of North America.