Students Bring Down The House at Commack Idol

Sometimes independent quality beats the mainstream. Nothing proved that better than Commack Idol, an American Idol-themed competition that showcased some of Commack's finest singers. The finals, held at Commack Middle School on Feb. 4, treated spectators to one serious vocal showcase. No Britney Spears lip-syncing could be found Friday night, as a slew of high school and middle school students exercised their pipes and put their talent to the test.  

Local radio station 106.1 WBLI was on hand to emcee the event, and previous winners Nicolette Pellegrino and Alyssa Curcio performed.

Hosting the event was WBLI’s own Gene Hendrickson, who kept the energy going from opening performer Catherine Zimmer to Alyssa Curcio’s rendition of “Somewhere over the Rainbow,” a crowd-pleaser which closed out the evening.  

The competition showed a diverse setlist chosen by contestants, including Courtney Gallagher performance of Carrie Underwood's "Cowboy Casanova".  Gallagher, one of the youngest and smallest performers, was a natural onstage, and had one hell of a voice.  Although Gallagher stood out and went on to snag the middle school champion title, a bunch of performances in between gave her a run for her money, and made the judges' decision a difficult one.

From Samantha Kunz's energetic performance of “Everytime We Touch” to Samantha Sclafani’s sultry version of the Etta James classic “At Last” to the booming power of Anthony Funcheon, it was clear that a few future superstars may be lurking in our midst.

Final Standings: